Paton 500

Paton 500 1974

Giuseppe Pattoni was a speed racer, a sidecar racer, and also a regularity racer before he joined Mondial, in the years when that company was interested in racing. Pattoni proved his worth as a mechanic by tuning the vehicle that Ceyl Sandford rode to win the 1957 250-class world championship.

The following year the Mondial company was out of racing, and Pattoni set up his own shop.
In addition to repairing vehicles, Pattoni and Lino Tonti began to build racing motorcycles under the name of Paton. In 1958 they produced a single-cylinder two-shaft 125 that Mike Hailwood, who was just starting out, rode to sixth place at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. A few years later they produced a two-cylinder 250, which was later turned into a 350 and then a 500 model. The Paton two-cylinder 500 was the opposite of the highly evolved motorcycles that it

raced against. The engine had two perfectly vertical cylinders, and the two-shaft, two-valve distribution was operated by a series of central gears. There was nothing in the construction of this motorcycle that was not keyed to efficiency and reliability, qualities that are indispensable in racing.
The Paton 500 made an international name for itself chiefly because it was able to produce brilliant results on a

Motorcycle: Paton 500 Two-cylinder Manufacturer: Giuseppe Pattoni, Milan Type: Racing Year: 1974
Engine: Paton two-cylinder, four-stroke, with two-shaft overhead geared distribution. Displacement 500 cc.
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Six-speed block Power: About 65 h.p. at 10,500 h.p. Maximum speed: Over 155 m.p.h. Chassis: Double cradle, open, tubular.
Front and rear, telescopic suspension Brakes: Front, central drum, four shoes,
four-cam; rear, central drum, double cam

Paton 500 1976

There was talk of the Paton two-stroke in mid-1975. That year Walter Villa was monopolizing races in the 250 class with the Harley-Davidson. Giuseppe Pattoni had been thinking of replacing his fine two-cylinder 500 four-stroke with a more competitive motorcycle. Knowing that separate parts of the Harley-Davidson engine were sold on the open market, Pattoni saw no reason to build a new engine from scratch. He decided to save time and energy by using parts of Villa's engine as far as possible.

Pattoni set out to build a four-cylinder, two-stroke engine in which the cylinders were arranged in alternating V form and frontally in line, with the two outer cylinders forward and the two inner ones back. This made it possible for him to use the Harley-Davidson racing cylinders and rod system and only build a crank-case for them. For the transmission Pattoni turned to the Harley-Davidson 350 racer, and for the chassis he turned to Bimota.

The new Paton 500 made its debut in 1976 driven by Virginio Ferrari. The first track trials were not altogether satisfactory, so Pattoni took the vehicle back to the plant. It reappeared later in the year with a new Segoni chassis and an improved engine. Mimmo Cazzaniga raced the Paton 500 at Mugello and then went back to Milan to await the 1977 season.

Motorcycle: Paton 500 Four-cylinder Manufacturer: Giuseppe Pattoni, Milan Type: Racing Year: 1976
Engine: Paton four-cylinder alternating V, two-stroke, with cross-port distribution. Displacement 492.6 cc. (56 mm. x 50 mm.)
Cooling: Water
Transmission: Six-speed block Power: 95 h.p. at 11,300 r.p.m. Maximum speed: Not tested Chassis: Single bar above, wide tube.
Front and rear, telescopic suspension Brakes: Front, double hydraulic disk;
rear, hydraulic disk