I quite agree. I did some work for hi-end designer/decorators as a sub-contractor. Some of the colours were very bright, or intensely dark but retaining some life in them. Sometimes clients would freeze up during the final consultations; the boldness scared the hell out of them. The designers were high flyers and getting paid a lot of money, so they usually got their way as long as they had some reassurance from me that I could supply the paint. In those cases, I had to reassure the designer that I could get the colour as well as the hue, but it often meant shopping around for a manufacturer that made the base paint. Only the most expensive brands could supply a base that would accept the toner without the desired hue growing muddy. I had the help of good paint-techs and a supplier who would obtain special orders. Sometimes I would consult an artist who is a close friend. She was trained at Cal Arts when it was still Chouinard (spelling?) She knew colour theory like some people know "The Lord's Prayer".

I have a 21 year Yamaha SRX-4 sports single motorcycle — a very rare machine in North America. I have already decided that should I ever have to repaint the tank and Kevlar parts, I'd just not even try to get a match for the metallic black — unless the factory still retains the original paint, which is not very likely.

Reproducing the exact hue of a great classic bike could be a challenge in some cases.