2011 Yamaha Touch Up Paint (2 OEM Colors)

The 2011 Yamaha Vibe

By 2011, Yamaha was leaning hard into the "dark and moody" aesthetic. Whether you were carving canyons on a Raven-black YZF-R6 or thumping through town on a V-Star 1300, the factory was moving away from the loud, neon-soaked graphics of the '90s in favor of sophisticated, deep metallics. We've focused our database on the true survivors of this era, like the legendary Raven (DBC 906478) and the soul-deep Black Cherry. These weren't just colors; they were statements of intent. Raven was for the stealth pilots, while Black Cherry gave those big cruisers a "custom shop" look straight off the showroom floor.

Paint Health Check

Welcome to the Thin Paint Era. By 2011, factory robots had become surgically precise-and notoriously stingy. These machines were programmed for "maximum efficiency," which is a fancy way of saying they applied the absolute bare minimum of clear coat required to pass inspection. While this kept the bikes light and the finishes sharp, it left very little "meat on the bone" for future repairs. If you look closely at the high-wear areas-like the edges of the fairings or the top of the tank-you'll likely see the clear coat is as thin as a prayer. Because the clear is so brittle and thin, stone chips don't just sit there; they tend to shatter the surrounding clear, leading to those annoying "white-edged" craters.

Restoration Tip

When you're touching up a 2011 Yamaha, you have to fight the urge to "blob" the paint. Because the factory finish is so lean, a thick drop of touch-up paint will stick out like a sore thumb. The secret is the slow build. Apply your color in two or three paper-thin layers, letting each one dry until it's tacky before adding the next. If you're working with Raven, remember that black shows every mistake-keep your brush strokes minimal and within the lines. Once the color is level, seal it with clear coat, but don't over-apply. You want to mimic that tight, factory-robot look, not a hand-dipped candy apple.