A Cult bike. Review on Yamaha RX100

RX-100, reminds one of the smoky exhaust, noisy modified silencer, bad guy image of the rider, news about chain snatching in Bangalore. No doubt Yamaha RX100 has attained cult status in India, after a wonderful journey of about 3 decades. These days this bike is more of luxury as the petrol prices are going up north and the bike is very poor on mileage.

Yamaha RX100 was launched sometime in 1985, one of the first in 2 stroke, sharing the market with Ind-Suzuki. People grabbed it happily as petrol was damn cheap, bike was superlight compared to Rajdoot 175, Yezdi, Java and Enfield Bullet. Maneuverability was breeze and quickly it became style statement.

With stringent pollution control coming into effect, the bike was phased out in 1995. Then came era of 4 strokes, with mileage of 70-80KMPL and gulf war ensured the high price of petrol. Common man quickly dumped 2 strokes and lapped up whatever 4 stroke models were launched. All 4 stroked launched in those days had much better mileage and much pathetic performance.

I have a Black RX100, 1986 model which is the original Japanese import. I purchased my bike from secondary market 6 yrs ago and completely replaced all parts except engine and silencer. It’s a pleasure to ride in traffic infested streets of Bangalore.

BUILD

It is sleek, no non sense design and its low height makes it easy to maneuver in thick city traffic. Two not so bulky people can sit comfortably for short ride. Gear pattern is one down and three up, like a racer motorbike. The bike is very light in weight at about 95KG dry weight. Fuel capacity is 10.5 Liters including 1 liter reserve. Front wheel is 2.50 and rear wheel is 2.75, enough to take on city roads with ease. Both the brakes are drum and are no match for the power/speed the bike generates. Overall the body structure is such that one can ride it comfortably and cornering is damn good. The headlight is very weak, however upgrades can be done to 12 volts battery and then extra winding can make the bike capable to use 35 watt bulbs that come in modern bikes.

ENGINE

At heart, Yamaha RX100 is a 98cc two-stroke single cylinder air-cooled motorcycle. For initial 3 years bike was manufactured in Japan and then imported in India as CKD (completely knocked down) kit unit and assembled in India. Later, started assembly line for it locally. Engine delivers a max of 11.5 BHP at 7500 RPM. The bike has very good low end torque. The power delivery is very well matched by the 4 speed gearbox with one down and three up setup. An excellent gear ratio and low end torque enables you to maneuver city traffic in 3rd and 4th gear with ease.

PERFORMANCE

Bike is (in)famous for its acceleration. A stock bike can go 0-60 in 7.5 Seconds and can touch Max speed of about 110KMPH. However this performance comes at the cost of petrol. If I am decent at 60KMPH, I get about 40KMPL and I am harsh and above 70KMPH all I get is 30KMPL with thick smoke of 2T. Rx100 is a good city bike with almost no maintenance, if you are regular with engine oil change and service at regular interval as per the recommendations. With a pillion, its like any other motorcycle, but with a lone rider, it can beat any competition in city with its small, sleek body and amazing pulling power.

The bike had no competition in the initial years and remained most preferred bike in the market. Later Suzuki launched 110CC Shogun and 140CC Shaolin, which created some competition. But the overall performance and reliability of RX was much better. For the same reason while you find many RXs on road but hardly any Shogun / Shaolin.

MAINTENANCE

Build quality is excellent, engine is superb, and components are available throughout (at least in Bangalore). The bike literally requires no maintenance apart from usual oil changes and servicing. I ride my bike carefully so the above statement. You can get every component in the spare parts market in Bangalore. The bike has a good following in Bangalore so parts availability and good mechanic is not an issue.

POSITIVES

Very good pick up, low maintenance, easy to maneuvre, low weight, reliable, good build quality, Good city bike

NEGATIVES

Poor braking, heavy on wallet (low on mileage), Vintage Looks, analog meter, no fuel indicator, unstable at high speeds, not comfortable for long rides

To Sum up:

Good old time bike, fun to ride, no digital features and comfort like the new generation commuter bikes. But a real GEM in performance.