- Yamaha is receiving a lot of enquiries about a new RX
- Recreating the same feel in the four-stroke era looks challenging
As desperately as Yamaha aficionados want the RX 100 to come back, the Japanese bike maker is finding it equally difficult to revive the legendary brand. In a recent interview, Yamaha India chairman Eishin Chihana touched upon the topic of the RX 100 and mentioned how people keep asking him about it but it’s a herculean task for the company to resurrect the RX brand without altering the real ethos that it stood for.
As we know, the RX 100 was highly revered for its timeless design, light weight, and raw throaty sound. While the former two qualities can be achieved through smart engineering and design, the sound part is difficult to replicate with a four-stroke engine. The original RX 100 was powered by a two-stroke motor which does not comply with existing emission norms. Moreover, the kind of punchy acceleration the RX 100 offered would be challenging to recreate with the same displacement today. A huge bump in displacement would be the way to go.
The company intends to cater to the demand and bring the RX brand back to life. However, Yamaha is also aware of the legacy and cult following that the brand enjoys and doesn’t want to ruin it. The company is pondering over the idea of a modern RX and trying to figure out how to recreate the same sound, feel, and every other aspect of the bike that helped Yamaha establish its image in India in terms of performance and positioning. Now, whether Yamaha fans get a new RX in a modern avatar or need to settle with used ones, which are difficult to acquire at present, remains to be seen.
