1968 ? Commando Tank

Hi from South Africa. I am fully involved in the restoration of my Commando Eng.No.126621 which I understand was built in February of 1968.
Today I was rubbing down the fuel tank prior to spray painting when I noticed considerable amounts of Orange paint on the underside. Is it possible that 126621 came out with the Orange tank instead of the British Racing Green ? Does anyone know at what point the colour changed to green as I want to return this machine to original and the colour must be correct. If Orange is what it should be does anyone know the code for the paint ?
FRED.

Have you written to the NOC for any factory record information? What about the color on the tail section? Is there any evidence of a color other than green there?

Here's a link to a 1968 Magazine article on the Commando, and the bike is in 1968 Orange:

http://www.classicbike.biz/Norton/Mags/1960s/68CommandoCW.pdf

Post pictures! You've got an early machine - 126125 was the first production Commando, also built in February, 1968. (123666 was the pre-production show bike)

I don't know what the formula is for either the Green or the Orange. I have a mix for the Candy Red/Silver, which was an early two-tone option.

Super early , nice. May I bring to your attention that this was the era of early "widowmaker" type frames. Most were replaced for safety reasons but have a discerning look for the big backbone tube running to the top of the steering head but no smaller tube leading to the bottom of it.

BillT said:

Here's a link to a 1968 Magazine article on the Commando, and the bike is in 1968 Orange:

http://www.classicbike.biz/Norton/Mags/1960s/68CommandoCW.pdf

Click to expand...

It's 'Grenadier Red'.

There is mention of an orange SEAT in the real early Commandos.
But orange as a color didn't come until a few years after... ?

Grenadier Red

'http://grengds.com/static.php?content_id=74&shop_item_id=260Red'

Looks pretty close to me.

Dave
69S

Since that paint chart doesn't give a year for any of those paint codes, or a paint manufacturer, very few of these mean anything if you are outside the UK.
(Or even in the UK ?).
And is far from complete, in terms of covering EVERY colour offered, over the years.

If you lined up different paint manufacturers versions of those colors, they could be all the same, or all quite different, with no rhyme or reason to it ??
I found my cars paint the year after was quite a different shade, same code and name, different year = different formulas. Aye yi yi...

Your National racing colours were Gold , with a Green bonnet . :?

Haveing seen a Silver Fastback with a Orange seat , Id go for that . with the silver oversprayed frame .
this way all the girls will think youre related to James Bond , a shaker & mover , & of the Jet Set .
No way you could pass of as that , with a Honda 750 . :lol:

Were these Gel Coat or Painted :idea: prying in the cracks & crevises underneath could establish the original colour , if its not the primer . :?

About time someone did the Green Blob replicer tank badges . Would be a Good Accesss Norton identifier . or did the rights holders whine . :cry:

The one in NZ was supplied with Norton badges fitted , & the green blobs with the papers . So may be a original set somewhere , still unused, almost .
To Copy authentically .

ORANGE , if you must .