[payeng]

Originally Posted by deerhunter

My 2 cents on the Enfield vs Dominar debate.

Enfield is currently the most popular tourer(?) under 2 lakhs..

Keeping Things Real:

Enfield is currently the most popular "Head Turner/attention grabber/stand out in a crowd " Tool under 2 lakhs

[PatienceWins]

I see that many people are not happy with enfiield . I have not owned an Enfield, and wonder why it is selling like hot cakes even now with many unhappy users. Don't people get feedback from existing users and read reviews before purchase? I do not believe that people choose it just because of lack of options, there is CBR 250, Mojo, Pulsar 200 NS, adventure, KTM etc.

I hope Dominar will be comfortable for tall people. From the pictures, the seat height looks low, but the foot peg position looks comfortable with a relaxed posture.

[jetsetgo08]

The KTM 390's are infamous for their engine overheating. Do not know if the same has been resolved by Bajaj. Although the low price can make many to overlook this issue, it still could be a significant deterrent for many prospective buyers.

Only a comprehensive review can reveal if the engine heat is back to haunt the riders in a new avatar.

[payeng]

Skip to 8:25 for the Ride Review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSej_NMUQDU

[deerhunter]

Originally Posted by payeng

Keeping Things Real:

Enfield is currently the most popular "Head Turner/attention grabber/stand out in a crowd " Tool under 2 lakhs

I agree. Enfield looks great and for the majority out there, there is nothing quite distinctive as an Enfield under 2 lakhs (except some who finds R15 or CBR150 more distinctive). But it is also the most popular uncomfortable mile muncher that is sold as a comfortable mile muncher. And therein lies its problem. I think Enfield should reposition the Classics and Bullets as vintage replicas instead of tourers.

If the Dominar has better refinement and handling than Enfield, then many of those who wants a tourer but not an Enfield will go for it. By the looks of it, Dominar's seating position appears more comfortable than Duke's or CBR's. So Dominar, in my opinion, will be the first choice for those looking for a tourer under 2 lakhs.

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by payeng

Skip to 8:25 for the Ride Review:

I usually go through this youtuber's reviews, but I find his reviews to be too euphemistic.
The reviews from Overdrive, Motorbeam and Powerdrift are much neutral and practical.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by payeng

Skip to 8:25 for the Ride Review:

[]

It sounds more like a promo video. He is all praises and doesn't even pick out a single negative.

Design - flawless
Seating position - perfect
Seats - perfect
Road presence - tremendous
Lights - marvel
Cruise ability - superb
Wheel base - perfect straight line stability
Power delivery - composed
Exhaust - superb sounding

Only thing he mentions as not so good was the turning radius. Let's wait for powerdrift's Sagar to take it for a spin around Lavasa

[rambo1o1]

Being an owner of a year old RS200, im literally pulling my hair out looking at the pricing of the Dominar. For 20k more you get a hell of a lot, 200 extra cc, LED headlights etc. The RS200 never really fell in the pure fully faired category, so i doubt the full faired die hards are going to overlook the domiar. The RS200 isnt a light or nimble bike in traffic so doubt its going to be vastly superior to maneuver in city, Hence why would anyone consider the RS200 over the Dominar?? Better mileage? or die hard fan of the RS200 looks? or prefer the instead of the aggressive tune of the RS200? or the more cruiser like state of tune of the Dominar?

The Dominar state of tune seems to suggest it is more of a cruiser then street so i guess it will feel less rev friendly than the RS200? a test drive should decide

I am wondering how can bajaj price the Dominar, even if its introductory, at such a low price.
The resale of my RS200 is going to tank big time unless bajaj decides to hike the price immediately by a large margin

I guess ill try and avoid any any material about the Dominar lest i get even more frustrated

Coming to the bike, will hold my opinion until i take a proper test drive and see how much i gain or loose over my RS200.

But the biggest issues the dominar will face is Bajaj A.S.S itself. The service guys dont know or want to do anything more then simple oil change and chain adjustment on my RS200, i wonder how will the treat the Dominar. And this is from the biggest or better service centers in Goa, they service KTM as well as Kawasaki under the same roof.

