2013 Honda-Motorcycle Touch Up Paint (6 OEM Colors)

The 2013 Honda-Motorcycle Vibe

2013 was a hell of a year for the wings and the wheels. We saw the birth of the Gold Wing F6B-that stripped-down bagger that made the old-timers do a double-take-and the CBR line was cutting through the air sharper than ever. Honda was leaning hard into the "premium" feel, giving us a palette that was heavy on the Tricoats. If you were rolling out of the dealership back then, chances are you were shimmering in Candy Alizarin Red Tricoat or looking clinical in that White Tricoat. We've managed to track down and save the DNA for 6 of the most iconic shades from that year, including the elusive Silver Blue and the deep Cabernet Red Tricoat. It was an era of high-end finishes that looked like they belonged in a gallery, not on a freeway.

Paint Health Check

Now, here's the cold, hard truth from the spray booth: we are firmly in the Thin Paint Era. By 2013, the factory robots at Honda had become masters of "efficiency." They figured out exactly how many microns of paint they could get away with while still making the bike shine on the showroom floor. The clear coat on these bikes is beautiful, but it's leaner than a racing slick. If you've been riding your Digital Silver Metallic Shadow or a Black CBR for the last decade, you've probably noticed that a stray pebble has the impact of a meteor. Because the factory coats were applied so thin, chips don't just sit on the surface-they dive straight for the primer, or worse, the metal and plastic underneath.

Restoration Tip

When you're fixing a chip on these 2013 beauties, you have to fight the urge to be a hero. Do not-I repeat, do not-try to fill the entire crater with one massive blob of paint. Because factory paint from this era is so thin, a big "mountain" of touch-up paint will look like a sore thumb and won't level out right. You need to respect the robot's precision. Build your layers slowly. Dab a tiny amount in, let it flash off, and come back for more. This is especially true for those Tricoats like Candy Alizarin or Cabernet Red; you're building depth, not just covering a hole. Patiently layering is the only way to match that factory-thin profile without making your fairing look like it has a skin condition.