8 Interesting Facts About The Iconic Yamaha RX 100 Motorcycle

rx100 yamaha

The iconic RX100 was designed and developed by Yamaha Motors and distributed by Escorts from 1985 to 1996 in India

The Yamaha RX 100 definitely needs no introduction. It was one of the most iconic motorcycles in the Yamaha lineup that was produced from 1985 to 1996 in India. After all these years, it is still a popular choice amongst the 2-wheeler enthusiast and has a lot of demand in the second-hand bike market of India and bike enthusiasts still keep the RX100 for their private collections.

Here is the list of 8 interesting things that you need to know about the iconic motorcycle.

1. RX100 Also called ‘Pocket Rocket’

The Yamaha RX100 was an extremely lightweight motorcycle and could accelerate fast and hence was also called ‘Pocket Rocket’. The RX100 was powered by a 98cc, single cylinder, two-stroke air-cooled engine. This unit produced 11 bhp of peak power and 10.39 Nm of peak torque. The unit was paired with a 4-speed gearbox. The motorcycle weighed only 98 kilograms.

2. Not exactly an affordable bike

rx100

 

Back in its glory days, the Yamaha RX 100 retailed for Rs 19,764 which was not exactly affordable. It was priced higher than its rival including the CC and the CD100. If that is converted into today price the motorcycle would easily cost in between Rs 70,000 and 75,000 – now that a lot of money for a 100cc bike. Initially, the RX 100 was available with three colour options including Cherry Red, Peacock Blue, and Black.

3. Lightweight chassis was also a disadvantage for the rider

The bike was not stable at high speeds because it was extremely lightweight. Although it had an impressive acceleration, it couldn’t be ridden for a long time at high speeds because heavy wind blasts made the bike shaky while the skinny tyres also did not provide sufficient grip.

4. Featured in many Indian movies

rx100

 

There is no denying the fact that movies play a very important role in Indian people’s life. The Indian movie industry, especially the South Indian movie industry loved the Yamaha RX 100. We have seen the bike was being either by the lead actor or the negative character in many movies. The bike was also used for many stunts performed in the movies because it was extremely agile and quick.

5. An icon of masculinity

Just like the Royal Enfield motorcycles, the Yamaha RX 100 was once also considered a symbol of masculinity. The two-stroke motorcycle was fast compared to its rivals and had a unique exhaust note. The bike somehow became a favourite amongst the young riders and was kind of wild and rugged in nature.

6. Successor never became popular

Restored-Yamaha-RX-100-8

Yamaha stopped the production of the motorcycle back in March 1996 and was later followed by the RXG 132. The bike had many technical faults and never was a successful motorcycle in the Indian market. Yamaha stopped the production of the RXG and launched the RX 135 later, however, it never managed to replicate the success of the iconic RX100.

7. Quite popular amongst street criminals

Like we have already mentioned before, the RX 100 was a quick accelerating motorcycle and thus it was also quite popular amongst the street criminals. They were able to use the motorcycle as a quick getaway vehicle. So before the era of Bajaj Pulsars, the Yamaha RX 100 was the undisputed king of the streets.

8. Favourite amongst racers

Restored-Yamaha-RX-100

The Yamaha RX 100 was really popular amongst the drag racers. The owners used to perform various modifications such as expansion chambers, porting, engine tuning, sprockets and changing the wheel sizes. Some other modifications that were also performed on the motorcycle included placement of bigger carburettors, air filters, quicker throttle and even disc brakes for better stopping power.

 

There were plenty of modifications which were also done to the motorcycle and in order to check the authenticity, the race organizers and conductors had to sometime open the engine block to check and make sure that it was actually an authentic 100cc engine.