Hopefully ,bajaj improves its training of its technicians.

[unmesh]

Got an opportunity to ride the RS200 and D400 back-to-back.
Although the bikes belong in different categories, the pricing is ~ same and comparison was inevitable due to consecutive rides

RS 200:
- Perceivable step up in acceleration post 6k rpm
- Very free revving, redlines effortlessly
- Engine note gets better and better as the revs climb
- Begs to be ridden hard, little grunt below 4k rpm
- Awesome headlamps

D 400:
- Pulls strongly up to 6k rpm, superb ride ability due to strong mid-range
- Has a throatier note
- Certainly not as free revving as the RS (as expected; sounded strained to my ears in the higher rpms)
- Cleans up the RS effortlessly notwithstanding the relatively limited powerband
- Turning circle radius is really large, might be equal to the Avenger
- Although the LED lamps of D400 felt good in isolation, I'm curoius how they'll fare in rainy/wet conditions. The light temperature might be 6000K or more
- LCD display of instrument cluster might turn out too bright for night riding

The difference between their nature felt like that between a gasoline engine and an oil burner; both are strong in their respective areas and entertaining nevertheless.

Switchgear and palm grips are standard Bajaj fare, backlit and good quality.

A really entertaining bike at a bargain price. Will have many takers!

[GKR9900]

Dominar 400 first ride reviews by bigbang biker and unkanny rider. First impressions are indeed exceedingly positive. Even the exhaust sounds nice for a 400 cc single cylinder mill! Looks like Bajaj has a winner at their hands!

https://youtu.be/eRqwKbDkIvk

https://youtu.be/yoa2SXsBCfI

[aghate]

Originally Posted by vinair

Wonderful ad after a long time from Bajaj stables! Though the song sounds a bit eerie Hope the bike sounds the same!

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=HE9G6c2H5C0

The bike doesn't sound the same. It's a shame that they added a fake exhaust note. Sounds like a twin cylinder. And I really didn't like the advert and the tagline "Dominate the Night". Wonder what happened to the PR team at Bajaj. This is the same company that made the iconic Pulsarmania advert. Also, the recent one of 15 years of Pulsar was good.

This is how the Dominar sounds. Not bad in my opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvUGDooTrPQ

[ach1lles]

Originally Posted by payeng

Apart from your experience (or the lack of it) the other thing that needs to be considered is your physique.

The Dominar is almost as heavy as a RE Bullet and also has a longer wheelbase.

Handling such a bike especially at standstill by someone who has never ridden motorcycles is doubtful if you aren't a Giant.

Thanks. I don't think the weight will be an issue, though I'm not a giant, I am and have ben training for strength for some time now. The only real issue I see are the gears. I get bogged down with changing the gears. They just don't work in my head. I can't explain it, but on a bike I'm kind of gear dyslexic. If this or another bike came with an auto box, I would've bought one long ago. Scooters although convenient, just don't appeal to me that way.

[aghate]

Isn't the 13 liter fuel tank including the reserve? What I mean is, if it has 2 liters of reserve fuel it must be having 11+2 liters of capacity which adds up to 13.

For example, my 3rd Gen P180 has a 15 liter Fuel Tank which includes 3 liters of Reserve and 2 liters of usable reserve. (That is another topic of how much the tank actually holds, I am more about documented specs).

Please enlighten on this.

[2000rpm]

Just back from a test drive. The bike has great pickup, sufficient for anyone upgrading from a 200 cc segment. The bike was fairly heavy and difficult to manage at low speeds due to the long turning radius. The onroad price in Thane for top version is 1.75 lakhs.

The choice of color is pathetic - White, Nail Polish Maroon and some shade of blue (no picture or display vehicle available). I love my bikes in Red or black.

Hopefully this will put some pressure on KTM to price their 390 well.

Also the tank display is fairly useless, could have been avoided, unnecessary complexities for too less value in my opinion.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by aghate

Isn't the 13 liter fuel tank including the reserve?

Fuel injected bikes don't have fuel reserve.

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

The choice of color is pathetic - White, Nail Polish Maroon and some shade of blue.

The White one looks sweet to me

A Red one as a color option could have been there though.