what's your Favorite color XJ ?

I'm getting addicted to changing the color of my XJ650 Maxim. Since it's mostly chrome the only thing that makes it ruby red (or black or whatever) is the tank and side covers. Looking for a new color scheme for my new ebay tank purchase. Of course a custom color is always an option too but those Yamaha colors sure were ahead of their time. Opinions (or pics) welcome - what's the best looking XJ you have seen? Always like this one

 

I like my original silver...or whatever its called. If i was going to repaint, id go non-standard and go with gun metal gray.

 

Mine is non factory yellow ...but I bought the tank,side covers,tail piece and fender in the ruby red at some point I will swap it out .

 

what's your Favorite color XJ ?

good question, but what is the air speed velocity of an unladen sparrow?

 

Just bought this 750 tank on ebay for $85, not sure what color red it is but it's growing on me (it's not ruby red which has purple-ish tone and it's not the maroon I have either).

 

That's my favorite.....

My 900rk's, a couple 750r's, and my 700, etc....my next favorite is black--most of the rest of my bikes are black. Green is my least favorite, but I have two bikes that are green

 

Depend on its trajectory, the wind direction and force,etc...., unless, it happens to be sitting on a branch--in which case, it's zero.

 

do you know the name of that red Dave? theres Crimson, super red, cardinal red, star red etc....) Len has them all

 

........ And whether you've changed its color

 

Depend on the year and models......I think Len spelled that out

 

My machine was originally black and gold but it is as pictured now.

 

that's a sweet looking bike Franz

 

Cheers an idiot damaged it last year. He ripped the Jama four into two exhaust off it so I bought it back off the insurance company and got some parts including the tank on it now. A pal of mine resprayed the fairing which was damaged too so it was not so bad, I am pleased the way it has turned out. It is too good a machine to send to the knackers yard as the chassis was not damaged in any way. Long live the XJ range of motorcycles. My brother bought the bike for my birthday.

 

and this one is sweet.....

 

At least three different color red
XJ 700 fender-darker red, larger flake
XJ 700 lighter red, very fine flake
XJ 900 RK deep Ridge Road, very fine fla XJ 900 RK deep Ridge Road, very fine flake and is the same color for the 550 maximum side cover, and the XJ 700 side cover

XJ 700 rear fender… The jury is still out on that one because there are many faded spots on it and the color under the tail light housing doesn't seem to match anything

 

Whichever color is under my arse and going 60+mph reliably...

 

If it's a 1982 XJ750 Maxim tank (has a fuel sender opening) then it's the Code 7J New Ruby red.........if it's a 1983 tank (no fuel sender port), then it's the Code 2U Super Red or Code 63 Brilliant Red.....just eyeballing it, it appears to be a 1983 tank in Brilliant Red:



Single-Stage Reds and Maroons:

PLEASE NOTE: red pigments are hard to get 100% accurate color match from batch-to-batch of paint mixtures, so if possible, you may need to "mix" the application from the first batch to this batch of cans.........such as, use up the first cans of paint to do the first coat on all items, and then this second batch to do the second (or subsequent) coats). The colors will be close enough so that this will not present a problem, but if there is any difference in shading, metallic content, or what paint people call "the flop" of the paint, the above process will eliminate any visual differences in the final painted items.

HCP7914SP Aftermarket X-ACT MATCH BODY PARTS PAINT features the correct Yamaha Code 7J New Ruby Red metallic high-gloss finish as used on painted metal and plastic body panels, cowlings, fairings, etc. Requires no special surface preparation (besides absolute cleanliness!) and cures without heat or catalysts. Primer is required. This beautiful color is a dark maroon-red with a moderate amount of metallics, and is as close as possible to the original Yamaha color. Faded versions of this paint look awful, as all of the red tends to wash out, leaving it appearing as an almost-rust colored paint, but the original color is very attractive! Originally used on all of the following models: 1981 XJ550 Maxim, 1980 XJ650 Maxim, 1983 XJ750 Maxim, and 1982 XJ1100 models. Also featured on the 1980 XS1100G and XS1100SG models. Each aerosol can contains 12 ounces. Each can:
$




Dual-Stage Reds and Maroons:

NOTE: because of the heavy concentration of opalescent or pearlescent aggregates in these paints, the following colors are only available in a 2-part BASE COAT and MID COAT system. The Base Coat is the "basic" color, and then most or all of the tinting, pearlescence, opals, and metallics are applied within the much thinner Mid Coat paint. This 2-part system is, of course, twice as expensive as a single-stage paint, but it is simply not possible (no matter what anyone else tells you) to achieve the correct factory appearance with a single-stage paint. We've seen how "close" you can get with single-stage paints of this type; the results can be surprisingly nasty and gruesome.....

