[Neeraj1903]

This is my first ownership experience on TeamBHP. I will try to keep it as short as possible as there is already a fantastic Official Review and a wonderful ownership experience by fellow BHPian Shekhar2509.

Prelude: Back in 2013, I learnt to ride a 2 wheeler on the first generation Activa. It was and still is very refined and butter smooth engine. However, the craving for more power and better suspension was always there. Also, another scooter was needed for family so dad bought Activa125 in October 2014. It became my daily ride. I was 17 then and hence did not even try riding a bike then. After I became 18, the first thing I did was to learn a 4 wheeler and issue a driving licence for the same. Passed the much difficult Pune RTO driving test with flying colours. Also applied for licence for a bike.

Interest in bikes: I was so engrossed in driving i20 and Ritz that I never thought I would need a bike. Then 2 of my close friends bought bikes. One bought a RE TB350 and another Duke200. After riding these machines, my interest in bikes increased exponentially. However, I didn’t want a bike till I was 20.

The hunt begins When I was nearing my 20th birthday I started searching for bikes which would suit me. I love relaxed machines which can also go fast when needed. The contestants were:
1.Duke200: I still love this bike. Period. But no ABS for the power it has was a turn off for me.
2. RE Thunderbird350/500 Though a great bike, somehow I do not like riding RE Bikes. No offence to owners, they are the most comfortable to ride bikes. It was the bike on which I learnt to ride a bike. Loads of torque was drool worthy. But i loved Duke200 more than this for power, refinement and build quality. Also, i wasn’t comfortable with TB’s brakes and lack of ABS.
3.Bajaj Pulsar RS200: Was sold on this bike for it’s looks and features, most importantly, ABS. This is cousin of Duke200. However, fate had some other plans for me. When i went to test ride RS200, I saw the Dominar there and liked it instantly. It had more power, torque, riding position was spot on. For looks though, i still love RS200 more.
I found myself taking test ride of it and completely ignoring RS200. For ₹20000 more, it was offering me Dual Channel ABS, bigger engine, fatter tyres, Best in class and first in class LED headlamps. Even my dad had a test ride and felt it was better to get this than the RS.

Booking ExperienceBooking amount of ₹1000 was paid and bike was booked. MY SA was Mr. Deepak.
Sai Service Bajaj was the one who was selling me this bike. Estimated time for delivery was 10 days. Exactly after 10 days, my bike was delivered to me.
Buying experience was quite smooth. No discount was offered as the bike was launched just 3 months earlier. The ABS version of this bike costed ₹178000 OTR in Pune.
I wanted the blue colour because red was too mature colour for the bike(IMO) and my age and white would be a common sight.
Must mention that my sales assistant was quite knowledgable and answered all my queries satisfactorily.
Bike was booked on 7th March and delivered on 16th March, just 3 days before my 20th. Did the PDI on 15th March. Told SA to get those plastic coverings on crash guard removed. I hate plastic wrapped things in vehicles which most of the Indians keep for the lifetime of the car.

The D Day The bike was ready to be delivered on 15th March but parents! Especially mom wanted to take delivery on 16th March which was some auspicious day.
The delivery was a standard affair and nothing over the top.
The only thing I hated was they gave me a big replica of Pulsar key for photograph. I love Pulsars especially the 200 twins but they are not the bikes I am buying. Moreover flagship bikes should be treated with a little bit more respect.
Bought sweets for SA and his team while going to the showroom. Small Pooja was performed in the premises of showroom and Long Claw was ready to go home.

