2010 Yamaha Touch Up Paint (2 OEM Colors)

The 2010 Yamaha Vibe

Welcome to 2010-the year Yamaha decided that if a bike wasn't looking "dark and moody," it wasn't looking right. This was the era of the crossplane-crank R1 and the heavy-hitting V-Star cruisers dominating the asphalt. While the world was obsessed with "Stealth" aesthetics, Yamaha was perfecting the legendary duo: Raven and Black Cherry. Whether you were tucking behind the windscreen of an R6 or stretching your legs on a Stratoliner, these two colors were the gold standard. Raven wasn't just a black; it was a deep, bottomless void that made every other street bike look like it was wearing a cheap suit.

Paint Health Check

Now, let's get real about the "Thin Paint Era." By 2010, the factory robots had become a little too good at their jobs. They were programmed for "maximum efficiency," which is just corporate-speak for "laying down the thinnest coat of clear possible." While it looked like glass on the showroom floor, ten-plus years of road grit has likely taken its toll. Because these coats are thin, they don't have the "self-healing" depth of the old-school high-solvent clears. If you've got an FJR1300 or an R1 from this year, you're probably seeing sharp, "shattered" stone chips on the leading edges of the fairings rather than the soft dents you'd see on a vintage bike.

Restoration Tip

When you're repairing 2010-era Raven or Black Cherry, remember the Golden Rule: Build layers, don't blob. Since the factory finish is lean, a giant glob of touch-up paint will stick out like a sore thumb. For those nasty chips on your tank or fairing, use a fine-tip applicator to dab in thin, successive layers of color. Let it flash off properly between passes. You want to build the repair up until it's just a hair below the level of the surrounding clear coat. This gives you the room to lay a thin protective layer over the top without creating a "speed bump" on your beautiful Yamaha finish.