2017 Honda-Motorcycle Touch Up Paint (3 OEM Colors)

The 2017 Honda-Motorcycle Vibe

2017 was the year Honda decided that if you weren't riding a rolling piece of jewelry, you weren't riding at all. This was the era where the Gold Wing and the CBR lineups were flexing some of the deepest, most sophisticated finishes in the history of two wheels. While other manufacturers were playing it safe with flat greys, we've focused on the survivors of the season-the heavy hitters like Cabernet Red Tricoat and Candy Alizarin Red Tricoat. These weren't just paint jobs; they were depth-defying optical illusions that made the bike look like it was carved out of a giant ruby.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the peak of the "Thin Paint Era." By 2017, factory robots had become so efficient they could stretch a thimble of clear coat across an entire fairing. The finish looks spectacular on the showroom floor, but the reality is a bit more fragile. This paint is notorious for being "soft"-breathe on it wrong with a dusty microfiber and you'll see swirl marks; catch a pebble behind a semi-truck and you've got a chip that looks like a crater. Because these are Tricoats, the color relies on light passing through a translucent mid-layer. When that thin clear coat gets peppered with road rash, the "depth" starts to look more like a "dimple."

Restoration Tip

When you're repairing these 2017 finishes, remember: you are an artist, not a plasterer. Because the factory coats are so thin and the Tricoat effect is so specific, you cannot just "blob" the paint into a chip and expect it to disappear. You need to build your layers slowly. Dab a thin base, let it flash, and then apply your mid-coat with a steady hand. If you rush it and put it on too thick, the color will turn dark and muddy. Patience is the difference between a repair that's invisible and one that looks like a grape jelly stain on your tank.