They need more care & attention. All the problems have to be attended to on time to keep the bike running healthy. This increases the maintenance costs as well as the responsibilities. What if i keep it on the redline continuously for over 200kms? Iam sure it will need an overhaul much sooner.
Also sourcing the critical internal parts gets difficult. Lack of supply increases the rates to new heights.

I am not technically competent to hazard a guess as to what might happen if full throttle is maintained continuously for 200kms. So, no comments on that.

I do not know the service intervals of four stroke bikes, but for RX100 it is 3000kms once.

If this was done, maintenance costs would be very minimal. Contrary to your assertion people (mostly) do not stick to that interval and the bike doesn't complain either. No flashing lights in the instrument console

RX series parts, inspite of the complaining thats going on (including me) in two-stroke section has been around for really long long time. Whether 2stroke or 4stroke all products will face this issue. Let's see how many critical internal parts are available for R15 (the 4stroke contender here) in 2026

I have no doubt about R15's superior performance, but I am equally convinced about RX100 reliablity.

I think its gotta be the RX100 . Most of the Yamaha bikes in India have been ahead of their time but equally expensive . RX100 i guess was a great balance of power , affordability to Indian users and a thriller as well .

Two strokes are no longer in production,
naturally a motorcycle which has done 100000kms+ will warrant attention,
it applies on both 4 stroke and 2 stroke machines,
^the doodh walas deliver milk on rajdoot crossong slush(in rains) and fields, EVERYDAY
4 strokes may have an edge

on another note, revel in 2 stroke glory, its dizzying power build up and the kick it gives best suited for Sunday Rides

I am not legible to comment on the reliability of 2-strokers as i have not taken care of one myself.
I somehow feel Sarvajit got confused & included 2-strokes & 4-strokes in one section.
I see RX's in perfect shape & also see R15's & FZ's which need a complete overhaul.
Reliability is a very subjective term.
I have come to know from my friends who own 2-strokes even today that they need to get the bikes serviced properly from good mechanics at regular intervals to keep the bike running fine. However this is an exception to some extent for 4-strokes. I get my bike serviced every 5k+ kms. Perhaps i may be wrong.

The best ones till now..

1. Yamaha RX100
2. Yamaha RD350

best bike to come out of yamaha india?
its got to be the r15 in spite of it being slow.

i am saying this in spite of having a quick rd.

the rd was great but yam-india launched a 10 year old product even in 1980s.
the rx 100 is underpowered.
rxg and rx 4 speed were too messed up by awkward efforts to meet pollution norms.
rx 135 5speed is good but by the time it was launched, the platform was 10 years old.
libero, gladiator etc were too much of commuters (underrated commuters at that)
fz16 is too slow.

I think choices available at any given point of time in the market reflects the strength of masses wallets.

From what I gather from various internet forums, RD died a premature death because it was way ahead of its time. I do not think Indians rejected RD because Yamaha gave them a ten year old product.

It is only now that we are seeing the world and seeing it with some money in the pocket. Thanks to liberalization. So, it is only now that manufacturer's are taking interest in launching contemporary products. It's only now we get to see Ninja! Sigh! And for how long this product has been around?

Short point is, yeah R15 is a great product, very current, very 'with it' But in my opnion it cannot be the best just because it is contemporary.

RX 100 in 2s category
R15 in 4s category

Yamaha R15..
.
.
Question-
Is RX135 & RXZ not quicker than RX100?? why? it has 14horses..?
can anyone compare and post the performance figures of 100&135?

the 15 denotes 150cc
^please do not bring Aprilia 2 stroke in the picture

the best is yet to come..
but among the ones tht hav come already, it shud be the R15.

I think the 'best' bike that Yamaha ever produced in India has to be the RX 100. Here's why:

As an engineered product it was far far superior to its competitors i.e. AX 100 and KB 100. These other 2 bike had to go through various iterations (so called upgrades) to come anywhere near it.

It had some notable first time features in a bike which made it a weekend, do it your self mechanic's delight. It was so well engineered that the basic engine provided the perfect base of the weekend racer to build on.

1. It was the only bike in its class to have an all aluminum cylinder which allowed for better heat dissipation. It was the very first all aluminum engine.

2. The simple but ingenious way in which Yamaha engineers had separated the mounting of the cylinder to the base and the head to the cylinder. By doing this, they allowed for more room for transfer ports.

3. The bullet proof gearbox could take any amount of punishment.

Other small but thoughtful features were really helpful. For example, the wing nut that was used for the rear break made it very very convenient to adjust the rear break even in the traffic.

Similarly the convenient thread knob system for the front break and clutch which allowed for quick adjustment of free play.

While RX 100 was a detuned version of the original RXS 100 it was still so far advance that it took the competitors a heck of an effort to match it. Therefore in my view it takes the honors. It defined the Yamaha brand in India.

+1. 24 years on my RX100, nothing changed in gearbox

I would anyday vouch for the RD-350 for the massive power.
Then comes the RX-100.
Although i want to ride the RX-135 5S and check out the difference.
Newer bikes are just latest technology.
Even today at a signal if i give full throttle on my Yami RX-100 no bike is able to match the pickup except the rd-350. And people do look and admire if you have an RX-100 well maintained.