[swiftnfurious]

Seems the initial reviews are all positive and that's a great sign! I guess only Bajaj can change the biking scene in India and I am happy they have priced it so well too. I wish they had a fully faired version of this too.

It's amusing how everyone who has TDed this so far has commented on the refinement and how they call it "it's not a Bajaj"! Anyway, such things work really good for the customers and we get better products at affordable prices. It should be fun to see how TVS priced the Akula 310.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

. I wish they had a fully faired version of this too.

.

+1

And by faired version, not something like RS200, but something with proper clip-ons, reduced wheelbase and lowered handle that doesn't feel commuterish. To put it bluntly, like an RC.
I will happily part away with my CBR 250R then.

[Ricci]

I had registered on Bajaj website so received an invite for the city-wise launch. The event itself was marketing-heavy, repeating the same stuff as on the online/streaming event.

For all the talk about dark themes and conquering the night, the "babies sleep at night" , "no difference between night and day" , "powerful design for night rides" , they had no cohesive thread linking all the catch-phrases and no mention of the LED headlamps as key part of the "dominate the night" theme. Even with those, you still have to be extra alert at night anyway, so the marketing speech was hyperbole and left me thoroughly bored. They played the videos I already saw in the streaming event. Luckily, all that got over in half an hour and they unveiled the bikes.

The mid-night blue shade is elusive, neither of the showrooms I visited have the blue. Only white and plum, the latter looks almost black for a distance but up close you see a rich maroon with metallic flakes.



That little tank pad seems useless. That part of the tank is flat and will see the things or jacket rub against it, so the tank pad should have covered the entire stretch , about 5x6 inches.



The perimeter frame and swingarm are both steel, so even with a plastic tank and no main-stand, the D400 weighs 182kg. That's a lot - they literally set the RE bikes as benchmark to match/beat and it shows. On the plus side, that beefy chassis and swingarm not only look good, but should permit a lot of cornerning antics without getting unsettled.



The white is metallic too and looks nice, but why white for a bike being marketed on a theme of darkness? Disjoint marketing and engineering.



LED headlights:




There were a few Bajaj senior management folks, and I gave them an earful on the absence of black, with a white instead, the smaller-than-expected 13 litre thank, the excessive (9hp) detuning from the KTM spec , the absence of main-stand and the portly 182kg dulling the performance edge. As soon as the snacks came, they directed the service guy to give me some and went backstage to hide from my unasked for opinions


The bikes at that showroom were not registered so no test-rides were being given for a few days , they said - but oddly enough the Bajaj guys mentioned the showroom will be open till 11PM - what for, if no test rides as in Bengaluru ?

The information dash on the tank has a prominent Bajaj logo in the centre, flanked by Check Engine light, High-Temp warning and Low Battery warning on the left, and high beam on, side-stand down and ABS malfunction warning on the right. No USB port for charging, that's the ABS sticker top-left corner, that some people mistook for USB port.


The display bikes were nonetheless started and revved by all and sundry, and I used the opportunity to feel for vibration, which are present in the handlebars, tank and seat. So not exactly the highest level of refinement, but better than past Pulsars.

I had a short ride on the mini-Diavel, er, Dominar at another showroom today, and here are my impressions.

• Build quality feels good overall. Diamond cut wheels look great.
• An attention grabber as of now, it'll be a novelty and attract lot of curious onlookers.
• Paint quality seems good too, white and plum shades are metallic.
• Could not test headlamps in the daytime.
• Weight and turn radius will be cumbersome at low speeds and narrow roads.
• While riding the weight isn't apparent, but taking it off the side stand, it was immediately apparent - it is almost superbike heavy.
• No gear indicator - not strictly needed but nice to have
• Gearshift from N to 1st and 1st to 2nd was clunky, no false neutrals. Shifts better if you rev the engine higher.
• Does not seem very rev-happy, neither is the low-end cruiser-like. I heard knocking in 3rd trying to accelerate from low 2 digit speeds.
• Ride quality is slightly on the stiffer side but it absorbs most bumps without the harshness travelling to the rider, somewhat similar to the Himalayan in terms of damping but with lower suspension travel.
• Front brake felt adequate, rear felt weak and devoid of feel, but could be due to improper bleeding or new tyres not being scrubbed in fully - the test bike had less than 100km on the odo and I couldn't really ride/brake hard due to showroom guy being pillion, hence didn't risk further hard braking.
• Definitely quicker than the 200s/220s but weight and detuning show the comparative lack of zestful acceleration vs the RC390, expecting the Duke 390 to be similar to RC390 in terms of tune. It didn't feel exciting to ride, but maybe that's just because now I'm used to a middle-weight bike level of performance.
• Wheelbase is longer than most standard(naked) and supersport bikes.
• Riding position is far from cruiser-like, regular height bars and sporty-rearset footpegs. More standard/naked bike ergonomics.
• Didn't notice any vibration during the ride (a different bike from the static display one earlier).

