[Sran]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Let me tell you that no lover of motorcycles should ever visit a dealer stockyard. The place was filled to the brim with brand new motorcycles covered in dust, dirt and bird droppings. It was painful to watch.

To be honest, beside it being a good write up I can not but only complain about your few complaints. I just can not wrap up my mind on complaining about someone delivering bike to showroom from stockyard. But everyone choose their fight and how to fight it.

This a very thorough written post and it will help future motorcycle buyers immensely. It also tell us on how to deal with dealers and companies who take prospective buyers for a ride and treat them like nobody.


Note from Support: Please do not quote large posts entirely. Quote only relevant portions. Thanks!

[gururajrv]

Reviews are common. But the way you’ve described it with your strong vocab, it is that damn good!

Dominar 2.0 is pretty harsh with its dual can exhaust vs single which appears to be a bit smoother to me in person.

Well, there’s few things in common when it comes to customer service in India that I’ve observed, where there’s no differences made across company / sectors;

1) Pathetic level of customer service
2) No one really bothers what kind of issues you are going through
3) They are absolutely focused on selling the product by any means minus customer service / experience
4) Customer service reps are not concerned or well informed or not aligned to company’s values
5) Company’s values are mostly to shareholders interest & nothing in favor of customers, really!

Well, there are few points above that are common across service / manufacturing sectors.

I went through the most gruesome experience with ICICI prudential I protect smart when I purchased the policy online. I’ll reserve this to another thread.

But, I can brief a bit as to why company’s these days are limiting test ride kilometer restriction. There are few instances where customer rep was threatened during the test ride and the thief escaped with the bike during the test ride. This is a loss for the company & their personnel is put in harm’s way. Hence, they’re trying to limit the test ride to a certain km radius keeping both these points in mind. Well, this was experienced when me and my friend walked into KTM & Bajaj outlets earlier this year to test ride D390 & Dominar. That’s when dealership personnel revealed this happening to them. Could be something that they’ve made up to give an excuse also, can’t really validate. But, this is indeed demotivating the purchase decision in the minds of prospective buyers. Nothing much can be done apart from dealing with it on a case to case basis with dealership taking the risk and they assessing the customer correctly.

[Romins]

Really appreciate your efforts to write such a detailed review!
Maintenance cost seems to be on the higher side. If you find a good workshop instead of ASC, it should come down a lot.

Is that Ducati Monster 600? My friend had brought his Monster 600 from UK, and it is gathering rust at Cochin Ducati service center for more than a year!!! Don't ask me the reasons, there are plenty.

My experience with test rides were similar to what you described, so walked out of many showrooms. Luckily, found one sensible salesman and the sale happened in four days. My advice to all potential buyers is to take rental motorcycles for a weekend trip and decide on this long term relationship. Each motorcycle is different and some of them will connect like the Toruk in Avatar movie.

Viaterra is about to launch riding pants and suggest you to try riding pants instead of knee guards. Much more comfortable and safe with extra protection for thighs. In case of an accident, sliding with a motorcycle will leave a permanent ugly scar on thighs, as experience taught me.

Viaterra POD bags are generic bags that will fit any motorcycle pillion seats. A very good alternative for Decathlon bag with bungee cords.

[pugram]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

If I wanted a useful and effective commuter, I would buy an Activa with my eyes closed. The Dominar is not the best commuter out there. It simply hates going slow. Speeds below 20 kmph will require first gear, and a whole lot of clutch play..... The motorcycle is in its element only in higher gears and at speeds over 50 kmph.

Amazing write up

It is for exactly these reasons I gave the Dominar a miss though it pulled all sorts of strings in the mind and heart. I had secretly hoped that with the amount of torque available in Dominar, it would have a better drive at low speeds, which was not to be. Maybe that is the limitation of having a single cylinder of bigger capacity.

I felt the Ninja 650 was behaving better at low speeds as compared to Dominar. Did not buy that either, did a test drive on a friends bike.

[dr_davis97]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Apparently, at Royal Enfield, their motorcycles aren’t the only things that are legendary; so is the sub-optimal experience that their customers have to endure (both in sales and service). Online forums are full of people venting on Royal Enfield.

