2012 BMW-Motorcycles Touch Up Paint (1 OEM Colors)

The 2012 BMW-Motorcycles Vibe

2012 was the year Munich decided to show the world that a liter-bike should have asymmetrical headlights and enough electronics to land on the moon. Whether you were dragging knees on an S1000RR or pretending to cross the Sahara on an R1200GS, the aesthetic was all about German precision and high-speed dominance. While the palette was professional, we've focused on the legend that truly defined the era's aggressive soul: Racing Red. It's the color of a bike that's faster than your peripheral vision, and in 2012, it was the only shade that mattered if you wanted to look like you were breaking the law while standing still.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. By 2012, the robots in Berlin had mastered the art of "efficiency," which is just a fancy way of saying they learned how to stretch a pint of paint across an entire fleet of fairings. The finish looks spectacular and the clear coat is remarkably hard, BUT that hardness makes it brittle. If you've been chasing your buddies through the twisties, your front nose and fairings probably look like they've been peppered by a 12-gauge. Because the factory coats are so thin, those stone chips go deep fast, often straight through the pigment to the plastic substrate or primer.

Restoration Tip

When you're dealing with robot-thin factory finishes, you have to be patient. Build your layers slowly; don't blob it. If you try to fill a chip in one heavy shot, the solvent will evaporate, the paint will shrink, and you'll be left with a crater that looks like a belly button. Use a fine-tipped brush or a toothpick to drop in a tiny amount of Racing Red, let it dry for 15-20 minutes, and repeat until the level is just a hair below the surrounding clear coat. Then, and only then, hit it with the clear. You're aiming for a surgical repair, not a landslide.