These 2-stage paints are also much more difficult to apply correctly than a single-stage formula, as the amount of paint applied of both the Base and the Mid Coats in their relative amounts to each other, can change the final appearance, sometimes dramatically.

For this reason, it is imperative that you first practice on some excess material until you have familiarized yourself with the proper spray techniques and coverage amounts of both the base and the mid coats necessary to achieve the correct final, finished appearance.


And although we do offer these type paints in aerosol cans, the truth is that these 2-stage colors are very difficult to apply properly via aerosol (spray) cans, and we strongly suggest that if you are going to be re-painting an entire bike in this color, that you bite the bullet and buy this paint in the pint cans and have it professionally applied. It is a tough color to achieve correctly, but it is truly is a stunningly "brilliant" color when applied properly.


IMPORTANT NOTE: the following will be confusing to most non-professional painters, but don't feel bad: it was confusing to us at first, too. If you have already read through the section above about the difficulty of and the importance of applying these two different "components" of these 2-part colors......the base coat and the mid-coat......then we're going to ask you to read through it again, because especially in these 2-part "red" colors, the varying amounts of the base-coat versus the mid-coat application becomes CRITICAL to the final, finished appearance of the painted surface. The depth of the color and even the final shade of "color" can vary dramatically depending on how these two materials are applied, both in terms of thickness of each coat, drying time, temperature and humidity at the time of application, relative proportions of each, etc.

Partly this is due to the sensitivity of the human eye to the color "red" (your eyes have more "red" cell receptors than any other kind), but it is also due to the fact that these Yamaha red colors are as close as possible to what is commonly called "candy" colors, meaning a very heavy content of pearlescent and opalescent elements in relation to the "base" color. So you're starting out with a very "weak" red base, and then varying it tremendously with the application of the mid-coat "color" (actually, it's not quite that simple, but that's about the easiest way that we know how to explain it!).

This is why you'll see that the Code 2U Super Red paint is specified for use for "some" 1983 XJ900RK and "some" 1985 XJ700 non-X models, and you'll see the same usage noted for the Code 63 Brilliant Red. Originally, these bikes were finished in the 2U Super Red color, but once initial parts production was used up, all subsequent parts production was painted using the Code 63 Brilliant Red color, since the Code 63 Brilliant Red color can be used to achieve varied shades of a final "color" depending on how it is applied. Apply a little more base-coat and a little less mid-coat, for example, and the Code 63 paint becomes the 2U Super Red. Vary the concentrations of the base and mid-coats a little bit the other way, and badda-bing, badda-boom--------you have the Code 63 Brilliant Red color. Tweak a bit more and all of sudden you're seeing a showroom-fresh coat of Code 4H Cardinal Red (1982 XJ650RJC Seca models) pouring forth. And so on.....


The Code 2U Super Red formulation is more muted in the concentration of the color elements, and you cannot use those paints to ever achieve a Code 63 Brilliant Red color. But using the Code 63 Base Coat and Mid Coat components, you can create the whole spectrum of "red" finishes.......Code 2U Super Red, Code 4H Cardinal Red, and of course, the Code 63 Brilliant Red.

Because of the extreme difficulty involved in using these paints to get the desired finished look (color and tint), we strongly advise you to:

a) test, test, and test on scrap pieces before trying to use these colors at home, and.........

b) don't try it at home. Buy the pint cans and have a professional who knows what they're doing and who is experienced at applying these "brilliance colors" do the paint work for you.


NOTE that "extreme" difficulty means that if your spray technique isn't just right, you'll not only risk getting the "wrong" final color appearance, but you may get multiple final color appearances within the same panel being painted! If your spraying speed across the panel doesn't remain almost perfectly constant, then one spot will end up with a greater (or lesser) concentration and proportion of base-to-mid coat, and thus a different final "color" will be the result!

