Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Where are the paint codes?

The thread in The Vault regarding this(at the bottom of page one) is unfortunately no help at all, as the codes are nowhere to found once you click on that thread.

I'm specifically looking for the paint code of Cardinal Red for my 2002 BA, and so I can paint my bike's headlight bucket.

I just went through the whole Cardinal Red thing on my 02, NO ONE in the USA has the correct codes. I ended up going with R+S paint supply in England for the paint. The good news is it only took 2 weeks to get here and my bags and fairing came out pretty well, after I learned how to deal with water based paint. If I was doing it again I would just get the new Ford Red they use on the 2015 Lincolns, it's pretty close and it is almost impossible to match a Candy red color any way. Goggle up Motorcycle paint supply and you will find the R+S site. If your just doing your light bezel I don't think it's worth the bother,IMHO.

Thanks for the info, Dennis. Greatly appreciate you relaying your experience with this.

Yep, it seems the British paint codes don't directly cross-reference with any DuPont or other American equivalent.

I've just now returned from the auto body/paint shop after taking my headlight bucket and Cardinal Red front fender to them to match. They seemed to know that this particular candy color is a two step process(three including the final clear coat) and said they're confident they could to do a good job of matching it.

They said it would be done by the end of the week, and so I suppose I'll see then if their confidence is justified.

(...thanks again!)

A good body shop has a scanning machine that can match any color you want. They put an eye up to the paint and the machine spits out the mix.

Dwight what do they have to do to make the paint stick successfully to the chrome? There has to be a step in the process.

It can also be etched with acid.

Dwight, I work for a good body shop and our scanner could not come up with a match, I took my fender to Automotive Paint Supply, a big time paint supplier here in Michigan, again scanned and no match. A Candy is almost impossible to scan for a match, just too many variables. Bye the bye I work in the trade and have painted for 30 years. This color was a PIA.

Repaint the whole bike then all will match. Just a suggestion.

(I love spending other peoples money)

For those interested in seeing the finished results of my painted headlight bucket project, here ya go...









(...personally, I think my painter did a pretty good job of matching this hard to replicate Cardinal Red...whadda you think?)

that looks great, man! you did right by leaving the ring chrome

I like it a lot

Looks like a match

It looks great.

Looking Good!

Thanks, Paul, Marty and Bob. Glad you guys think it looks good too.

And so...ATTENTION ADMIN MOE AND/OR ANY MODERATOR:
Please feel free to move this thread of mine to either the "Member's Rides" or the "Custom Corner" or any other forum at this website if you would now deem this thread perhaps more appropriately placed in one of those other forums, as the only reason I posted it in the Lounge in the first place was to elicit an answer to my paint question as quickly and by as many people as I could.

(...OR I suppose if perchance you MIGHT feel this now seemingly greatly underutilized LOUNGE forum might benefit it's presently sadly lagging number of threads, and apparently because so many of the "old guard" around here now seem primarily concerned with venting their spleen in another certain forum at this here website instead of posting in what USED to be THE most popularly used forum around here, I suppose you COULD just leave it HERE, huh!!!)

Very nice Dwight! Very!And as Dave said,all the better for leaving the ring chrome.

I painted the side cover on my bike.I took my bike to the local shop and asked if they could match it .Without batting an eye the young lad said "Oh Trumpy Blue.No trouble" and they mixed it up perfectly.

Hell..don't worry about the headlight, the whole bloody bike looks great, nice job.

sweet cherry, man.