1949 paint questions

[Temple]

Where can I get 1949 maroon touch up paint?

What kind of paint was used on the forks? It seems to have not been applied well from the factory.

Thanks for the help.

[exeric]

John Pierce has paint for specific years of H-D, Indian, etc. but it's intended for a repaint, and not necessarily for touch-up. Modern automotive paint suppliers use a computer vision system that analyzes a sample and makes a recipe. I have not been happy with the paint I have got from computers, and it's never good enough. You would need to find a good human paint matcher as there is no computer that is as good as the human eye. Also, original paint will change over 72 years due to sun, and pollution damage, and a real paint matcher can match that. Unfortunately, there are not many artists like that around anymore.

H-D used the same gloss black paint for everything, but paint adhesion on aluminum can be a problem over many years due to humidity, and aluminum oxidation. Modern etching primers, and paint are far superior to what H-D had access to in 1949.

A question for the more knowledgeable; why did H-D paint the fork sliders in '49?

[Temple]

Thanks for the advice

[Rubone]

A question for the more knowledgeable; why did H-D paint the fork sliders in '49?

Just a few guesses, not anything verified.
All previous forks were black
All British and European telescopic forks had black sliders
It was cheap
All of the above....