A Yamaha RX100 that goes reverse: We explain how even your bike can! [Video]

The Yamaha RX100 was one of the darlings of the two-stroke era in India as it provided performance at a more affordable price point compared to its larger Yamaha sibling the RD350 and many people have restored these pocket rockets so that they still run today. However, vlogger JS Films on Youtube is facing a rather peculiar problem, his Yamaha RX100 has suddenly decided to develop a reverse gear. So what exactly is happening here, let us explain.

In the video, the Youtuber shows off his RX100 which has a rather peculiar problem. Every time the bike is put into first gear, it starts reversing instead of going forward. This isn’t some kind of video trick where the footage has been reversed but rather looks to be the real deal.

So what is causing this Yamaha RX100 to reverse its direction every time it is put into gear?

Well if you go further into the video, the vlogger explains that the RX100 had been having issues starting up, which was then fixed after a trip to the mechanics. However, while the bike now starts, the fix may just be the reason for the new reversing issue.

The only major reason we can think of that may have caused this problem is retarded engine timing. To fix the starting issue, the mechanic could have played around with the ignition timing to help the bike get back into life. Unfortunately, with the engine timing advanced at too low an rpm results in the fuel being ignited well before the piston reaches the top of the compression stroke. This results in the pressure pushing back against the piston which in turn forces the engine to run backwards, causing the RX100 to reverse.

Thankfully, the vlogger plans to take his Yamaha RX100 back to the mechanics to sort out the issue. Hopefully, for him, it is just an issue with the engine ignition timing. The vlogger has stated that he will keep his followers updated on what happens, so expect more details about what exactly went wrong with the RX100 that caused it to move in reverse every time it was in gear.