[TheHkrish]

Great review IronH4WK top brass, I had never been a Bajaj Enthusiast before I test drove the NS200. That was really a bang for the buck and I have been using the bike for 4 years to date. Guys I can tell you from my experience it had been an above par product. Never had a major mechanical issue (other than frequent tightening of chain).
Compared to my RE classic 350, the NS had thrown no tantrums whatsoever.

Would love to have a Test drive of the Dominar 400 , as I am planning for an upgrade, Thanks again.

[dhanushmenon]

That's a well detailed, concise and comprehensive review. Top notch. Great attention to details and expressive photographs. Will serve as a Bible of reference for prospective customers in the market.

Needless to say, the quality of photographs are fantastic too; which comes as an added bonus to so much of wisdom in the thread.

Great going IronH4wk. Can I expect a companion to the KTM in your garage??

[Horizon85]

Thanks IronH4wk for a great review. Photographs have good details, just like all Tbhp reviews. I think this bike will do good numbers, particularly because of the competitive price.

[ringoism]

It seems like an exceptional value - a 390cc liquid-cooled sportbike for just a little more cash (non-ABS) than Yamaha's mere 150cc R15 and a good bit less than Mahindra's 300cc Mojo. If the engine proves to be refined and reliable in the long run, I can't see how this won't be a seriously popular bike.

Now one thing remains - and if necessary I will get down on my knees and BEG Bajaj to offer it: THIS ENGINE IN A DUAL-SPORT CHASSIS at about the same price. Such a machine would undercut the price of the Himalayan substantially and probably be the product to finally give RE a run for their money and generate some serious sales in the Adventure Touring market. If Bajaj did it right, they could probably make it a lighter weight, more refined, more reliable alternative. Bajaj has proven themselves over the past decade or so to have the ability, the flexibility, the commitment to R&D and the marketing power to push the limits a bit. Why they haven't pushed in this direction yet is beyond my comprehension.

-Eric

[N.r.K]

Originally Posted by ringoism

THIS ENGINE IN A DUAL-SPORT CHASSIS at about the same price
-Eric

Seriously doubt, if KTM does is coming up with an adventure version of the 390. They have positioned the dominar spot on. No cannibalizing the duke 390 sales which has a cult following here! And the adventure version might just take it a notch higher!
The most they might do if the Dominar brand establishes itself, maybe a version with a semi-fairing and milk a bit more from the fairing hungry crowd

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by N.r.K

Seriously doubt, if KTM does is coming up with an adventure version of the 390.

Been hearing rumors of questionable origin about this Adv390 for a couple years but is there actually any confirmable movement in that direction? And more importantly in this context, could KTM do it anywhere near as cheaply as Bajaj have proven themselves able to? I'd bet that Bajaj could sell tens of thousands more at 1.25L than KTM could at, say, 1.8L. That ought to be something for them to think about.

-Eric

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Been hearing rumors of questionable origin about this Adv390 for a couple years but is there actually any confirmable movement in that direction?

Oh yes! It has been spied testing by various sources since December and is expected to unveil at the 2017 EICMA Motorcycle Show.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...adventure.html

[N.r.K]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Been hearing rumors of questionable origin about this Adv390 for a couple years but is there actually any confirmable movement in that direction? And more importantly in this context, could KTM do it anywhere near as cheaply as Bajaj have proven themselves able to? I'd bet that Bajaj could sell tens of thousands more at 1.25L than KTM could at, say, 1.8L. That ought to be something for them to think about.

-Eric

Bajaj had confirmed working on a ktm adventure bike in a recent press release. I guess only bajaj knows what would be more profitable. A pricier KTM with bigger margins or a cheaper bajaj which sells in bigger numbers.
Besides, that way, they can wait for the Austrian engineers to do all the hard work and come up with a desi cheaper version later!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by N.r.K

Besides, that way, they can wait for the Austrian engineers to do all the hard work and come up with a desi cheaper version later!