I'm contemplating buy this, but for the 9hp lost against the Duke 390 tune and added 32 kg over the current Duke 390.

[Antonov32]

I was planning to book R3 this week but Dominar launch seems to have changed the equation a little bit. Have to go back to the drawing board now and see if I can get 2 of these for the same price and still save some cash for the riding gear. Would love to hear from the experts and make a more informed decision.
Just took a test ride of Dominar in Gurgaon. These are the first impressions:

- The looks are quite pleasing. Stance and design seem to be non polarizing, but that is my opinion.

- The build quality appears to be top notch. Everything appeared to be well screwed up. The panel gaps between the minimal fairing were quite consistent.

- The paint quality also appears to have gone a good couple notches above the regular pulsars.

- The switch gear is of decent quality. Not as soft to touch as the R3 but nothing that should cause any concern.

- The quality of the ABS material used appears to be really good. Even the rear fenders were quite sturdy. Bajaj seems to have put a lot of effort into maintaining the quality of the suppliers. However, we will have to see how things are once mass production starts.

The only doubt I have regarding the build is how she will age. Bajajs are generally known to age a little ungracefully. An 10 year old pulsar starts looking like something that was made at the turn of the previous century. It does look like things have improved but time will be the best judge.

Now coming on to the ride.
- I am 5'8'' and found the seating position to be quite comfortable.

- The positioning of the switch gear is right where it should be. Did not have to over stretch the hands at any point.

- The Bike is surprisingly tractable. My usual ride was a 92 model CI 350 and pushing her used to be like convincing your grandmother to allow a inter-cultural marriage in the family. I did a little bit of pushing around just to see how much strain it puts and it was quite comfortable. I believe the centre of gravity would be higher than a RE as the weight is better distributed.

- The starting was quite smooth. Did not feel any vibrations on the handle bar or the body. The digital meter and gauges were good to look at. Did not have enough time to fiddle around with the menus but saw a TRIP1 so I'm guessing there would be more. The backlight on the meter is not overly bright so should not be distraction on those 'so called long night rides'.

- The gear setting is one down and 5 up. The first gear slotted right into place. No rickety / rubbery / clunkyness experienced. However, its too soon to be making that comment.

- I would like to take a moment to describe the roads here. I swear there are kachha roads which are better than 'Gurugram' roads. Reminded me of what my grandfather says - 'beech mein 2 km road hai wahan dhyaan se chalana baaki saari kachhi hai to koi tension nahi'. And to my surprise Dominar handled the roads pretty well. The suspension is a little towards the stiffer side and some of you may find it to be a little harsh during bad roads.

- Coming on to the maneuverability: I think this was the highlight of the ride. It is definitely no KTM or R3 but is definitely not bad. The bike felt light while finding my way through the pot holes. This is where the trade-off in terms of stiffer suspension really shows. She did not let me feel the extra bulk. It can be used as a daily commuter. The turning radius was also not to big.

- The engine appeared to smooth. I would give it a 7 for its rev-happiness. It did get a little loud post the 9000 mark. But again, too short a ride to make any definitive calls. The good part about the engine was about 50% drop in lugging that you feel on 390. I think that 9 bhp drop and the 6 Nm torque increase has improved the tune state of the engine. It might not feel as rev happy but does feel more composed. I tried to pull it up from near zero speed in the third gear and the the lugging was not as pronounced as 390. Nothing that can't be managed by slipping that clutch a little. That being said, the engine did cut-off a couple time during the ride. But, that could have been my riding style or just getting used to the machine. Nevertheless, something to look out for.

- The gears is the other main change that Bajaj seems to have made compared to the 390. The first thing you'll notice is that the gears are tall. Put it next to a 390 and you would feel a stark difference. Now purists might find that to be a problem but I think that improves the city riding capabilities. Moreover, lesser strain on the engine should also help with keeping the engine temperature in check. This must be one of the prime factors why the 0-100 has nearly doubled but when you look at this from a cruising standpoint, it makes complete sense. I also missed the neutral once I came to a stop but it was still so much better than my CI which used to be treasure hunt even on the best days. Again, making a premature comment but the FE should also be better than 390 given that you'll be revving the engine a lot lesser.

