Duplicolor PerfectMatch in Yamaha Grey?

Is anyone here already aware of a Duplicolor (or other brand of paint, for that matter) that will match the original grey of my 1982 XJ550 Maxim? I need to paint the tank, but do not want to have to do the side panels.

 

My experience has been that the only way to have an exact match and not need to do a full respray is to take your side panels in to a paint shop to have a match blended. No matter what color was put on originally it will have faded, so matching the paint entirely based on the OEM paint code will not produce the finish that you want. Personally I'd just bite the bullet and do the small amount of extra work involved in re-painting the side panels too. XJ4Ever has the OEM paint colors.

 

Do you have any advice on how to get the emblems off the side panels?

 

You can check with Chacal at XJ4ever about the duplicolor paint.

The side cover emblems are probably just attached with double sided foam tape. You can use sewing thread or fine wire to cut through the tape to remove the emblems. Use Goo Gone, or something similar to remove the remaining residue.

Ghost

 

As above check with Chacal. However, somebody here claims to have found a close match with the 750 grey...

http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... color.html

 

Yes, we do have the correct Code 6M Star Silver available in either spray cans or pints (for use with a spray gun).

However, the advice that k-moe offers above is very true.

 

"Garrotte" them off with strong nylon fishing line. Use the fishing line to "saw" through the double-sided foam tape that holds them on.

When reinstalling, use 3M Automotive Trim tape from the auto parts.

 

o you also have the brilliant red color len ?

 

But of course!

However, the #63 Brilliant Red is what is known as, surprisingly, a "brilliance" color and you need to take note of these features:

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 such produce 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--------your 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!

 

WOW nothing about my seca color is easy , but on a sunny day the color is amazing . i will be buying this in a pint in the future as anything less (color ) would be a big let down to my eyes

 

That's why he is THE No 1 parts supplier on the planet!

 

I went with Duplicolor "Gunmetal Metallic".

 

Man what a difference from the mess you started with. Good work there!

Ghost