Looking at the spy pics, the KTM looks like a capable dual sport setup more towards offroad riding. Bajaj can position a Dominar tourer as a more comfortable road biased motorcycle.

Should be a win win situation.

[BeantownThinker]

The more I read about the Dominar, the more I am convinced that this bike is a step-up bike.

What do I mean by it?

I have been off bikes for a good part of the last 12 years. The last time i rode any bike was about 5 years back. Now, I wish to get back to the biking scene with a tourer. But, am a bit sceptical of my ability to handle the bigger bikes and the initial damage leaving a big hole in my pocket. The Dominar slots in perfectly as a good training bike for someone like me who wants to step-up to bigger bikes without leaving too big hole in my pocket. You may say that there are other bikes to consider. Well, the thing about Dominar is that it seems to be have been slotted perfectly power and price-wise.

Now all that is left is for me to go and do a test ride.

[sulivan]

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...sheet-copy.jpg


Compression Ratio along with Bore & Stroke value would have given a complete picture.

[gthang]

Good review of the bike.

Interesting tidbit about the design cues from the Diavel. There seems to be inspiration all over the bike.

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

For highway touring, one could set the suspension to a softer setting:

Overall a great review, just thought I would bring up this point to clear up a "myth".

Highway and hence, higher speeds, would warrant stiffer settings for a more comfortable ride.

Cheers

Ride Safe.

[akki4]

Definitely one of the best reviews of this ride that are available online! Something feels a miss when all the good things are talked about without the negatives! Here you nailed it IronH4wk! Good stuff!

I'm supposed to get my bike this week. I've booked it at the gurgaon dealership and I'll be riding it to Bareilly after using it for about 60-70km in NCR.
My concern is when to change the oil?? I've read its best to change within 100 kms and that too with mineral oil. Is that true?
Need suggestions on this, guys..

Thanks!

[KK_HakunaMatata]

I took a short ride (less than 2 km) of Dominar yesterday at Popular Bajaj, Bannerghatta road and below are my first impressions.

- Dominar has a good linear power delivery. It has enough torque to make you happy at each gear shift.

- I also read that as much as 28 NM of torque is available at 3000 rpm which gives a good mid range boost.

- I didn't feel that the weight of the bike should hinder the city commute. However, if one has to ride it during stop and go traffic (say, Silkboard signal), then it may feel bit heavy to maneuver.

- I tried pillon ride with my wife and infact I also tried pillon for some distance with the showroom guy driving it, me and wife both felt pillion riding is comfortable, but seats are quite hard.

- I would have liked having a bit bigger mirror as I had to make efforts to see though the mirror.

- I felt the clutch to be quite heavy (don't know if this is a characteristic of Bajaj vehicles, as my comparative bike is Unicorn).

When I spoke to the Manager of the issues reported by the owners, he said general issue is that of clunky gear shifts. He has made a WA group of all the owners to know the issues real time and he said members keep discussing in the group. They have delivered 57 bikes and only 2 are Disc break versions.

When asked for a long test ride, show room manager asked me to come on Friday or Saturday in the night after 9 PM so that there would be minimal traffic. They are open till 12 on both these days. Will try again next week.

KK

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by akki4

My concern is when to change the oil?? I've read its best to change within 100 kms and that too with mineral oil. Is that true?
Need suggestions on this, guys..

Thanks!

Stick to the manufacturer recommended interval as mentioned in the user manual, some of us have overdone it believing it will drain out the fine metal shavings which inevitably accumulate in an engine still running in, but honestly, if it was that big a deal, the manufacturer would have recommended a change at 50/100 etc etc kms

Originally Posted by KK_HakunaMatata

- I felt the clutch to be quite heavy (don't know if this is a characteristic of Bajaj vehicles, as my comparative bike is Unicorn).
KK

I think this is the characteristic feel of the clutch in a single big, the clutch is heavy on the duke 390 also. One just has to live with it.