Return of the Legend – The Yamaha RX100

The legendary Yamaha Rx 100 is trying to make a comeback within a few months to rock the Indian two-wheeler market. The RX 100 was first launched in India in the year 1985. It had a 98cc 2-stroke, single cylinder, air-cooled engine delivering 11 bhp of power @7500 rpm. It also had a four-speed gear box and chassis with a double cradle frame, and could reach a top speed of 100 km per hour. The bike was available in Cherry Red and Black colors. The main competitor of the Rx100 was Hero Honda CD100 and Ind-Suzuki AX 100. Later came the Kawasaki Bajaj KB 100.

The RX100 was first marketed in India by Escorts Limited in partnership with Yamaha Motor Corp Japan. The first-introduced RX 100 models were fitted with Japanese engines until Escorts started making the engines in India. The RX 100 with a Japanese engine was a gem. It’s still the favorite type of Rx 100 among Indian bike enthusiasts. Those who possess the Rx100 will never dare to sell the bike because of its performance, handling, and very low maintenance.

The legacy called the Yamaha Rx100 lasted 11 years in the Indian market. In 1996, the two-stroke king was laid to rest due to emission problems. Now, it is making a comeback with a new 4-stroke motorcycle engine with BS-IV emission norms.

India Yamaha Motor national business head, Pankaj Dubey, said: “We are working on the lines of the RX 100 and are looking to have something of a similar product for India. It will be early to talk about it but we will come out with a product there. We cannot launch the RX 100 with a two-stroke engine but we are working on a four-stroke version for the bike”.

Italian bike companies like Bimota and Aprilia are trying hard to improve the two-stroke technology to match the emission norms. The Aprilia RS 125 engine technology is a perfect example of 2-stroke bikes being still available and meeting the latest emission norms in the European bike market.

Yamaha Motors India is trying hard to re-launch the RX100 and is working on the initial specifications of the bike. This suggests that the RX 100 will have a 4-stroke motorcycle engine meeting the demands of BS-IV emission norms in India, or it will get the 2-stroke engine technology from the Aprilia RS 125 model.