Been there!! I own a Royal Enfield currently and I have decided to upgrade to something more powerful next March. I have experience riding my brother's Kawasaki Z900 quite a bit and I felt I was ready for an upgrade. But my budget is pretty limited and can be stretched to a maximum of 5.5 lakhs. Nevertheless, I decided to take a look at the 650 twins from Royal Enfield. So as a returning customer, I went to the Royal Enfield showroom and was appalled by the experience. Firstly, these fellows were not even minding that someone had walked in, but were having their own share of fun. And then, after getting them to notice me, they act as if they are doing me a favour by showing me the bikes. At this point I was pretty put off. The final nail in the coffin was when he refused to give me a test ride citing that 47 PS of power is something I can't control. I walked out.

Hats off to you sir, for not backing down on what's rightfully ours to demand. Wishing you many more happy miles aboard that beautiful motorcycle.:

[ThePatientMan]

@mohansrides - amazing review. The subtle humor really makes it a very pleasant read. I own a Dominar (2019) which i bought after selling my 6 year old RE Classic 350. There was no test ride available for the new model even then (not even the within showroom compound test ride) but the dealer offered me a test ride in a much used (and abused) previous generation Dominar. However i was kind of in a hurry to change my ride (wouldn't use the word desperate) and therefore took the risk of booking the Dominar after the above mentioned test ride. Requested help from @Maverick5490 as i knew he was a neighbor and rode a Dominar. It was very nice of him to get his Dominar over for me to get a feel of before i booked mine. Have just completed 1000 kms recently and will put up my impressions after the 2nd service.

[Viswam]

WOW!!! Absolutely wonderful review of an absolutely wonderful bike the Dominar. Thank you, @mohansrides for your lucid, pleasant and compelling write-up, which i finished reading in one sitting.

I fully empathise with you on the Bajaj dealership horrors since we experienced the same first hand, just last month when accompanying my friend whom i motivated to consider Dominar.

It is unbelievable, but true, the Bajaj Dealer whom we visited in Chennai offerred a test bike only if we booked the bike. Can you believe it? No doubt we made a hasty retreat to another dealer, who was a little more forthcoming, where the gleaming Metallic Green (Bajaj calls it Aurora Green) Dominar 2.0 easily sold itself!! Not a single day has passed ever since, without my friend telling me about one virtue of Dominar or the other.

With such a great product, i wonder when will Bajaj wake up and realise that bulk of the reason for the sub-par sale volumes could be attributable to the pathetic customer experience at the dealerships. If there is pro-active change at the dealer level, may be, Dominar will reach its legitimate heights.

[jd10ent]

Extremely eloquent review. Completely agree with everything you say about the Dominar and its capabilities. Have been an owner myself for 2 years now with 28k kms clocked and it's an amazing VFM product being let down by its poor sales experience and even worse after-sales service. Even though my bike is still under warranty have been getting it serviced at an FNG vs. authorized service station. I'm Pune based, home of Bajaj, still availability of parts is an issue. But all said and done, once i'm on the open highway riding, i can't control the smile on my face.

[DriverWanderer]

What an amazing review from a personal viewpoint.
I was half expecting a small review with some personal insights, but the review had me absorbed!

I especially loved the part where you have put the total cost of ownership. Thank you for sharing your experience!

[New2Carz]

Excellent review - rated the 5 it deserves.
I too own a D400 for two years now. It is an absolute joy every time I get on to it. My BIL recently got a Jawa and I ride it extensively as well. Every time I ride the Jawa, I cherish the D400 a bit more. This is to take nothing away from the Jawa, which offers a pretty smooth drive in the city. But the D400 is something else.

[Sheel]

Brilliant ride report, I think, it is a totally to the point, unbiased review. There are few aspects, which, you can know of a ride / drive post having it for some time, this review just highlights it.

And one never stops learning new thing, I never knew, there is a visor sleeve available in market, as I am someone who has to have clear and dark visor in my back-pack, and visors are expensive, so, thanks to your exhaustive coverage of all aspects, I will order one when it is in stock.

Thanks for this awesome review, please keep updating on a frequent basis and wish you happy and safe miles.

[mohansrides]

I wanted to wait a while before I started responding in this thread. So, here goes.

Originally Posted by GTO

What a review, man . Your bike is going straight to our homepage.

Thank you.

To repeat my earlier request, it would be good if Team BHP officially sends word to Bajaj of sales practices prevalent in their showrooms. I say this because it is quite apparent from this thread that many people besides me have gone through, and are still going through, the same ordeals that I suffered.

