Yamaha RX100 is one of the iconic motorcycle in Indian market. It is one of the first motorcycle that would come to the mind of many when we hear the word two-stroke motorcycles. It was a motorcycle that ruled the hearts of many youths in the 90’s. It was a motorcycle that was affordable and was also fun to ride. Both these factors worked in favour of this motorcycle and made it a huge success among customers. Here we have a rare video that shows how the Yamaha RX100 motorcycle was assembled at the plant when it was in production.
The video has been shared by WildFilmsIndia on their YouTube channel. The video shows various phases of assembly line where the Yamaha RX100 was being assembled. Yamaha RX100 was one of the motorcycles that made people realise that even a small capacity motorcycle could be fun to ride. The production or assembly of Yamaha RX100 was done at Escorts Yamaha factory and the production of RX100 came to an end by 1996.
In 1983, Yamaha Motor Corp and Escorts Limited had partnered to manufacture Rajdoot 350 which is basically a Indianised version of Yamaha’s popular RD 350B. During this time, IND-Suzuki’s AX100 also grabbed a lot of attention and was popular among buyers. After analysing the market and seeing the success of AX100, Yamaha decided to launch RX100 in the market back in 1985.
Yamaha had a late mover advantage and made RX100 a lot more fun to ride and powerful motorcycle than AX100. In comparison to AX100’s 8.25 Bhp, Yamaha’s RX100 generated 11 Bhp. This along with an affordable price tag made RX100 a successful model. It remained in production for over a decade and Yamaha did not make any changes or update the model.
It was initially offered with Cherry red, Peacock blue-green and Black colours. First lot of Yamaha RX100’s were CKD units and they also had made in Japan tag on it. Initial lots also has speedometer or instrument cluster with Rajdoot branding in it. In the later version, the Rajdoot was replaced with Escorts. In the 10 years that Yamaha RX100 was in production, it never received a proper update.
It got minor updates like new colour options, pinstriping and a 12V electrical system replaced for older 6V. the round headlamps, long fuel tank, flat seat, 2 stroke engine and iconic exhaust note all remained the same. Yamaha RX100 went out of production in 1996 but, it is one of those motorcycle which still has a huge fan base.
It is a motorcycle that many enthusiasts still like to have in their garage. There are several examples of well kept and well maintained Yamaha RX100s in the country and many of them are still available for sale as well. Chances of Yamaha bringing the RX100 back in the market are pretty low. The main characteristic of an RX100 was the 2 stroke engine. With the new emission norms in place, Yamaha will not be using a 2 stroke engine and will have to use a 4-stroke engine which is compliant with current emission norms.