Miscellaneous fun bits

Click here to visit RS Bike Paint. You can enter your motorbike make, model and year to find the colour it originally had.

These paint colours are close to the original, the closest match is in italics, many have been recommended to us by customers, and particular thanks are due to Ariel Atzori. Remember that the shade of a colour would vary from time to time; apparently Ariel used 3 suppliers for the Deep Claret colour, all who supplied a different shade! As the tank lining was applied by hand it could be very different not just from tank to tank but on each side of the same tank! You may be lucky to find original un-faded paint behind a knee grip or inside engine plates. Black was always an option and was used on anything not listed below.

1932-50 Red Hunter Red on Red Hunters surprisingly, and 1937-50 SQ4s, petrol tanks and rim centres – Renault ‘Rouge’ RE705 AD 06-354 (our esteemed Ariel club archivist swears by this one); International Harvester Red ICI 6931; Vauxhall Monza Red (1968-71) ICI 7730 may be a bit dark.

1938-51 Green, usually found as an option on export deluxe models and 1939 SQ4, petrol tanks and rim centres – BMC or Leyland Reseda Green ICI HC76, very good.

1951-53 Deep Crimson, all models from February 1951, petrol tanks and rim centres – British Leyland or Rover Damask Red ICI 4808, spot on.

1953 Wedgwood Blue, all parts, used on VHA, KHA, MK II – Ford Shark Blue ICI 3332; 1980 Ford Nordic Blue (Glasurit FD 358)

1954-58 Deep Claret, all models and all parts. Wheel centres until 1956 – Ford Garnet ICI NC78; Leyland Hunter Maroon B.

1956-58 Cherokee Red used on HS and with black as ‘export finish’ – as ‘Red Hunter’ Red above. North American export models were in ‘Bright Cherokee Red’ (export finish) with the option of black on Square Fours.

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Enamel signs

Transfers