Originally Posted by CarManMotorcycl

If i was suggesting the Dominar to someone i would tell them to read this belter of a review! My brother also owns a Dominar in white and has been having a great time with it. I feel if the Dominar had 'retro' clothing instead of the 'modern' one it wear it would've sold a decent amount

Thank you.

You could be right. Retro seems to be all the rage now. RE is laughing all the way to the bank; Triumph is doing healthy numbers; and even other manufacturers are getting on the retro gravy train.

But, on the flip side, if the Dominar had gone retro it would have been just another RE wannabe, which would have been sad. Because barring the debacle in product positioning, courtesy of that God-awful marketing campaign from Bajaj, I think that this bike enjoys a unique identity based on its own special capabilities. It's another thing that Bajaj woke up very late to recognize those capabilities and then started a campaign aligned with those themes.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Amazing review, many thanks!

Several of my biker friends who used to tour on Enfield are no longer fans of classic bikes for touring. Dominar has questioned their choice in just one ride, made them think if all that sacrifice in the name of classic motorcycling was worth it.

It is now Bajaj's choice to make the best of this market situation, your current dealerships aren't equipped to handle a customer that needs a sports tourer, I think that much is obvious now. Maybe Bajaj wants to sell it's Kawasaki and KTMs more than Dominar, who knows.

Thank you.

FYI, Kawasaki is no more with Bajaj. That divorce happened a while ago. But yes, I'd imagine that Bajaj would not want to do anything to cannibalize their KTM line-up. But, with due respect, I think that Bajaj pulled off an admirable differentiation between the KTM 390 and the Dominar.

Originally Posted by KPR

Excellent review! 5 stars obviously.. I've installed a Via Terra seaty .. Try it out in local store for dominar as it can save your storage woes. Just a recommendation on a good product and I'm not advertising the brand here.

Thank you.

I did think about the Viaterra Seaty; but, decided that it didn't fit my requirements. Based on your suggestion, I will revisit my decision now.

Originally Posted by am1m

Wow, what an awesome real-user/world review! Thanks!

Thank you.

Originally Posted by am1m

Pity that Bajaj dealerships make it hard for customers to test ride and get delivery the way they want to. I mean a 2L bike and a 500m test ride?! Absolutely unacceptable! (And just because superbike dealerships don't even offer test rides for 10L machines doesn't excuse this pathetically bad practice!)

Hope the sales numbers make Bajaj re-think the bad, potential-buyer unfriendly policies of their dealerships.

Originally Posted by Viswam

..I fully empathise with you on the Bajaj dealership horrors since we experienced the same first hand, just last month when accompanying my friend whom i motivated to consider Dominar...

Yes, it is painful to watch a storied company like Bajaj shooting themselves in the foot. Certainly, the brand, and this particular motorcycle, deserves better.

Originally Posted by Axe77

Fantastic review (although I've only managed a speed read - this is hard core weekend material). :-)

Thank you.

I am still waiting for your word after a full read. A bunch of people I know are interested in your observations; especially since you came through a bunch of bikes. By the way, I hope you noticed that the video is from the ADV outing with you and the GS guys.

Originally Posted by catchjyoti

Fantastic review. Rated a well-deserved five stars! The details to which you went and your word-play are both much appreciated

I would request you to also give the Amazon (or other) links for the gear like reflective vest and first aid kit. Would be very helpful for people like me who would like to buy them.

Thank you.

Here you go - Reflective vest; First Aid kit.

Originally Posted by RajeevSharma

Amazing review of a bike which feels better through your review than in person. I almost feel like getting up and heading straight to Bajaj to order one for myself.

Your attention to rider safety is clap worthy something that all of us can learn from. I have friends who think they ride safe but that is is farthest thing from truth after looking at your safety guard. I am now going to lecture them on armour that they may not know that I know exist thanks to your review post.

And your passion for your bike is inspirational even for people who consider them enthusiast let alone someone like me who is ammeter in this department. I wish you many more safe rides on your " Buland Bharat ki buland tasveer -Humara Bajaj"!

Thank you.

Yes, I take safety very seriously. Just FYI, we lost a rider in Mumbai recently who was riding a Busa. He was only 26. I can't confirm it; but, I heard that he was wearing a Steelbird helmet. When I heard the news, the first thought that came to my mind was - "..but, why?!!" A 20 lac bike, but a 2000 rupee helmet? This is not to say that expensive = better. But, there has to be some parity in thinking.

