[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by chaitanya.mella

Does the ABS light always glow when ignition is on. I'm asking since I was shown a vehicle and the light did not switch on when riding. Maybe I was shown a non-abs version.

No, it does not. Once switched on the ignition key, all lights would come for a bit and go off, there will be only light in the secondary console, which is Bajaj logo.

If your ABS lights are on, then it means there should be some problem, either ABS sensor is not working properly or some problem with ABS. Get it checked once.

KK

[kat]

Originally Posted by chaitanya.mella

Does the ABS light always glow when ignition is on. I'm asking since I was shown a vehicle and the light did not switch on when riding. Maybe I was shown a non-abs version.

Never ridden the Dominar, but in the KTM, the ABS light stays on as long as the vehicle is in standstill after ignition on. Once the vehicle starts moving, say above 5 kmph, the ABS light goes off and remains off until ignition off. Maybe Dominar works similarly. Could be that the speed sensor functioning is verified once vehicle moves and if it is fine, the light goes off.

[chaitanya.mella]

Originally Posted by KK_HakunaMatata

No, it does not. Once switched on the ignition key, all lights would come for a bit and go off, there will be only light in the secondary console, which is Bajaj logo.

Cool. I guess I was mistaken. Taking delivery on Tuesday. Will know more then.

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by kat

Never ridden the Dominar, but in the KTM, the ABS light stays on as long as the vehicle is in standstill after ignition on. Once the vehicle starts moving, say above 5 kmph, the ABS light goes off and remains off until ignition off. Maybe Dominar works similarly. Could be that the speed sensor functioning is verified once vehicle moves and if it is fine, the light goes off.

Yes, right, I correct what I said in my last post, as Kat said ABS light goes off after gaining some speed, I guess may be 10 or 20 kmph.

Originally Posted by KK_HakunaMatata

No, it does not. Once switched on the ignition key, all lights would come for a bit and go off, there will be only light in the secondary console, which is Bajaj logo.

If your ABS lights are on, then it means there should be some problem, either ABS sensor is not working properly or some problem with ABS. Get it checked once.

KK

[T2luvroads]

I had recieved my New Friend on 14th Of August. Will put on the reviews very soon. Some pics for now.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by T2luvroads

I had recieved my New Friend on 14th Of August. Will put on the reviews very soon. Some pics for now.

Matte black is looking great. Congrats. Do put up an ownership review after covering some good kms.

[The Great]

Went for a test ride of KTM Duke 390 and Dominar at Sai Service Lower Parel High Street Phoenix Mall and here is my experience with them.

Firstly there was a huge difference between KTM showroom guys and Bajaj Showroom guys. The KTM personnel's were all so very courteous and talking to people in a welcoming manner even though there was a rush of crowd continuously. I was allowed a longer test ride on request and they happily allowed. All the test bikes had DEMO sticker on them.

The Bajaj merely had a cabin for showroom and here come the shocking part's:

The sales person of Bajaj was talking as if to complete mere formality, the Dominar did not have enough petrol to start and he was cranking away continuously. The bike was brand new (it was not a test module), and I could feel that the bike had been recently ridden with the engine heat. Right then and there he took out petrol from a brand new Pulsar 200 standing beside and poured the petrol into the Dominar. Now the test ride was allowed only for 100 meters inside the parking area . He said the bike is brand new and unregistered hence we cannot take it out on the road. As soon as I started the Bike it rattled from everywhere. On inquiry the sales person confirmed that the front fairing is loose, the front seat has a rubber broken and the rear seat was hanging loose. The front console was showing a huge ERROR sign continuously. Enough for me to loose confidence and have bad first impressions.

The good:

I found the sitting position on the Dominar more relaxed with the foot pegs not pushed much back as in the KTM, but the new 390 was not that uncomfortable too. I am 6 feet tall and liked the Dominar's sitting position more touring / commuting friendly. Also the Dominar felt like a huge bike while sitting, compared to the compactness of KTM. The front of the Dominar feels much lighter than the KTM 390/250 to me. Other than this it was not possible to feel the engine pickup or midrange with the short stint.

Here is the price list for MUMBAI. They are offering Zero "DEBT" insurance. , depo charges were explained to me as transfer charges (did not understand what he meant). 2 years 30,000 kms std Engine warranty, and 1 year parts warranty is what I was informed.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by The Great

Went for a test ride of KTM Duke 390 and Dominar at Sai Service Lower Parel High Street Phoenix Mall and here is my experience with them.

