Completely Knocked Down units, were hugely popular back in the 90s. For many, it was a matter of prestige. Eventually, bike makers started selling CKD bikes largely. Amongst the CKD bikes in the 90s, was the king of the roads, Yamaha RX 100. It is reported to beat a KTM Duke 200 in drag racing. Well, that’s the truth.
Imagine a 100cc bike, selling for Rs 2 Lakhs. Well, that’s the reach of the legendary Yamaha RX 100. At that time, it was sold for a mere Rs 19000 (on-road price). Most of the ads featured young college goers, bike racers and Sunil Gavaskar. Back that time, two-stroke bikes used to ply, amongst which the RX 100 set a benchmark. Its near rival was the Suzuki Shogun, but RX 100 was lighter. It had such acceleration speed that there is a video of it defeating the KTM Duke 200 in a drag race. Now, the bike is available restored or in some scrapyard for prices ranging from Rs 15000 to Rs 2 Lakhs. Recently, there were rumours of the bike relaunching with a 4-stroke engine. It would not get the same engine sound and quick acceleration. However, these rumours are not true, as it would not relaunch in India.
RX 100’s agility was discovered by drag racers, who were shocked to see such quick acceleration in such a small bike. By the time it became a hit, every Indian was ‘oomphing’ over it, as it was called ‘King of the Indian roads’. Now, you might see a limited number of RX 100s plying, because of the stricter norms. You might also spot the occasional RX 135 or RX-Z, which had similar chassis but different engines. However. these two bikes did not make it as large as RX 100. The love for this bike is infinite and this one put Yamaha as one of the top bike makers in India in the 1980s. We all pray for its return, but Yamaha has no plans to start the production of RX 100.
The rumours about Yamaha RX 100 coming in a 4-stroke engine started somewhere around 2016. It emerged that a custom Yamaha RX-135 has been exhibited at a motor show in Malaysia. The legendary two-stroke motorcycle has got a purple chrome paint finish and golden highlights. The RX 135 has been known as the RX-K 135 in some markets where the K stands for King. RX 135 was RX 100’s older brother, which was available in the market till 2005. In the late 1990s, the emission norms grew stricter and were directed towards 4-stroke engine bikes. So, RX 100 shut and the RX 135 was launched with a 4-stroke engine. Following which, RX-Z, a typical old-school sports bike was also launched. The RX-Z was a huge hit amongst the youth. However, RX 135 did not have the same chutzpah as the RX 100 and it was not much successful.
Also Read: Legendary Yezdi 350 Series Might Relaunch In 2018 – We Explain
The 1985 RX 135 that was on sale in some international markets got a bikini fairing and a tailpiece. In the custom bike here, things like the handlebar, grab rail, mud-guards, crankcase, front forks and the exhaust have been chrome-plated. The custom RX 135 here sports Showa front fork and Ohlins gas-charged rear shock-absorbers. The modified RX-135 you see here also sports Binter AR125 mag wheels and a disc brake at front with Nissin callipers. The speedo console and the Rear View Mirrors have been carried over from the stock bike.
Highlighting the popularity of the Yamaha RX 135 amongst enthusiasts, in 2016, a news had emerged that a dealer in Bengaluru has auctioned off seven units of the iconic motorcycle for five-figure sums. Rahul S Dhojanna, who owns Pace Motors, claims that enthusiasts at the auction shelled out around INR 1.5-165 lacs for the RX135 models. The dealer had been trying to sell these units for quite some time now but had to wait in order to obtain necessary permissions from the RTO as registration of two-stroke bikes had been stopped.
The RX135 had been in production until 2005 and was a hit amongst biker thanks to its affordable price, easy maintenance, and good performance. The popularity of the model fueled rumours of Yamaha resurrecting it by relaunching the RX 100 with a 4-stroke engine. However, since then, Yamaha has denied reports regarding the re-launch of the Yamaha RX 100 in India.
Yamaha India currently has no presence in the 100-110 cc segment with their lowest capacity motorcycle being the Saluto. Currently, Yamaha says that it is focused on developing entry level 100-110 CC bikes. It had earlier planned of relaunching the legend, but the production costs and a 4-stroke engine led down the decision. We’ll be notifying you regarding the re-launch of the Yamaha RX 100 with a 4-stroke engine. Make sure you stay tuned to Car Blog India for all the updates.
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The post The King Of The Roads In 90s, Yamaha RX 100 Might Not Come Back appeared first on CarBlogIndia.
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