oem paint

How can i tell if the paint on my bike is a factory original? Would paint codes be in the vin#? The bike is black with a blue flake.

 

Paint codes are NOT coded in the VIN. They were only listed on the original sales "sticker" invoice. What you are describing is this color, and it would have been original for your year/model bike:

HCP7910SP Aftermarket X-ACT MATCH BODY PARTS PAINT features the correct Yamaha Code 4J Black Blue 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 color formula is as close as possible to the original Yamaha color as used originally on 1982 XJ550 Maxim and 1982-83 XJ650 Maxim models and features the low-density, large size blue metal-flake as original (flakes are slightly smaller than the original size, but you'd never notice unless we told you about it!). Also appears on the 1980 XS1100SH models. NOTE: some Canadian XJ1100 models may have used this color instead of the non-metallic Code 6G gloss black as is typically noted in factory publications.

Most owners do not even realize that their bikes have these blue metal-flakes in the black paint, as it is a very subtle feature, but in the correct light and reflection, they "pop" out at you in a remarkable way! Each aerosol can contains 12 ounces. Each can:

 

Do you carry the burgundy paint for an 1980 650 max chacal?

 

thanks for the info Len. Glad to hear its factory original.

 

Hi Beekman, we do, that would be the Code 7J New Ruby Red, but............we cannot ship any paint products into Canada!

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.

 

Hi,

I have a similar question for another Yamaha. Mine is the XJ750RKR-R Seca with the fairing kit. The color was called Romanesque Crimson at the time. VIN is JYA5G200XDA150528 (not that that helps I find). I have the original sales slip as I am the first and only owner. Again no help -- this bike came out of a crate and I purchased it with full warranty and Zero miles in March 1986. I contacted Yamaha Customer service and they dug up pain code 001W, but the PPG distributor says that doesn't work. The distributor did a camera paint match and after a lot of looking gave me 2 choices -- either a tri-coat or 2 coat but it was not an exact match. I am hesitant to be doing paint work that is going to be off from the original. Do you have another choice? I am looking to have one of the saddle bag covers painted.

Ray Barnhart

 

Code 1W Romanesque Crimson is a single-color paint (2-coat = a primer coat and the 1W color coat).

HCP7919SP Aftermarket X-ACT MATCH BODY PARTS PAINT features the correct Yamaha Code 1W Romanesque Crimson 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 original color is a medium bright red with a moderate amount of metallics, and is as close as possible to the original Yamaha color. Faded versions of this paint look a brownish rust-colored, but the original color is very attractive! Originally used on 1983 XJ750 Seca models only. Each aerosol can contains 12 ounces. Each can:
$ discontinued

No paint shop that I know of has the correct paint mixing formula available; this was info that only Yamaha (or their paint supplier) knew and as far as I know, that info never made it out "into the wild".


We actually have 4 cans of this HCP7919SP paint still remaining in inventory, but it's old.....almost 10 years old, while we still had a great custom-mix paint supplier available. They went belly-up (long, sad story) . The age of the paint will not change the color appearance.....and as the name suggest, they are an X-ACT match to the original. However, there's no way that I can guarantee that the spray can(s) will operate properly, as they can (and do) lose pressure over time or clog the nozzle. In case of de-pressurization, the can can be carefully punctured and the paint drained and re-filled into a newly pressurized can, or put into a pint can (etc.) for use thru a spray gun. Note that paint originally put into a spray can is already thinned, so no further reduction is needed (as is normally the case with paint that comes in pint/quart/gallon cans, since it has not been reduced. Pro painters that buy paint in bulk cans understand that such bulk paint must be reduced ("thinned") before use.


Although you may want to hound your paint shop to see if they can tweak the paint formula a bit more (or find another automotive paint supplier), be aware that 2-stage (what they call a "tri-coat", which is primer + Color Coat #1 and then Color Coat #2) are generally very hard to apply and get a specific final color hue/shade....it's basically for use by people with a lot of experience shooting color. Here's some further insight, and although it references 2-stage red paint (a lot of the later "red" colors were 2-stage colors originally), the same applies to any 2-stage paint system:

Also, make sure that the sample that they are trying to "match" is as un-faded a sample as possible....no need to "match" to already-faded paint. The best place to get a match is from a brand new (NOS) painted piece, or from the over-spray normally found under the gas tank or under the rear cowling, or on the rear of the side covers or underneath the side cover emblems. Additionally, if you bike originally had striping, removing the stripe (or a small section of it) will reveal the most un-faded paint.


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!


Other useful information to note in regards to paints (some would say too much.........):

https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/xj-parts-catalog-section-o-emblems-stripes-decals-paint.44631



What type of paint was the bike originally painted with?:

This is an important question, and more than just out of historical curiosity.

Original paints of that era were either enamel or lacquer, and the technology of paints has advanced so much in the last 25 years as to render those materials obsolete except for producing the most concours-quality, museum-correct show vehicles.

Lacquer was the older product, and as technology progressed in the coatings industry, most vehicle manufacturers started changing over to enamel products sometime during the late 1970-80's era. In the USA marketplace, it was not uncommon to have one (for example) General Motors Assembly Plant painting their production with lacquer paints, while another Assembly Plant, producing the same vehicles in the same colors, were using the newer enamel-based paints (on some GM products of this era, you have to look at the data plate on the cowl of the car, and under the "PAINT" header look for the letter "E" or "L" after the paint color code to distinguish between the two).

Once painted, lacquer and enamel finishes are next to impossible to tell apart from each other. HOWEVER, there is a huge difference in how the re-painting process occurs! Basically, almost no other type of paint product can be used over lacquer, besides lacquer. The solvents in almost all current paints and primer products will attack and dissolve original lacquer paints, leaving you with a horrible mess. About the only non-lacquer product that can be put directly over lacquer are epoxy-based primers.

Coating over an original enamel-based paint with other types of modern paints and primers usually presents no problem.

Of course, in all instances, it is assumed that any original clear-coat finish has been removed before re-painting is attempted. Do not attempt to paint over clear coats!


We always recommend removing original finishes completely before re-painting, either via chemical strippers or mechanical abrasion methods. However, if you do not want to do that, then you had better at least determine what kind of paint is on the surface you are going to cover, and you do so in the following manner:

a) sand through any clear coat until you get to the actual color paint. You will know when you are there because the sandpaper you are using will turn the color of the paint! As long as you are sanding the clear coat, the sandpaper may dull but will not change colors. NOTE: clear coats are very thin but can be very durable.

b) now that you have exposed the color paint, use some lacquer thinner (no, neither mineral spirits or "paint thinner" or any other product will not work, it has to be "lacquer thinner") to rub the paint vigorously. If the paint softens and comes off or "colors" the rag or cloth thoroughly, then that's lacquer paint (other paints, such as epoxy, enamels, urethanes, etc. are not attacked or dissolved by lacquer thinner).


Remember, nothing can go over lacquer except for more lacquer (or any epoxy primer-sealer), and we do not offer lacquer paints, and almost no one else does, either. It's an old paint technology and process. However, if your original paint is lacquer, you had better remove it, all of it, every last morsel of it, before you re-paint over it, or you better primer over it completely with an epoxy-based primer.....and hope for the best!