This bike was bought new by my papa in 1999 after selling our Vespa as we started riding motorcycles. In fact it was the first motorcycle in our family as we were using scooters for the previous 20 years as a conveyance for our family. The time when we bought the bike was Yamaha’s entry into the four stroke segment with a bike which would deliver decent performance and give around 55 Kmpl.
My first impression after riding the bike was how smooth the motor was. I was doing my Automobile Engineering Diploma at the polytechnic. Initially for the first five years we gave the vehicle for service at the dealership. And based on my experience the vehicle performed well when the engine was tuned and the clutch adjusted by an experienced mechanic. I had achieved speeds up to 103 Kph during her youth. She was very nimble handler and a joy to ride. But had a chance to tramline at high speeds because of her light weight. In fact I had made a trip from Alwaye to Kodaikkanal and back in her. The return journey was made non stop save for having lunch. After I got my job I bought a Bajaj Pulsar and left her to Dad. My dad was familiar with scooters and failed to give her the routine maintenance that Four strokes demand. Later in 2012 I bought my dad an Aviator for his Birthday and he asked me to dispose the bike. At that I did not have a bike and made up my mind to restore her. I made the local dealer to make special order for all body panels and a new fuel tank from the company and got the chassis painted. The engine is bullet proof and was working healthy. I replaced the entire wiring and here she was as good as new.
Many people asked me whether the the vehicle was new and exclaimed when they knew that she was only restored.All these years she has been serving well and I have made up my mind that I will not sell her. I also bought an RX 100 to serve me at the time of her restoration. I am thinking of disposing the RX and buying a heavy bike like a Bullet 500.