- The 6 Nm jump in torque does help in offsetting the increased weight to an extent. But, if you are coming from a mid-category bike you might feel the acceleration to be slightly on the lower side. For someone 'upgrading' from an RE, would almost be like waking up from a coma after 50 years. I had always been an RE fan but then I also love my Nokia 3310 and for the exact same reason.

- Coming on the braking. This is probably the only gripe i could feel in the whole package. I was trying the ABS version and as luck would have it did not see a strategically placed stealth speed breaker and had to brake quite harshly. The dual channel ABS kicked in for sure because for a moment I was sure I would have skidded a little, but there was no sign of that. On the other hand, the bite from the brakes was a little less than what I would have preferred given the additional momentum owing to the added weight. This could well have been a unit specific thing or the fact that i only use the rear brakes. It was definitely not 'Street Shoddy' but could have been better. Please do comment on the braking as its such an important factor.

Now a couple of things that I have not been able to figure out:

- There appear to be no details about the Fuel injection system or if there is one at all. Please correct me if I may have missed this. Not sure how easy / tough it will be to change its settings. Also, if all Bajaj dealers will have the capability to do the settings, especially the remote ones. I had taken GT for a long ride and no one was ready to fiddle with the injection system.
- The MRF radials do look quite good but how they hold up would be something that experts would have to comment upon.
- Not sure about the lining material used in the engine. I think it should be fair to assume that it would be similar to what is used by KTM. Hence, it should be a fairly long lasting engine.

On the whole, I am little biased towards dropping the idea of going for R3 and buying Dominar largely because of the VFM and the fact that I get ABS which is a major plus point. Have to make the booking over the next couple of days. Would appreciate any help from the fellow bhpians.

Hope you find this to be useful. Also, just like Dominar I am a newbie and totally deserve the benefit of doubt.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Antonov32

- . Would appreciate any help from the fellow bhpians.

Hope you find this to be useful. Also, just like Dominar I am a newbie and totally deserve the benefit of doubt.

My 2 cents

Having ridden both the R3 & RC390, I feel R3 is way more practical and forgiving than the KTM.

R3 is ultra refined, extremely comfortable and power delivery is tamer than the KTM. It is built to last, and it is quite exclusive. It looks awesome and handles good too (spend 18k more for new metzelers or 11k for new Michelin pilot street radials, they make a world of difference to the grip & handling offered by shabby MRFs that comes factory fitted)

Only gripe is omission of ABS. And please donot make a motorcycle decision from mind (vfm etc). I did that mistake by buying an NS. Pulsars dont age well.

I feel dominar will be better. But think of this, will you feel great to ride an exclusive 1 in a 1000 R3, or going to settle for a dominar that is going to be seen very frequently on road?

Performance, reliability, cruiseability(visor, ergonomics, range, refinement at triple digit speeds), reliability and snob value- R3 is better.

Buy dominar only if you want VFM more than anything else. If you can afford an R3, you SHOULD buy one. You only live once!

PS: That's our beautiful black R3 Ask me if it's vfm, hell no! As someone suggested, 2017 Duke 390 is worth the wait.

[The Brutailer]

I am a newbie and totally deserve the benefit of doubt.

Why not consider the soon to be launched 390 Duke? It's the most VFM product out there. Impressive feature list and a stonking engine! What's not to like?

[payeng]

Originally Posted by Antonov32

It could well have been a unit specific thing or the fact that i only use the rear brakes.

Am so surprised that majority of people out there still don't know the proper way to brake.

The front brakes are responsible for about 70-90% of braking. Using only the rear brakes is the most ineffective way to Brake.

Forget the rear brakes, one can
apply ONLY the front brakes and still the braking will be perfect.


I hardly use the rear brakes while braking

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by payeng

I hardly use the rear brakes while braking

The best way to brake is to use both the brakes simultaneously.

Most of the times while riding on expressways, just leaving off the throttle and engine braking alone would be sufficient (unless it is a panic braking situation). Saves brake pad life.

But improper engine braking can mess up the sprockets, big time!

[payeng]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

The best way to brake is to use both the brakes simultaneously.

I know that pretty well.

Using only the front is just as effective in stopping the bike.

I read about the proper braking (including Engine braking) technique while I was learning to ride and now during panic braking, the front brakes are the ones that comes instinctively to me.

The front brakes takes a lions share of the braking effort, the rear is just for slowing the bike.

Since there is ABS.. One can absolutely use only the front without any fear of locking the front wheels

[2000rpm]

For people who did the test drives, i found the engine heat to be substantial considering my short ride of about 400 meters. I was wear my shorts though. However i did feel the heat in a Mumbai afternoon. (temperature must be around 33 degrees). Did anyone else observe the heat..