If you are looking to buy a motorcycle between Duke 390 and Dominar 400, I would suggest Duke 390 despite the 80k difference in price.

I own a previous gen Duke 390 & I have ridden Dominar 400. The duke is poles apart when it comes to fun factor, while Dominar is a good tourer. In my opinion, Dominar fits in the crowd, no match for the duke in road presence.

But if you are a sedate rider, Dominar makes a lot of sense!

[Shekhar2509]

I got my Dominar 400 ABS on July 4th. The bike has been fun to ride, except for an issue that is persisting since starting. The coolant level in the reservoir drops dangerously below minimum after a run of around 150 km. Reported it to the service center, and they said that it was a faulty oil pump seal causing the issue. The same was replaced under warranty, but again after a run of 144 km since then, the coolant level has dropped below the min mark. Not sure what is causing the issue. Have given the bike back to service center.
This thing has got me worried. Experts please share what could be the cause behind this.

Thanks.

[Vikram8891]

Originally Posted by The Great

Went for a test ride of KTM Duke 390 and Dominar at Sai Service Lower Parel High Street Phoenix Mall and here is my experience with them.
=======
They are offering Zero "DEBT" insurance. , depo charges were explained to me as transfer charges (did not understand what he meant). 2 years 30,000 kms std Engine warranty, and 1 year parts warranty is what I was informed.

This is the mentality in some Bajaj showrooms. I dont disagree with what you went through. I myself had the same experience about 4 years ago when I wanted to buy the NS (which I did). I wanted to compare it side by side vs the 220. Forget obliging to that, they flat out told me that I could only test ride one of the 2 and that too in their compound which was about 75 mts. I simply turned around and started walking. Then the sales guy rushed behind me and gave the BS that some rider had crashed while test riding and hence the policy. I simply told him that if you expect me to buy a bike worth Rs 100000 without a proper test ride then you must be joking.

Within 10 mins both the bikes were ready and after half an hour I had booked the NS. But this time I decided to visit another showroom in the city which was a bit far, for the Dominar and the attitude was very positive. They encouraged me saying that the tank had a lot of fuel and me and my wife should go for a long ride. I had not taken my NS there so they didnt know I was a Bajaj customer. After that they themselves invited me to a late night test ride to see the LED headlights in action. All this was done before booking. Heck I had 2 comprehensive test rides and knew what I was buying.

I have had it for 6 months now and except for the vibrations and that odd power loss issues which will be rectified in the second service, I am quite happy with it.

[T2luvroads]

Originally Posted by kat

Never ridden the Dominar, but in the KTM, the ABS light stays on as long as the vehicle is in standstill after ignition on. Once the vehicle starts moving, say above 5 kmph, the ABS light goes off and remains off until ignition off. Maybe Dominar works similarly. Could be that the speed sensor functioning is verified once vehicle moves and if it is fine, the light goes off.

Exactly the same with Dominar even.

[Shekhar2509]

Originally Posted by Shekhar2509

The coolant level in the reservoir drops dangerously below minimum after a run of around 150 km. Reported it to the service center, and they said that it was a faulty oil pump seal causing the issue. The same was replaced under warranty, but again after a run of 144 km since then, the coolant level has dropped below the min mark. Not sure what is causing the issue. Have given the bike back to service center.

Update: I had shot an e-mail to Bajaj customer support earlier last week, complaining about the above issue! Was instructed to drop my bike to the Kalyani Bajaj service center for inspection and rectification. The hoses and gaskets connected to the radiator and coolant reservoir were identified as the culprits, and have been replaced under warranty. Just hope that the bike runs without any further troubles now. Fingers Crossed!
Cheers!

[Vikram8891]

Highway ride with expanding horizons:

This past Sunday I got a rare opportunity. I got to do a solo small highway trip from Vadodara to Ahmedabad via the “old highway”. Now that is not the rare opportunity, the rare part comes because I did not face any resistance from home. Married life does bring a lot into life but sadly sometimes that “lot” takes away the little things in life.

I bought the Dominar over 6 months ago and did do some small touring with my posse but I yearned to do a nice medium distance solo ride. Something about riding solo just adds a sense of (maybe false) adventure to things.
Anyway the purpose was to ride to Ahmedabad on the “old highway” which was about 100 kms away and meet up with the Ahmedabad chapter of Dominar.