What I like:
1. Road presence.
2. Exhaust Note.It’s bass and throaty.
3. Build Quality. It’s the best built Bajaj Bike.
4. Torque,loads of it.
5. Heat management. Bajaj has done a wonderful job.
6. Engine refinement. I wouldn’t have said this if I was writing it before completing 2000kms. After approximately 2000 kms and 3 ECU updates,the engine harshness was considerably reduced.
7. LED headlamps.
8. Brakes.
9. Handling and ride quality. It strikes a great balance between both. Cornering is easy on this bike despite of longer wheelbase.
10. Slipper Clutch

Things I don’t like or could have been better:
1. Front. Except for those Headlights there is nothing that makes the bike stand out. However side profile of this bike is quite good.
2. Bigger Fuel tank.
3. Gear Position indicator. Seriously Bajaj? One can live without DTE and instant FE but Gear Position Indicator should not be missed on such a well equipped bike.
4. Factory fitted hazard lamps would have been a good addition for a power cruiser.
5. Unavailability of spare parts instantly. Takes at least 1 week for any part.
6. Fuel cut off at 9500rpm when the bike is not showing any sign of losing breath.


Overall Experience:
The only time when you feel the weight of this bike is when you have to push it with your lower body.Once the engine is running, you will not feel the weight of this bike. Ergonomics of this bike are spot on. Especially the rear brake lever. It falls in line with your toe and you do not have to raise your toe for applying brakes like in many other bikes. I found this brake position way more comfortable than any other bike I have ridden. The seat is slightly on firmer side but is very supportive. Rear seat has adequate width to accommodate a pillion. However, sudden acceleration with a pillion is strictly a no because the bike surges ahead and pillion has no backrest.

Turn on the engine and you are greeted by a silent but throaty exhaust note. A bit louder exhaust Note at low rpms would have been appreciated. However, with increase in RPM the exhaust Note becomes sweeter and sounds like a beast post 7000rpm. Fuel is cut off by ECU at 9500rpm though the bike feels eager to accelerate before fuel is cut off. Maybe this is one of the reason for Heat management but I'd like if the engine goes upto at least 11000 like Pulsars and increase top end performance.

Put the bike in motion and you will enjoy the torque. In city conditions, there is hardly any need to go beyond 4000rpm. This bike has a versatile nature. While in city it feels as if it is a commuter bike and when on highway it is just a different beast. There were some engine vibes post 4.5k rpm but they have reduced after a while and are now almost 0. The low end and mid range of this bike is quite an experience. Also,You can do speed of 60 in any gear from 2nd to 6th. The acceleration is quite linear but at full throttle it is 75% as frantic as it’s Austrian cousin. The 35PS-35NM combo is more than adequate to carry the weight of this bike, rider,pillion and touring luggage if any. The KTM derived engine is quite relaxed and refined.
The gear shift is precise and sure slotting however a bit clunky. This won’t be a deal breaker.

Haven’t gone beyond 120 much because of condition of highways but the bike feels planted and has great straight line ability. The way it tackles corner makes me wonder how in the hell it can do such cornering with that 43degree rake. As always, Bajaj has nailed it in handling department. Ride quality is compliant. Slowing down for medium to large potholes is necessary for avoiding back pain and prevent alloys from bending. Setting rear mono shock at softer level might be good for damping but will take toll on handling. The 43 mm front fork does a great job. The inverted forks of the Concept CS400 are not missed here, they are that good.

Brakes: Braking department handled by 320mm disc at the front and 230mm at the rear is top notch. ABS is cherry on the cake. These brakes by ByBre felt better than that on Duke 390 especially rear brake. The rear brake lacks bite of the front brake but it is hardly needed for city riding. The front brake has some serious bite and the bike comes to hault in a reasonably good time. Rear brake is progressive. ABS at both the ends is not too intrusive. It does it's job perfectly.

Tyres:The MRF Revz FC and FC1 at front and rear respectively are above average. They may not be as grippy as the Metzelers but do their job quite well. The tyre width,according to me,is well chosen. Wet grip is nice too. May change to Pirelli or Michelin after these tyres reach the end of their lives.
Filled nitrogen in tyres and maintain 28psi in the front and 32 psi in the rear.

Illumination: The 10 LED headlamp set up is quite bright. Though this bike has DRLs I make sure that I have low beam on instead even during daytime as the DRLs are too bright. The DRL basically are high beam lights. Illumination on dark roads is never ever a problem. This set up can put bikes from a class above or higher to shame.
The infinity rear tail lamps look OK IMHO. Would have loved a different design for the rear as it seems similar to Pulsar 135,150,180,220,NS/AS200 to an average joe.

