All,

Question about Harley paint, research has indicated the Harley uses PPG paint on our bikes in a process called Tri-coat. Excuse my newbieness, I have a few questions:

1. Is it really PPG paint?
2. Does the part require this 3 part process or can it be match closely with a normal process?
3. Any sources to confirm the actual paint code for my RK?

thanks in advance!!!!

 

Yes it is mostly PPG being used on HD. The only time you mayfind different would be on some of the custom stuff. That could be House of Color. I have dealt with HD in York PA over the years and PPG has a office in the building.

As for matching a tri-coat with a base/clear system you can get away with occasionally but if you can't cut it off on a hard edge a good eye will pick up the difference. The only way to be sure is do a spray out of the color and get in some good light and look at it from different angles.

It sounds like you're painting the fairing, inside or out? if it's inside as long as you get it close I don't think anyone will know the difference.

 

jharanin,

Thanks for input, I'm really trying to get a close match for my fairing. I will be painting the inside and outside. I post pics when its done in the next couple of weeks.

 

All,

Got the paint codes and it didn't match! Got my secondary two-tone color instead of the primary. So instead of my local auto body shop, I went to the stealer and ordered a quart of rich sunglo blue and they told me I needed an activator also for that color. Can anyone confirm the ratio of the activator to paint?

Thanks in advance....

 

Do not waste your money on HD paint. Spent nearley 300.00 on mirage orange painter who is very good could not get a match. Used fish eye at paint store worked fine.. If possible buy parts already painted. May be cheapested way.

 

I had my tour pak from my old bike repainted (autobody shop) to match my '05 RK. Painter came as close to the color as possible. HD's paint is 3 stage (base coat, translucent pearl, clear), his paint was a whole lot cheaper and you can only tell at certain angles, otherwise it looks perfect. I don't keep it on all the time so it works for me.

MarkR

 

Try these guys: http://www.cyclecolor.com/

I scratched up the bottom half of a hard saddlebag and ordered an aerosol can of their Black Pearl. After prepping, I re-painted the face of the bag all the way up to the halfway stripe and you can't tell where the factory paint stops and the touchup begins. It would be more than adequate for painting an entire piece like a fairing where you don't have the original color right up against it. And I'm not a painter, just somebody who followed their instructions.

edit: I should mention that after the color coats I put on several layers of regular automotive clear coat (Duplicolor, I think).

 

Well if you know of an exotic car painter (Porsch, Lex or the like) that has a Color Camera to a paint matching machine (a computer operated gizzmo that finds the color formula) they will get you a very near 99.9998% color match and paint it for you Professionally...

That is what I did the second time around with my fairing when the first painter that I had do mine used all my EXPENSIVE, H-D paint and screwed up the paint job so bad it all had to be sanded down and done right by an exotic car painter (the second time).

I've gone though litterally He11 with painters, paint trying to do it cheap, or through a friend of a friend who does paint cars and all that mess. Let me give you some hard learned advice, if your having to ask the paint mix rato for hardner, you need a PROFESSIONAL painter. No offence, none is ment.

Save your money an get it done right by a professional with a color camera paint matching system or a bike painter with the H-D paint in hand.

 

Hey Ram,
Where did you get your fairing?

 

No offense taken... Just trying to inform myself so I am aware of the process and don't end up taking it to a 3rd guy to re-do it. I don't paint and I'm the first to pay to have things done by the right person.

I appreciate everyone's input and I'm crossing my fingers that the HD paint will be a close match. the other color was a very close match, just not the top color of the bike (its 2 tone on the tank, chopper blue on the bottom which the fairing matches and the top color is rich sunglo blue). the color code I got of this forum came up Rich Chopper Sunglo Blue.

I'll post pics after the 2nd paint job is done!


Thanks again all!!!!