PAINT

[Guest DOUGDANGER]

Hello Again

Need some touch up paint, where can I get some in the USA

[Ouiji Veck]

DougDanger.....no kiddin'!! ?

Ha! How far ya gonna jump that LeMans?

(Old Quaberger here)

[VA Sean]

Hello Again

Need some touch up paint, where can I get some in the USA

Doug-

Guzzi paint colors are very difficult to find or match in the US. But this is the response I got on Wildguzzi regarding the same question:

 

Guzzi uses a paint system manufactured by Lechler Spa. This paint is widely available in Europe but not available in the USA because of EPA restrictions on the thinners/reducers it uses. There is ONE place in Canada that can get Lechler, but it would cost you a fortune in import duties and hazardous shipping charges to get it to you. Also, since paint is mixed by weight on a scale, if there is a teeny tiny component in it, the minimum quantity that can be mixed mught be quite large. for example, my Mother-in-law needed the 1/4 panel on here Mercedes SLK painted. Looked like a general silver, but there was a extremely small amount of pearl in it. The minimum paint quantity that could be measured out to get the pearl addition up to where it would register on the scale was 32 oz. Yep, 1/2 gallon. That would be enough to paint the whole car. He only needed 5 ounces or so to do the job but had to mix a whole 1/2 gallon. So, even if you wanted to buy some Lechler product from the guy in Canada, you might have to buy a large quantity depending upon the minimum amount that can be mixed. That means more $$$$. I have gotten Lechler numbers from MGNA in the past, but they are useless since that paint cannot be purchased in America.

 

The two major aftermarket refinish systems in the USA are PPG and DuPont. When they mix a color, the recipe for this color goes into their database. All major automakers in the USA have a paint code written on the vehicle somewhere. As refinishing is big business, PPG and Dupont create recipes that use the vehicle factory code as a cross reference. Even if say, GM uses PPG at their assembly plant, DuPont will create their own recipe that matches that PPG color exact and use the GM code as a cross reference. There are four ways to get your paint:

 

1. Supply a vehicle manufaturer code and see if the paint refinish system (PPG, DuPont, etc) recognizes it. My friend has a full PPG color wall mixing station. Some motorcycle manufacturers are in his PPG system - Ducati, Honda etc. Moto Guzzi, is NOT. Also, not all vehicle codes are in each system, but the majority are. Some fo the smaller paint makers (Martin Senor, etc) may have smaller data bases than PPG and DuPont, so some of the more exotic vehicle codes may not show in their database. MGNA does NOT supply vehicle color codes for it's new machines like GM, Ford, Chrysler, etc. They will supply you a Lechler specific paint number only (I know, I got some!). Which lead into 2:

 

2. Know the exact number of the paint color from the specific maker and buy it from that maker. This number does NOT cross reference between paint makers. You CANNOT take a PPG paint color number and cross reference it into a DuPont number. You cannot give either PPG or DuPont a Lechler number and expect them to generate a PPG or DuPont color recipe. How do I know? I tried. The only numbers that cross reference betwen paint systems are the vehicle manufacturer numbers mentioned in method 1. Say for instance, if PPG makes a red that does not have a vehicle maker code assigned to it, you are SOL trying to get a DuPont, Martion Senor, etc paint recipe to match it. Your stuck getting it from PPG. Or, you can try step 3.....

 

3. Spectrograph. A Spectrograph does NOT create custom recipes. It analyses the color it and uses it's spectral signature to match it to that of a signature of a color that is in it's database. If your exact color is not in the database, it will not create a custom paint recipe for you. It simply matches to what it thinks is the closest one. You are at the mercy of the size of the database and to the ability of the computer to pick something close. I believe PPG has a larger data base of color recipes than DuPont, so your chances of finding something 'close' is better at a PPG shop. Since Guzzi uses neither PPG or DuPont formulations, your color recipe will NOT be in their database and the computer will be using it's judgement to pick something close. Using a spectrograph on metallic and pearl colors is VERY DIFFICULT and often provides unsatisfactory results. You may get lucky. If by chance Guzzi used a color common to Ford or GM and Ford and GM also offered that color in USA, the spectral computer just might spit out an exact match. You are asking for a lot of things to go your way though. Here is the link to the Lechler 2005 refinish guide. Go to page 254 to see the Moto Guzzi codes they have on file:

 

http://www.lechler.it/skt/PDF_Lechler/ST/itCI05R.pdf

 

Very little codes for anything past the year 2000. Essentially the Guzzi codes are useless though since you cannot get Lechler paint and PPG/DuPont here in the USA will not have these vehicle manufacture codes in their database since the use for those colors is so little. Hmmm, figure out a recipe for a color GM paints on MILLIONS of cars or figure out a recipe that some obscure Italian maker uses on a few 1000 bikes.

 

4. Have it handmixed. This is what I did with my Stone. The grey on a Stone is actually a matte metallic base with a 30 unit matte clear on it. We started with the spectral thing. It's closest match was a Ford truck color. The metallic in it was off - too silvery/blue. So, we started to flip thru chip books of Ford colors. My painter found a Ford underhood color that was very very close and is a matte finish color. At that point he used his skill to add some other metallic components and tints to get as close as match as he could get. He did a damn good job. This takes time and $$$$. It took him 3 shoots of the clear also to achieve the correct matte finish also.

 

So....long story short, unless you live in Europe or are willing to send your parts to a shop in Europe to have them painted with the correct Lechler color, you are screwed. Option 4 is your best option unless you are willing to accept the 'close enough' theat method 3 will provide.

[Guest DOUGDANGER]

Doug-

Guzzi paint colors are very difficult to find or match in the US. But this is the response I got on Wildguzzi regarding the same question:

 

Yeah If had a way to get a paint code I would mix it myself, got a chip on front fender about a 1/4" long.

If I was'nt so anal I could live with it.

Thanks DD

[Alex-Corsa]

Yeah If had a way to get a paint code I would mix it myself, got a chip on front fender about a 1/4" long.

If I was'nt so anal I could live with it.

Thanks DD

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What color you look for ,I can take a look if I have it.

[VA Sean]

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What color you look for ,I can take a look if I have it.

I'm looking for the base silver and the red and green used for pin striping on the Coppa Italia.

[felix42o]

Yeah, my Aprilia top box mount broke a weld and spent around 800 miles or so digging a quarter-sized hole into the tail cowling on the Tenni before I noticed it. Good times. I figure I'll just paint the whole damn thing in a few years vice trying to get a 'perfect' match for blending.

[Alex-Corsa]

I'm looking for the base silver and the red and green used for pin striping on the Coppa Italia.

 

Nope don't have for copa Italia anything at the moment. At an older lnk though I had at my older IE there was a site listing for many , if not all Guzzis and one could order as well

[Martin Barrett]

I use a nice coating of road grime to mask any paint imperfections

[Ouiji Veck]

Hey Doug...Guzzi paint is tough to get right ..or at all/.

Coppa is sweet.

I spend every Thurs. Night with a coupple'a guys says they taught you to ride.

Glenn and Donnie.... We log on a lot of scooter miles..Glenn on a 900 Monster !!

(Yea...he likes it) Corbin plays anchor on his HD

Thier latest project:

[Guest DOUGDANGER]

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What color you look for ,I can take a look if I have it.

 

I HAVE 2004 LeMans COLOR RED

THANKS DOUGD.

[profWacko]

>>I HAVE 2004 LeMans COLOR RED

 

So do I, and I need a small quantity of the red paint to fix a scrape on the fairing.

 

Anyone else?

 

Maybe we could buy a larger quantity and do a little distribution among the injured parties, so to speak...

 

-Jack