Z900 paint

[JonD]

Can any one tell me the colour that a green 1976 Z900 is painted? I need to touch mine up and wondered if any car paint is the same green.
regards JonD

[MaineKZ]

Hi Jon

If you do a forum search on 'paint' you'll see this subject is a perennial favourite!!
Short answer - the 70's Zed colours were achieved by spraying a tinted candy lacquer over a silver metallic base coat - hence the considerable variation from one bike to the next. The factory finish looks fab but it's a PIG to touch up invisibly. Especially with a single 'solid' colour.
However, if you want to give it a go, call RS Paints - I spoke to them recently and I'm sure they said they'd created a match for the green from an original sample. Speak to Heidi - she knows her stuff.

[Pasc]

Surely if there are variations in the original finishes as we know there are, then won't that mean that the mix they created from the paint sample will only be a match for the sample it was created from ?
Talk to them anyway as I'm no expert when it comes to paint. Come to think of it I'm no expert at anything.

[MaineKZ]

Pasc - don't be difficult

[Jerry]

The colour variations on candy paints were so sensitive. Z900's used to come 2 in a crate, and no two were ever the same shade. I'm afraid it's either get a paint mix to match your set, or bite the bullet and paint the lot, there was never a "proper" shade of any of the colours. For a lengthy conversation on the science of painting zeds (usually about 3hrs) give Mark Hutchinson a ring - he's the man in my opinion.

[JonD]

thanks folks

[Keefleaf]

I gave a sprayer a N.O.S 900a4 tank to match colour.He came back with
an Alfa Romeo green,sprayed another set of body work for me,bloody good match?

[JonD]

Thanks thats the sort of reply I was after
regards Jon