Does the paint Atomic Blue make your heart rate faster? Does Pepper Red thrill your senses? Does Anniversary Yellow invite you to rise up and sing? How about Gypsy Green; does that cause you to choose to get on your bike and choose a very long ride with the dreams of finding journey and romance at the other end?

These are just some of the numerous colors used on vintage Harley Davidson that not only prevented the oxidation off your factory metal sheet, but had been the stuff of hopes and dreams for a kid like me in the 1950s. Every day, looking at my high school, a 1962 H-D Servi-Car was parked; it had been colored with Police Silver, an in-depth wonderful color that came to signify power and authority for me all those years in the past. Brilliant Black Harley-Davidsons were the ride of outlaws in the 1960's, and it usually felt so menacing and shadowy to me back then. Hollywood Green was a pleasant and mild color that sensed just like the walls of the nearby hospital or psych ward always stay away from that shade of insanity!

Paint was applied to the earliest H-D, and the available color palette broadened over the many decades becoming a virtual spectrum of options. Color can define your style and provided the best way for you to tailor your machine. It can make a proclamation about your personality and enables you to stand above the pack.

The year 1903 ushered in the first age bracket of coated Harleys in the form of Piano Black. Combined with nickel sheeting of the cylinder heads and various components, the bike was an eye-catcher from Day One. Realizing the demand for alternative, these motorcycles followed with Carmine pinstripes on Renault Gray, a classy and refined combination, and the name Silent Gray Fellow was born. Silent mainly because H-D prided themselves on being silent so as not to bother the horses and nearby neighbors of the time, gray because that was its full color, and fellow because Harley riders were gentlemen!

Years shift, and so do things such as taste in tone. The twentieth century's later teens saw the application of olive green as the common color. People perceived to like that quite a bit. That lasted through the early '30s, when folks started to be unsettled again for more selections. Probably it had been the fact Indian was now owned by the Du Pont family and to its chemical business and paint merchandise association, you can get your motorcycle coated from the manufacturing plant in almost any color Du Pont supplied. This was a game changer. Or maybe the depth of the depression motivated the demand for full color and sparkle in a time of anxiety and difficulty. Whatever the solution, paint burst on the motorbike scene and certainly, there was no going back.

The Nineteen thirties found the creation of colors and shades like Bronze Brown and Delphine Blue as well as Teak Red and Venetian Blue. These colors would certainly go on to outline the age, then when motorcycles from this classic show up at an AMCA meets, folks take notice.

Cruiser Green and Skyway Blue, Flight Red, and Azure Blue were introduced in the . Post war riders were a lot more concerned about obtaining a bike than what coloration it was.

The 1950s was really a decade for colorations! What about Metallic Congo Green, Persian Red, Rio Blue, and Tropical Green, with Birch White intended for side panel inserts and emphasizing. So impressive, so fresh, so enjoyable to watch!

Fast-forward to modern times when Harley uses color more serious than ever. Apart from the stock colors many different custom made colors in limited volumes are available to design your motorbike special. On my last visit of the York factory, I saw a rack of gasoline tanks that were invalidated because of color defects, and I was impressed! The tiniest of flaws rejected them from being added on a motorcycle. How's that for a proof of the level of quality the modern units incorporate.