Although we hate to discourage you from doing your own work, we would much rather encourage you to do the right work, and sometimes that means contracting the services of a skilled professional, rather than making a mess of things by practicing on your own bike!



HCP7917BCSP Aftermarket X-ACT MATCH BODY PARTS PAINT, features the correct Yamaha Code 2U Super Red semi-metallic high-gloss finish as used on painted metal and plastic body panels, cowlings, fairings, etc. Requires no special surface preparation (besides absolute cleanliness!) and cures without heat or catalysts. Primer is required. This beautiful color is one of the many original BRILLIANCE COLORS due to its extremely high concentration of metallics, pearl, or other additives that gives it that special radiance.

Brilliance colors are applied in two stages: the first stage---this BASE COAT----is the color paint with only some of the additives. The majority of the tinting and pearlescence is then applied as the MID-COAT, and the truth be known, it is very difficult to properly apply it absolutely correctly. Practice makes perfect so please practice on some scrap material before you paint your own parts.....this color is extremely difficult for a non-professional to apply correctly. The temperature, humidity, surface preparation, and the relative amount of the base coat vs. the mid-coat that is being applied can and will change the final appearance of these 2-part paint finishes! These paints are formulated to be as close as possible to the original Yamaha color as used originally on all of the following models: 1982 XJ750 Maxim, 1983 XJ550 Maxim, 1983 XJ650 Maxim, some 1983 XJ900RK Seca, and some 1985 XJ700 non-X models. Each aerosol can contains 12 ounces. Each can:
$

 

Thank you Len, one clarification if you don't mind because these two things seems to conflict

So was the New Ruby Red on the 82 or 83 XJ750 ?

this tank does have the fuel sender port so it must be an '82 750 tank

 

Some 750 maxim tanks had a sender, others did not

 

I read all of that......at the beginning Len says if it's an 1982 XJ750 then it's a "Code 7J New Ruby red"

the next paragraph down lists all the bikes for "Code 7J New Ruby red" and the 1982 XJ750 is NOT listed (the 1983 XJ750 is listed). I just want to know is it the '82 tank or the '83 tank that is Code 7J New Ruby red (because I now know that I have a 1982 XJ750 tank)

 

I think the confusion comes from Yamaha not being particularly strict when it came to model run changes. They would transition through a model year, using parts up while also building bikes with the newer/revised parts. The most obvious example is the XJ650 transition from non-YICS engines to YICS engines. IIRC it's possible to have bikes just a few serial numbers apart where the lower-numbered bike has the YICS engine, but the higher numbered bike has the non-YICS engine (both likely built on the same day). This likely also occured when paint colors were changed. In your case the year of manufacture would not be the indicator of what color the tins got, but the presence, or lack, of a fuel sending unit would be.

 

I was hoping there was just a typo in the first sentence and he reversed the two colors. Then it would all comport with the information below it

 

Nope, the confusion comes because I was wrong! It was late, I was tired, and although those aren't good excuses, they'll have to do for now........

The corrected information should be:

1982 XJ750 Maxim tank (has a fuel sender opening) is Code 2U Super Red (or, if you understand the nature of paints, you can also consider it a "mix version" of the Code 63 Brilliant Red)
1983 XJ750 Maxim tank (does not have a fuel sender) is Code 7J New Ruby Red

This is exactly what happened. Thanks for proof-reading my work carefully!

 

I think I may have also been reading things wrong. So little time left of vacation, and so much to get done before it ends, has had me up later than usual.

 

I bought my XJ550 Maxim brand new and had my choice between the 3 colors offered: red, gray/silver and black. I chose red and never looked back.

In recent years it has started to fade and is now a lighter shade of red. Since the bike is a survivor, I won't get it repainted.

Attached photo taken at a car show in 2015 or 2016.

 

Beautiful

 

I'm partial to the red - ruby red in particular but they are all pretty nice. Black would be next. However, if the bike is cleaned up, any color looks pretty good.

 

It all depends on the xj. 650 Seca, silver
85 or 86 700 maxim, red
550 Seca, black
anything with Atari, rusty
Midnight Maxim, pink.