painted mid panel on original tank
I just finished painting all of the panels- except the tank cover- on an 08 CBR600RR Pearl Fire Orange. This is an almost impossible color to match since it is a tri-coat with a base, mid and clear. Since I had no idea where to start, we decided to go ahead and spend the big money on ColorRite’s paint. The results are pretty good. The shade and brightness of the orange is very good, but the size and clarity of the metallic flake is not quite right. Since I had the original tank cover to compare with, it was pretty easy to see that the original paint has more of a bass boat look- the metallic is bigger. The ColorRite paint is more of a pearl. In the bright sun, they look very close but indoors, you can see the difference. Still, this is probably as good as you will get with a pre-mixed formula. Here are a few other observations-
1) The 86.00 1/2 pint base coat is just plain white. I was so mad when I saw this. Next time I need to use this color, I will just use a regular white base and save a lot of money.
2) The Orange Pearl top coat took 5 coats to get the right shade. That’s crazy. Why they didn’t tint the 86.00 base coat a bit is beyond me. I guess they just need to sell more paint.
3) They are not kidding when they tell you to do spray out panels. This is critical to getting the correct shade. See the pictures for the test panel. You will not get a decent match without test panels.
4) If you want a close color, get a pint of PPG hot licks orange. It is basically a very bright Harley orange. Then get a half pint of the ColorRite orange and use it as a mist top coat for the metallic. You could also put some of it in the clear to add some 3D depth like the original paint has.
spray out test panel on original tank
close up comparison
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