[Antonov32]

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

Why not consider the soon to be launched 390 Duke? It's the most VFM product out there. Impressive feature list and a stonking engine! What's not to like?

I agree. I guess will wait till it is launched. My only problem with the previous one was the seating position (back injury) and the engine lugging. I think they have made the position a little. It may be worth the wait though. Moreover, the BMW 310 might be out by then. Or might as well just go and gte the R3.
Damn indecision!

@PrasannaDhana you have me at snob value. That is totally worth it!
Also, the fact that R3 will prolly last a couple generations! Thanks!

@Payeng I will have to disagree with only using the front brakes. I think using both is the right way. I agree that the front brake should take the lion's share, since the reaction force from the braking effort goes towards the ground, effectively increasing the weight and reducing the forward momentum. So, technically the front brake will use lesser power per unit of applied effort. However, when you factor for friction and real time conditions like ice, snow, sand or others that reduce friction; the situation changes a little. In a bike with ABS and EBD that would definitely be ideal.
However, in harsh braking conditions, especially with these modern discs and no ABS I prefer not to lose control of both the wheels. It becomes difficult to salvage from a skid situation with the front wheel losing traction. Its more of a personal choice.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by Antonov32

@Payeng I will have to disagree with only using the front brakes. I think using both is the right way .

True.

Especially on loose surface using only the front brakes is dangerous Since a front wheel lock is dangerous.

I have had 3 falls (1 very painful) due to my habit of using only the front brakes (I developed my habit after reading about the braking habits of expert riders)

But there is no doubt that to stop a bike, applying only the front is more than enough. Also the braking response time is very fast. As the same hand is used to apply the accelerator or the front brakes.


Now with ABS, the ABS unit eliminates the chance of wheel locks.

So now one can use the brakes without any fear. The fear of using only the front brakes is no longer applicable

[payeng]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

The best way to brake is to use both the brakes simultaneously.

For Beginners using both brakes is a good practice - read this http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

Written by a Cyclist.. but applicable to all two wheelers

[Nilesh5417]

Sorry going OT but Mr. Bajaj referred to RE and lots of discussion about how the D400 will eat into the RE sales cause its a perfect touring motorcycle. Here is what i think.

If you have issues with RE, the reaction is - Oh it is the part of the bikes character!

If you have issues with Bajaj, the reaction is - Bajaj needs to up their game. Good looking bikes are not enough!

I've heard these reactions so many times that I've stopped bothering. Bajaj will probably never ever be able to create the ecosystem around the motorcycle that tourers look for. Or at least they will take donkey years to drop the commuter image! Simply not naming this bike Pulsar isn't going to be enough. I hope they prove me wrong though.

RE now understands that touring is not just about taking your motorcycle and riding 2000kms alone. It is about finding that group of people you can connect with and ride "together". It is about having events where this set of like minded people can come together and ride / tour. It is about providing an opportunity to ride your motorcycles on such trips by letting someone else take the headache of planning it and finding you riding buddies. It is about promoting such events and cultivating this feeling of being a part of a "family". There are probably more clubs dedicated to bullet riders - i doubt any other single brand (except Harley) can boast of this. The bikes maybe crappy but the whole package that you buy when you buy an RE completely overshadows every other motorcycle.

I've made tons of long time friends cause i was part of Roadshakers who swear by their bullets. I made great friends with strangers in Ladakh cause they were riding bullets and we just hit it off sharing experiences - even about how the bikes broke down and we did jugaad.

This is what Mahindra manages to provide in the SUV space! It will be a long time before someone truly takes over the crown of "Tourer" from RE. For this one reason....RE has a huge huge head start over any other brand. People who meet at Rider Mania remain friends for donkey years!

[farhadtarapore]

Originally Posted by Ricci

The white is metallic too and looks nice, but why white for a bike being marketed on a theme of darkness? Disjoint marketing and engineering.

White is actually more visible at night. So, safety feature?

I'm quite fed up of people throwing these terms - cruiser, tourer, commuter, etc. to describe a bike. Just give me a bike which looks good, has safety features and a decent amount of power. What I use it for is completely up to me. Why do WE need to label a bike as a cruiser or a tourer is completely beyond me. People tour on a puny Kinetic Honda scooter also.

I'm just afraid that Dominar, with it's VFM proposition will be the new Pulsar i.e. too many of them on the roads. So exclusivity gone. Same thing has happened with RE also - too many on the road (me included). R3 was on my radar too, but too expensive and without ABS so holding on. D390 is what I'll probably eat into. Or if Kawa comes with the N650 with ABS, then that'll be my new commuter...er...BIKE.