Here is a page from The Honda Motorcycle Identification Guide, a book published by American Honda. It's a rather large book with everything Honda made up 'til 1986 ish.
It notes the colors. Both the 75 tanks were were a really bold metal flake. The flakes were large and the paint translucent and many coat layers over the flake. The 76 Orange has no flakes, pretty close to the Orange Crush brand color. The blue was very small flake metallic, with a lighter blue hue, likely spayed as a blue metallic mix, so the tiny flakes can get through the gun.
Note: It only states the Brown seat for 1976 only.
My 75 Cb550 F came to me much neglected, and a ratty Black vinyl seat.
My 76 came to me with torn Brown seat, which I replaced with a new Honda seat. The first delivery came in black. The second replacement from Honda parts dept came in brown.
I kept the first delivery black seat to put on the 75 F. And my 1976 got the brown one, which goes well the Shiny Orange, imo.
The 75F came to me with the orange metalflake tank and side covers, which I still have, faded apart from the place the sun avoided. The tank had rust through pin holes. The bone yard had a Blue metalflake tank from 75 that was clean inside, so I put that on 75 to make it operational. Still has the orange side covers, though.
I still have the orange tank.
Years ago I bought a metallic blue 76 style tank and side covers for the 75, even though the metal flake blue is wrong for the year, it's pretty and looks better than what I have on it now. If I only had the fuel valve for it....
Believe in the "internet experts" or magazine editors if you wish. I'll take my ques from Honda on this matter.
Cheers,