Safety Features:Side stand check is an awesome function. The bike will start only in neutral if side stand is not put back in its place and engine will be turned off if slotted into other gear. The bike starts for the first time ignition is turned on even when in gear but engine stops after 2 seconds. After this first ignition, bike wont start when in gear.
Dual Channel ABS is cherry on the cake. The cake is those 320mm front and 230mm rear brakes.
Engine is killed if the bike falls and this shall reduce damage.
Slipper clutch matches the revvs and rear wheel lock up is avoided.


Other features:Digital Instrument Cluster has a good visibility under harsh sunlight too. It has got all basic information displayed other than the much necessary gear shift indicator. The tachometer is marked upto 13000 though you can’t take bike beyond 9500.
Indicators are slim but bright and do their job. I like the shape of them.
Overall fit and finish of this bike is step up for Bajaj and is at par with its Austrian cousins. The cables near front wheel could have been tucked in a proper way though.


First Servicing First servicing was done after completion of 600kms. I opted for Teflon coating during this servicing. The servicing experience was nothing worthy to mention about. It was satisfactory.
Though the bike has been niggle free till date, had to go to Service centre twice for ECU updates. These were to rectify the slight amount of throttle lag while accelerating in 3rd gear.
The first servicing costed ₹700 including labour charges and teflon coating.

Second Servicing: The left rear foot peg of my bike has gone kaput. Needed to replace this during the second servicing but sadly part was unavailable. Other than that it was normal servicing.
The bike is feeling more refined and smooth after second servicing.
This servicing costed ₹300. Though many people compain about Bajaj after sales service, my overall experience though short has been a nice one.

First highway ride: Finally, after exams were done, took my bike on highway. Went to Bhor with two friends who have Duke200 and Benelli TNT25.
The road was a mixture of some twisties, bad patches and Good roads. NH4's section near Pune is under some repair work and hence there are some diversions where the road quality is bad. Hence, i had the chance to test my bike in all conditions.
On straight and smooth roads, the bike was stable. Wind blast was the only reason i could feel what speeds I am doing. Speed masking is excellent. This bike is a hoot to ride. I can only imagine how much it would be if Bajaj launched this with Duke390 specs engine i.e. 44hp power and 37Nm torque.
Cornering is enjoyable too. Had some doubts regarding this owing to the long wheelbase but I was proved wrong. Corners are a delight.
Bad roads were tackled by the suspension with brilliance. Though stiff, it was compliant enough to not have a bone jarring ride.
Missed gear position indicator twice or thrice in this ride.
After a 150 kms ride, there was no fatigue at all. I am in love with this machine!



Have completed 4500 kms till date and now will be looking for some modifications. First on mind is getting flashers and a rear tyre hugger.

Uploading a few pictures of Long Claw. One of them is with a friend’s ER6n which was clicked after a short highway ride.
PS: Anyone who has watched Game of Thrones would know about long claw.

[TheARUN]

Congratulations, the Dominar is one of the best bikes you can buy in the country today and that would mean congratulating you again on a good choice of wheels

I've been following news on the Dominar, mainly on YouTube channels and there are plenty of positives that riders have come up with. The mileage claims seem to hover around the 28-32 mark on most of the reviews. I think the Dominar has hit the sweet spot as far as touring capabilities go. Its heavy, its very fast and its made with Indian road conditions kept in mind. Suffice to say, a 10 lakhs bike may be 5 times costlier than a Dominar, but not 5 times better. The Dominar offers so much value at a very reasonable price. Don't know if Bajaj is making any profit on this bike since there is so much they are offering under 2 lakhs of rupees

Wish you many safe miles and happy that the positives you have listed are 10 but the negatives are 4. That says a lot about how satisfied you are with your purchase. Please keep updating this thread, will be looking forward to them

[Neeraj1903]

Yes sir, thank you and I will keep this post updated It has great touring capability but I wish Bajaj had given a 17 litre tank at least. As far as mileage is concerned, I am getting close to 30 in city and 32 on occasional highway rides.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle Section. Thanks for sharing!