I saddled up, put on all my gear – DSG riding jacket with in built armour, Cramster leather/carbon fibre gloves, Scyoco knee guards and the obligatory Bandana under my Studds helmet. All my gear is mostly colour coordinated in Dark grey and white which does go with the deep blue shade of the bike. My helmet though is red – cherry on top!

I pushed off at exactly 7 in the am as the meet up was decided for 9:30 am in a café in Ahmedabad. The bike was idled for a minute before I started moving. I hit the highway within 10 minutes and immediately felt that blissful feeling of being all alone just watching the world pass by. Slowly I built momentum and the beautiful highway greeted me with some nice sweeping turns which I was able to take in the high 90s. It felt great. After nearly 20 mins I realised I had been riding in the 100 – 110 kmph range and that was well above what my comfort level used to be. Now, I am the sort of rider who would normally chicken out cruising in triple digits. There is just something wrong in keeping a bike in 3 digits on the speedo for me. Its just not natural.
Its not safe and usually I get the jitters. This time though, I went with the flow and realised that before I knew it, I was introduced to a new zone of comfort. I actually was feeling pretty safe at those speeds. They weren’t legal, but at that moment I finally understood what people mean when they say that this bike can comfortably do triple digit speeds.

Its not just the bike doing those speeds, its how comfortable and safe the bike makes you feel when you are doing those speeds. Well I stuck to my “new comfort zone” and ended up overshooting a turn near Ahmedabad by nearly 5 kms. No issues, GPS to the rescue and I am back on track. Entered Ahmedabad and GPS guided me to the café. Now here is the clincher, when I entered the city, though it was early morning, I didn’t recalibrate my head in order to take into account that I have left the highway and some of the wide and open roads of Ahmedabad were dispatched off with the same gusto as the highway had been and I reached the meetup point 30 mins earlier!
I actually realised a good deal of potential of this bike on this ride. Like I said, this bike has helped me grow and find a more confident rider in me. Frankly the amount of balance, stability in cross winds and of course the speed with which the bike transported my naïve soul has validated the purchase for me.

P.S. – Don’t ask me what was the top speed I achieved on this trip. I can safely tell you it was more than I have ever done on a bike or for that matter in my hatchback too!

[mohansrides]

Hello all,

I visited two dealerships yesterday.

1.) Autoden Baja at Mahin (West) - They did not even have a test bike

2.) Saiservice Bajaj at Andheri (East) - They had a test bike which they asked me to ride inside their extremely cramped premises. I did not get past 1st gear for the full duration of the test ride which lasted about 10 minutes, out of which I was standing still behind one of their workshop cars for about 7 minutes. I would have ridden maybe 50 meters, 60 at best. When I asked them for a longer test ride, they asked me to come the next day and said that I can take the bike to the nearby signal and come back - total distance of 3 KMs.

After my pathetic experience with SaiService Bajaj, I called up (over the phone) the Executive Bajaj showroom at Ghatkopar (West). They told me that I could "test ride" the Dominar inside the compound of the mall (Phoenix Mills Kurla) which is next to them. This would again be a distance of nothing more than 100 meters.

My question is how is a customer supposed to understand the power delivery of this sport touring motorcycle, along with it's breaking power, the comfort of the riding position etc. without riding the bike for at least 10 or 15 KMs? More importantly, am I expected to hand over 1.85 lacs based on a 50 or 100 meter ride?

So, I wrote to Bajaj using he email IDs on their site - customerservice@bajajauto.co.in.

Here is their response:

Quote

Dear Sir

We are in receipt of your mail and noted the contents. Such a long test ride for 10-15kms is not provided.


With Warm Regards
Customer Care Cell


Unquote



The dealership guys, both at Andheri and Ghatkopar / Kurla, told me that all current buyers are basing their decision on such short test rides, or even no test rides. Is this true for most of the BHPians who have bought this motorcycle?

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Hello all,
. Is this true for most of the BHPians who have bought this motorcycle?

I dont think this would be the case with all. At least in Bengaluru I test rode twice before buying both times in the range of 5 to 8 kms each and they were happy to provide and I know a lot a people here who have done two rides before they have bought it.

It's your right to test ride before booking and may be speak to any showroom and tell them this is what you are looking at if they expect you to book with them. Having said this don't expect anything more than 10 kms at the max.

KK