Kawasaki KZ650 Blue

My girl has been asking me to paint one of my bikes blue (her favorite color) and I decided that the blue 650 is what I will do in the future. I have a spare tank and a right side cover so far, tailfin and left sidecover next. After researching the factory Kawasaki blue I found Eight different blues. WTF :ohmy: Now what should be a simple plan has turned into the search of which blue is which blue. How can I compare them? There are a few members here with beautiful factory blue bikes. My ignorance has lead me to believe they were all the same color. Out of the factory colors below which one do you have and do you have pics of that color?

These are the KZ650 blue colors I have to choose from

Luminous Dark Blue
Candy Persimmon Blue
Metallic Regal Blue
Midnight Blue
Metallic Midnight Blue
Midnight Blue (FR)
Sundance Blue
Luminous Navy Blue

Here's luminous dark blue from 1978.

I really like that color. Are both bikes luminous blue?

Yea, they are both the same luminous dark blue. I always liked the blue. They used the same color on the 1978B2, 1979C3 and 1980F1. There was probably more KZ650s in this color than any of the others.

From what I can gather Kawasaki will not release the paint formula. So how could I get this color without having to go to another manufactures color chart? Mama would love that color

try your local napa auto parts store. i manage one and i have been able to mix almost all the old kaw colors.

wildwilly30 wrote:

try your local napa auto parts store. i manage one and i have been able to mix almost all the old kaw colors.

I have a Napa main distribution store a mile from the house. They have everything in this store as they ship to all the Napa stores in this area. Would you happen to have the formula figured out that I could take to them?

I am sure that if you go to your local paintshop they will be able to match the paint.
In the UK I use a company called Dream Machine to do all my my body paintwork ( I don't do rattlecan).
What I have found is that you can get not only the colour matched but can add to it by getting a more vibrant colour which is bettter than the original.
Paint technology has moved on in the last 25 years and it doesn't hurt to add a little metal flake to bring out the colour. Looks original but a lot brighter plus a few coats of clear gives it depth too.
Tommotbird

Well if I have to get it matched then I need a blue tailfin or a blue left sidecover. Anyone have either of these so I can get a decent match?

I have the blue '80 F1 and I believe it has a silver base coat which comes through the blue to give it the metallic look. But I'll bet if you carried a part around to the local new car dealers you would find a real close single coat match. I have noticed a few Mazdas that appear to be almost the same.

Bluemeanie wrote:

I have the blue '80 F1 and I believe it has a silver base coat which comes through the blue to give it the metallic look. But I'll bet if you carried a part around to the local new car dealers you would find a real close single coat match. I have noticed a few Mazdas that appear to be almost the same.

Would you happen to know the factory name for your color?

RonKZ650 wrote:

Here's luminous dark blue from 1978.

Same as Rons...