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bmw paint info

ruzneb

New member
Just got my new/old R100S home and need to do a little painting. The former owner said the paint color was Smoke Red but BMW gives the paint name in German. Anyone know the correct paint code. Also any suggestions as to paint type would be helpful. Was told by Holt BMW a complete paint kit costs $1,200. All I want to do at this point is repaint the tank.
 
Usually the paint code info is on the top of the rear fender when you remove the seat. Often, though, that stuff disappears. 1978 model?? Have you seen Snowbum's page on codes:

http://bmwmotorcycletech.info/pcodes.htm

He lists Red Smoke (dunklerot) for the '78 R100S with a code of 553. He also lists other options for getting colors matched through other sources.
 
paint

OK. So you just paint the tank. Now you have paint that doesn't match from tank to fender. The red is famous for fast fading. They don't make a "fade" additive for paint so you'll have a hard time with the whole project and most likely, not be satisfied with the results.
On the other hand, Holt has been painting BMWs for over 35 years and is one of the best in the country! He knows how to make it look like it came from the factory. You can rest assured that whatever you send to him for paint will be returned in better than expected condition. Quality is not cheap and the price of materials has gone up astronomically.
 
But the '78 Red Smoke (with appropriately placed pin-striping!) is the best-looking airhead paint scheme ever. Daytona Orange is a reasonably close 2nd-place . . .
 
But the '78 Red Smoke (with appropriately placed pin-striping!) is the best-looking airhead paint scheme ever. Daytona Orange is a reasonably close 2nd-place . . .

That would be code 553, Dark Red Metallic (Dunkelrot)

Same paint without the pinstripes is 508, Lava Red (Lavarot) which appeared on early '80s RS (and anything else if you special ordered it)

No, best paint ever is 554 Dunkelblau-Hellsilber, which was so cool on '79 R100RS it returned for an encore 13 years later on '92 R100RS.
 
But the '78 Red Smoke (with appropriately placed pin-striping!) is the best-looking airhead paint scheme ever. Daytona Orange is a reasonably close 2nd-place . . .

I'm sorry, but the only real airheads were black with white pinstripes. The pinstripes were hand painted by women (mostly) who spent 18 months practicing before they touched a production bike. Or so I was told when I first visited the factory many years ago.
 
Home depot has a sale on aerosol Krylon this week. Hope they still have a couple cans of "Highland Plaid".
 
Hey Bruce, Yep, I saw that today, right next to the cans of "Argyle" paint.

Friedle
 
I'm sorry, but the only real airheads were black with white pinstripes. The pinstripes were hand painted by women (mostly) who spent 18 months practicing before they touched a production bike. Or so I was told when I first visited the factory many years ago.

+1 . BMW, black, white pinstripes - it's on the stone tablets brought down from the Mount. Moses just couldn't read German.
 
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