How can I find a matching paint color for my tank

Does anyone know what the specific color is for this bike. 1982 xj700 maxim

 

Your best bet if you want that exact color is to have oreillys or someone with a paint camera take pics and match it that way. I own an rv repair shop and routinely have them take pics of what I'm needing paint for to match it. Id say it's 97%. I have an 82 xj 750 that needs the tank painted but I have a deep maroon metallic bccc that I'm going to do. Im not needing factory. I just want it to look good and this will

 

Just a suggestion if you can salvage it.... first give it a good wash with soap and water. How bad is the paint? Any rust spots on a visible surface, faded or just dull?, would you say it would look good if just polished (and I mean don't polish it yet)..... what if you just gave it a sand with 2000 grit wet paper (keep it wet as you go), then clearcoat it. Two light coats of clear then two wet coats. Of course you'd have to clean up/touch up any rust spots that I assume would be on the bottom or a chipped edge. Now there would still be the original patina so to speak. Worst case, that doesn't look great, then you should paint it and clear. If it looks good after clear and just have orange peel, then you cut (sand the clear with 2000 again, and use a polisher).

 

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


EMBLEMS, STRIPES, DECALS, 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!


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:
$ discontinued


HCP7917MCSP 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. The majority of the tinting and pearlescence is applied with this MID-COAT paint, used along with and on top of the Super Red Base Coat product above. Cannot be used as a stand-along "color". Each aerosol can contains 12 ounces. Each can:
$ discontinued