[vhharan1]

The beauty is in the details. Every part either hidden or visible has been retouched with excellence. Hats off to your splendid, perseverance in your restoration efforts! So very proud to see your thoughts into this amazing reality.

[Samba]

Now this is one flawless and awesome restoration. Hats off to you.

Regarding the bike in one word i can say its a 'BEAST'. I remember riding my friends RXZ exchanging my Unicorn with him. It was back in 2005. This 135cc 2 stroke bike churning 14 bhp was a hoot to ride. A wheelie was evident if some one carelessly release the clutch. This was bike was meant for seasoned riders. Am sure a new rider will find it difficult to tame it. The initial pick up was brutal which could easily shame all the 150cc bikes of that time. Which included Cbz, pulsar, Unicorn , Fiero. The only disadvantage i could remember was its skinny tyres and it was a fuel guzzler. I remember for a 170kms trip to Nandi hills from Bangalore i had to fill 400rs of petrol at that time where my Unicorn needed approximate rs200 worth petrol. But who cared for mileage when one can ride a RXZ! The Yamaha RX100, RXG, RX 135, RXZ, and on the other hand the Suzuku Samurai, Shaolin and the Shogun will always remain timeless fun to ride bikes in the 100-135cc range. Seeing your bike i feel like if i can get hold of a bike like this will definitely pick one selling my karizma R.

And once again congrats for this beautiful ride.

[balenopower]

Fantastic rebuild there. You just rekindled my love affair with the Z. Its an absolutely lovely motorcycle. I had the pleasure of owning a '98 4-speeder. However over the years, finding spares for it was getting to be a major pain. My bike now resides in Bangalore under the caring hands of its new owner. All the best with your baby.

Here's my baby's thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...-page-6-a.html

[n_aditya]

Excellent work there, Viju. It takes a lot of passion, patience, commitment and dedication to reach your goal despite numerous challenges and obstacles.

Hats off to you for a brilliant job done on this bike.

You should point this thread to the previous owner.

Enjoy the Z and wish you many happy and safe years with her.

[Mr.Boss]

Excellent restoration Viju. No words to praise. This is one of the best restoration I came across. Congrats.

Here are the couple of my RX restoration thread, but they will never come close to yours.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...storation.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...amaha-rxg.html

I see 2 holes in the saree guard, what are they for? Something is getting bolted to it?

[Viju]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Saw one selling a 2004 RXZ for 85k.Din't know they were so expensive.Looks good on the photo.Is it worth paying 85k?

Thank you rakesh_r for your appreciation. Prices for RXZ have gone up many times in the past 3 - 4 years. Like I had written before, depending on which part of India we are talking about, you may find an RXZ 4 speed going for 8,000/- - 10,000/- (RJ / JK / CG etc) or an RXZ 5 speed going for 1,25,000/- (KA, KL). Whether it is actually "worth" paying 85,000/- for, is totally dependent on what it is worth to you personally.

Originally Posted by Raag Sandhu

Mr. Viju, I am a proud owner of the exact same motorcycle which has been with me since 12 years now.

Glad to get to know a long-term Z owner, Raag Sandhu. Let me know if there is any way I can help you in procuring parts for your Z. And do post a couple of pictures of your bike. Will be a treat for all of us.

Originally Posted by Mahven

We all have a hidden 'tinker bell' in us don't we? Cheers

I agree Mahven. And some of us tinker bells are not as well in control of ourselves as the rest. Yes, wifey did forgive the pain and expenses to an extent when she saw the final result and I gave her a ride on the bike.

Originally Posted by Champion

Hi Viju, I couldn't have, in my wildest preparations ever thought that somebody could go into such minute details in order to get his/her ride back on track. better half warned about what is to come. Thanks for this mate!

Hope I won't become the reason for any quarrels at home, Champion (just kidding). I have always loved the RX100, but with an RX135, Z and RD already in the garage, never had the space for one. I still dream of the rides I had as a child with my late father on his bright red RX100 back in the late eighties. Sigh! Let me know if I could help you with any of the details on your 1988 RX100. Do post some pictures please.

Originally Posted by vhharan1

The beauty is in the details. Every part either hidden or visible has been retouched with excellence.

Thank you vhharan1 for the kind words!

Originally Posted by Samba

Now this is one flawless and awesome restoration. Hats off to you.

Samba, thank you for your appreciation. These are good to look at, but hard to maintain. Do think twice before giving away your Karizma and going for a 2 stroke. Maintaining / restoring them is becoming more and more painful with every passing day and it is not everyone's cup of tea.

Originally Posted by balenopower

Fantastic rebuild there. You just rekindled my love affair with the Z. Its an absolutely lovely motorcycle.

Thank you balenopower. When I had started looking for a Z long time back, I remember sending you a message asking for your bike. When I realised how RXZs had escalated in price (irrespective of 4 speed or 5 speed), I went ahead and picked this 5 speeder for the additional 2 bhp, the extra gear and the extra equipment. My perfect Z is still one with 4 speed colour and graphics. May be, some day. Who knows. Life is too short to give up any dreams.

