RZ/RZV Original Yamaha Paint

[FlyingBoat]

We’re now building a compendium of information regards to original Yamaha paint colors...

I have this message from Japan received earlier today I’ll share, (with my correspondents name withheld respecting for privacy), with an excerpt pasted below.
The links to Japanese sites can be viewed in English using Google Chrome browser with translation settings adjusted accordingly.


“Hello Robert san,

Sorry, we don't know about Yamaha color codes and supplier for RZV500R you asked.

For your reference,
We found a website of paint seller who sells paint for RZV500R fairings in Japanese market. However they are not original supplier for YAMAHA unfortunately.

https://bike-paint.ocnk.net/page/324

ベース色　base color : ヤマハホワイト　Yamaha white
ライン色　line color : チャピーレッド Chappy red
パステルミネラルブルー　Pastel mineral blue

https://bike-paint.ocnk.net/page/264

According to their website, they tell the codes of RZV500R Yamaha color as the following.
Yamaha white : 0036
Chappy red : 00E1
Pastel mineral blue : 00T7

BUT we are not sure if these are correct Yamaha color codes. We would deeply appreciate your kind understanding.
Good Luck for your RZV500R project!!”

[FlyingBoat]

An observation...

I have original body panels and all the red is very bright, however a front fender also original I received last week or so It had a light sort of engrained dust over the top, not so much the sides though, so I taped along the line covering the satin black lower and machine polished until everything was glistening perfectly shiny along with a quick mineral spirit wash of the underside, so it wouldn’t be a dirty old used part sitting on my bench next to clean (but still old) parts. And noticed the red on the fender is slightly less vivid and maybe tints to orange a tad compared to everything else, and that brought back the memory that indeed I had noticed the very same on my ‘85 RZ500 I purchased new. So the color difference of the front fender must have been original. Has anyone else noticed this? My fender isn’t a repaint, there’s no evidence of that to be seen, the rivets and brackets are very clean and the finish just as much, only trouble a couple very small spots smaller than a dime the red color is rubbed through so needing a touch up something as simple as an airbrush spot pffft once, lightly wet flat and polish to match, but curious the color under the red is yellow... from the factory so I wonder was Yamaha going to produce a run of Kenny Roberts color signature similar to their RZ350 or was it just a yellow(ish) primer? Yellow primer seems an unlikely but not impossible explanation or were revised plans (or color applied to wrong parts mistake corrected after?) dropping a yellow model and repainting red would cause the bleed through and the slight off tint red I see. At any rate the fender will need it’s own separate match to look right without repainting it entirely.

[FlyingBoat]

Happy to report the “old yellowed“ finish on my panels was just a wax buildup that had discolored, I suspected as much as I run into this all the time. I really don’t like wax for anything other than a mold release agent and never apply it to painted surfaces, rather I prefer a hand glaze that doesn’t build up or yellow over time. Wax is sticky when it’s hot and things like fine dust, pollen and smoke will all embed themselves to form a buildup of scum. It’s fairly easy to clean rubbing by hand with fine compound or polish (3M Perfectit) and then apply hand glaze after. The result is no repaint and beautiful original finish. Small scratches in the red are all I’ll have to attend to and those can be spotted with an airbrush and blended in. Some of the decals have taken the yellow permanently and I might replace those but they really don’t bother me that much not being as crispy white as the paint.

[FlyingBoat]

This is an unedited photo taken in very bright afternoon Florida sun, the two sides have been cleaned and polished while the lower center has not had anything done, for comparison. I spent about 3-4 hours cleaning by hand the two sides with a soft clean cotton cloth and 3M Perfect-It EX 36060 compound (it’s very fine, almost a polish the white they sell).

[FlyingBoat]

...

[FlyingBoat]

Frame and swing arm are anodized.
No real way to copy that, unless you find a place that will re anodized the parts after stripping old anodizing off.
Have yet to see anyone successful with that process.


Soda blasting is the only way to get it to look clean without damage.
As far as paint....
The gas tank is the only thing with clear coat. The rest is single stage enamel of some form originally.



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I’m thinking quite a lot about this, I have an idea that may just work well enough to satisfy my own visual interpretations, rather than strip and refinish the frame in it’s entirety I’m going to just clean the corrosion from a few spots and then attempt a very close match. The areas in question are inner flats on the rails emanating upwards from the swingarm mounting holes, and the side castings. The inner I will use a Dico Nyalox cup brush (orange medium grit) and the casting a combination of the Dico wheel, fine media spot blast, hand sanding (220-320 grit) and red Scotchbrite pads. Then apply Kosmic Krome Mirror Reflective Effect followed with Clear Coat and just a tad flattening agent added to get a semi-satin low sheen just enough to prevent the Kosmic Krome from rubbing off. I’ll test on the bottom of an extra swing arm first before doing anything with the frame.