Hitchcocks Forum

Hi peeps,
I have a 2002 silver T500 that I will be renovating over the winter. I want to repaint the frame the same colour as the works trials bikes because I'm going for the works trials look.

Anyone know what the paint code is please?

Can o' worms mate! First, the Johnny Brittain Works Trials in the National Motorcycle Museum is the "wrong" colour. This is according to Don Morley, Noted Expert (TM) who actually owned it from it's ex-works life and sold it to the Museum. He was not happy about the way they restored it in other ways too but that's another story, it's been rebuilt again after the fire. Second, it's a reasonable guess that the Works used a colour that they were already using on production machines so I'd suggest "Surf Green" which was used on early Crusaders and some 500 Bullets in the mid 50s. I'm not quite sure what that would be as a modern colour though, anyone know? I did have a NOS front mudguard in this colour but I sold it to Hitchcocks as a pattern so can't check now. Does that help?


REgards, Mark

Mark M,
Helps a lot mate, as a starting point. I'll keep searching, but if anyone knows the answer or knows Don Morley, please let me know. Repainting the frame isn't imminent but I like to have my ducks in a row.
Cheers
Jonathan

Try rsbikepaint.com They have an extensive but not exhaustive list of colours for old bikes, and will provide the paint. Its a bit expensive but reportedly good. (I haven't used them).

Good call Ed. I'd just put in a word of caution though, I have had good service and paint from RS but they are expensive and their "paint finder" database is not very accurate, it misses some models, has inaccurate descriptions of others and has a limited range of colours for Enfields. To be fair this is not surprising as there is (for instance,) a wide range of different silvers listed by Royal Enfield from the early fifties through to the early sixties but RS don't reflect that. I've used the DIY spray cans (excellent quality) and the pro 2-pack paint (done by my pal Terry) and I am really pleased with the results.

REgards, Mark

Hi Mark M

I am interested in colour code as well . i haven't had a chance to look at original Works colour myself. it seem there are lot of variants
can you point out with some picture in google search. which colour is nearest. i can show it my local paint mixer . he can try nearest match.

Thanks & Regards
ET

Colour is notoriously difficult to quantify, especially difficult to translate a colour which is illuminated on a screen to a reflective surface such as on a bike. However, I had a look at the British Standard colours (which a UK painter can get easily,) and a good approximation *looks like* 12D43 Greengage. If nothing else you can see how the original colour was much "flatter" than the very bright green used by the Motorcycle Museum. Incidentally it was also said that various genuine Works components had been removed from HNP 331 (Johnny's bike) when it was restored. I'd better not say more than that!

REgards, Mark

I was perusing Ebay and by coincidence saw this item which is the early Crusader colour I was talking about: item number 311751972838

REgards, Mark

Onion, the paint code for the Royal Enfield silver is ROY007

Mark’s right of course – colour matching for classic bikes is a mine-field. It isn’t difficult to colour match accurately off a computer monitor – it’s impossible! Even if the screen has been calibrated with sophisticated [expensive] calibrator it is still in reality impossible, due to varying lighting sources with different colour temperatures, etc. But who says which colour is ‘correct’? I needed to know the ‘red’ that was used by the works on the Matchless G50. I was able to talk to an ex-factory worker who informed me that when paint was needed someone would wonder down to the nearest paint suppliers and get a ‘red’ off the shelf – any ‘close’ match would do. There was no ‘correct’ colour. I’d not be surprised if this wasn’t common practice in British factories of the era.