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Excellent work there, Viju. It takes a lot of passion, patience, commitment and dedication to reach your goal despite numerous challenges and obstacles.

Thank you Aditya. Kind words coming from a mature, experienced biker like you. Will keep her forever and take care of her like a baby!

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Excellent restoration Viju. No words to praise. This is one of the best restoration I came across. Congrats.
I see 2 holes in the saree guard, what are they for? Something is getting bolted to it?

Thank you Mr. Boss. I have gone through your restoration threads before. You did a good job yourself. Always a pleasure to see a 2 stroke given a new lease of life - whether it is 100% stock or not does not matter as long as it is loved and cherished.

The 2 holes in the saree guard can be seen even on the earliest RX100 original saree guards. At that time, they had a metal plaque with the Escorts emblem and Rajdoot script on them. Slowly, that plaque was dropped (as Escorts - Yamaha JV ended), but I guess the basic design with the provision for that plaque remained. I may be wrong though, but I remember seeing this in a bone stock 80's RX100.

[ku69rd]

Fantastic is an understatement Viju, you are prompting me all the more to work on my Shogun Project. Hands are feeling rusty after completing the RD Restoration.

Hats off, should bump into you one of these days when you have all the 3 bikes in bangalore God Bless

[Champion]

Hello Viju, coming to think of it, I have been pondering about one question regarding the RX100 and that is, can the old carb be repaired under any circumstances? My mechanic had told me that I should have to replace the existent carb (which was a Japanese made OE part) and I did that with a heavy heart. I retained the old carb though, in the hope that somebody could tell me that it can be repaired. And there is one another thing too. My bike's silencer has been dented in various places and when I asked my mechanic about it, he said that I could either chrome the damaged area (which will not remove the dent of course) or go for a new silencer. Some say that I will not get that same beat in a new silencer and that I should retain the old one. Kindly help. And here is a snap of my bike - Niizo!

B/Rgds
Champion

[Viju]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Fantastic is an understatement Viju, you are prompting me all the more to work on my Shogun Project. Hands are feeling rusty after completing the RD Restoration.

Do take up the Shogun project, Mahesh. In your hands, a dying machine will get a new lease of life and you will not let it go either. We need to give them another chance.

Oh, and yes, all the 3 bikes are in Bangalore. So may be it's time you make a trip to South Bangalore.

Originally Posted by Champion

Hello Viju, coming to think of it, I have been pondering about one question regarding the RX100 and that is, can the old carb be repaired under any circumstances?

And there is one another thing too. My bike's silencer has been dented in various places and when I asked my mechanic about it, he said that I could either chrome the damaged area (which will not remove the dent of course) or go for a new silencer.

Champion, beautifully restored RX100 you have there. Love the maroon colour. A butterfly crash guard in chrome will take it up a few notches closer to original.

To answer your questions:
(1) Yes, the original RX100 Mikuni carb can be repaired. But you will have to search long and hard for a repair kit or to find old stock child parts which need replacement. It is very much possible, but will take some effort. The Micarb replacement is a worthy substitute till you manage to repair the original.

(2) I have seen many people do dent removals on silencers without cutting them open. Unfortunately, I don't have any good metal worksmen in my contact list who can do this. About the sound, as long as you use a new genuine RX135 / RXG silencer with your old muffler tube, I think it will be good enough. Buy a silencer now when they are still available from Yamaha. It costs around 1850/-. The sound of the RX100 is as much dependent on the muffler tube as it is on the shape of the exhaust port. That's why many have tried replicating the exhaust note of the 100 on the 135 and failed.

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Viju

Oh, and yes, all the 3 bikes are in Bangalore. So may be it's time you make a trip to South Bangalore.

Fantastic Viju, Will give you a call and will try to steal some time this week to visit you

[Viju]

Forgot to add an important piece in the restoration puzzle - the Owner's Manual. It was very hard to come by and there were people who were quoting absurd prices, but in the end, my good friend Chaitanya sent this to me free of cost. Can't thank him enough ever!

[aruncheloor]

Awesome restoration buddy. I know you've taken a lot of pain with completing the 'Z' in showroom spec originality. Hats Off to you Its worth every penny you spent. Will give you years of trouble free service. The hard part is going to be keeping her clean always. One thing in which im a total failure

[rjstyles69]

Fantastic restoration man. I can only relate to the pain you went through sourcing those parts. Man these days some of them cost an arm and a leg coz of the atrocious prices quoted by our dealers.

Your bike would be the only other RXZ that I have seen in red other than one that is owned by a good friend. BTW have you put up a thread on your RD resto yet ? Dont see one , hence asking.

I sold my 5 speed a few months back and moved on to restoring this beauty .

[soorejmohan]

Great work Viju, and indeed even greater workmanship(kudos to your trusty mechanic). Seems we Keralites are still crazy about our Yamaha's

[maverickrider00]

Viju Sir, only a true biker could have gone to the extent to which you did inorder to restore this fabulous bike. Congratulations, your hardwork had paid massive dividends. This is closest one can come to a showroom-spect RXZ. The bike in its heyday was the best, alas I could not afford it then though I did have a YD-125.