factory paint

Hey everyone.
The paint on the tank of my 81 kz550 is getting chipped and starting to look bad so I want to repaint it. The original color is black with metallic specks. Does anyone know where i can find the exact colors to repaint it with?

No "paint codes" avaiable out there, as far as I have been able to determine. You are going to have to hit the paint store chips...prime, base coat Black (possibly with flake in it, or additional flake layer) 2k clear coat, voila!

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping Kawasaki had a code for it but I suppose I'll have to do my best to match it

A lot of Kawasaki's finishes in this era were multi-layer finishes. They had a red that was metallic red, red flake, and two clears (one under the decals, one over).

I've been trying to accomplish the same search for my bikes, and the best you can do it go to a paint purveyor that does laser color matching.

In your case, though, it sounds like the recipe above is the right one. Primer, black base coat x 2, metal flake in clear, then clear x 2, sanding at each step. depending on your situation, it might be something you'll have to contract out. If you're confident, there are new tools available, like a metal-flake 'blower' that lets you add metal flakes to any layer (instead of having to mix it with a clear) and lots of new materials that make this task a lot less challenging than it was "in the day."

I'm by no means a professional painter so I think this is probably something I'll have to take to a professional to get done. Thanks for the replies

A couple of years ago, I had a Yamaha 500 single painted and all I had to do was get the "code" I wanted from the Yamaha dealer... This isn't an option for the Kawasakis? :huh:

You might want to contact Color-Rite to see if they have a match.......they used to go back to 1982 model years on their website. If they have your color available it will not be a factory formula but only a close match...so you need to paint all your parts to get a good looking result. Lubri-Tech was the recommended paint source starting back in the 1970's from Kawasaki in the US.....they were bought out by Color-Rite. Tri-coat colors are tricky to spray, here is a link to a very good illustration of the process.

3cyl.com/mraxl/paint/triple_colors/ws_mod06e.html