No offense to Steelbird or Studds or any other Indian brand. I love Indian brands; both my car and motorcycle come squarely from Indian brands. But, when it comes to riding gear, I feel that imported brands may be better because their gear is made to function in circumstances involving speeds much higher than in India.

Originally Posted by Sran

To be honest, beside it being a good write up I can not but only complain about your few complaints. I just can not wrap up my mind on complaining about someone delivering bike to showroom from stockyard. But everyone choose their fight and how to fight it.

Maybe I was not being clear enough. At the point in time when the bike was being transported by a rider to the dealership, it was already registered to me and insurance had been activated. The distance to the dealership was 15 km in heavy, undisciplined traffic. In some other cases, the sales guy tells me that the distance to dealership can be as much as 50 kms. With this in mind, let us think about some use cases here -

What would have happened if the rider had gotten into a wreck? Will Bajaj compensate me for losing my bike even before I got delivery? Will insurance compensate me when they find out that I was not the one riding the motorcycle? Would I be liable for any injuries to the rider because the bike was technically mine at the time of the mishap?

So many questions. It may be that, in this country, we choose to be casual about many aspects regarding procedure and safety. But, that doesn't make it OK.

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Reviews are common. But the way you’ve described it with your strong vocab, it is that damn good!

Dominar 2.0 is pretty harsh with its dual can exhaust vs single which appears to be a bit smoother to me in person.

Thank you. Your assessment of the new Dominar is interesting to me. Maybe if I ride one, I will be able to come away with some observations of my own.

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Well, there’s few things in common when it comes to customer service in India that I’ve observed, where there’s no differences made across company / sectors;...

I have to agree with you in general. We are cursed with bad customer service in this country.

Originally Posted by gururajrv

But, I can brief a bit as to why company’s these days are limiting test ride kilometer restriction....

By this logic, anyone can manufacture a really crappy product and pass it on to customers with no checks at all. After all, once a sale is complete, no one can ask for their money back easily.

Originally Posted by Romins

Really appreciate your efforts to write such a detailed review!
Maintenance cost seems to be on the higher side. If you find a good workshop instead of ASC, it should come down a lot.

Thank you. I will.

Originally Posted by Romins

Is that Ducati Monster 600?

No, that is a 750.

Originally Posted by Romins

My advice to all potential buyers is to take rental motorcycles for a weekend trip and decide on this long term relationship. Each motorcycle is different and some of them will connect like the Toruk in Avatar movie.

Not all bikes are available as rentals. The Dominar certainly isn't the last time I checked.

Originally Posted by Romins

..Viaterra is about to launch riding pants and suggest you to try riding pants instead of knee guards. Much more comfortable and safe with extra protection for thighs. In case of an accident, sliding with a motorcycle will leave a permanent ugly scar on thighs, as experience taught me.

I agree that Viaterra products have top notch fit and finish. But, for protection, I would still go with imported brands.

Originally Posted by Romins

..Viaterra POD bags are generic bags that will fit any motorcycle pillion seats. A very good alternative for Decathlon bag with bungee cords.

Thank you. I hadn't considered them because pod bags typically involve a lot of effort to access their contents. But, I will think about it again.

Originally Posted by pugram

Amazing write up

Thank you.

Originally Posted by dr_davis97

Been there!! I own a Royal Enfield currently and I have decided to upgrade to something more powerful next March. I have experience riding my brother's Kawasaki Z900 quite a bit and I felt I was ready for an upgrade......as a returning customer, I went to the Royal Enfield showroom and was appalled by the experience.

Hats off to you sir, for not backing down on what's rightfully ours to demand. Wishing you many more happy miles aboard that beautiful motorcycle.:

The Z900 is a lovely motorcycle. I TRed it and came away feeling that the ergonomics were a bit too aggressive for me. Also, it is just a wee bit overpriced for what it offers. If it was around 8 lacs on road, it would be perfect.

Your experience with RE is exactly aligned to mine. Arrogance seems par for the course there. The RE guys hemmed and hawed at first. But, to their credit, they finally gave me very long test rides; especially, with the Himalayan 2.0. I rode that thing for 20 kms. The bike was brand new; and yet, it had a broken fuel indicator and a console that sounded like coin change on my car's dashboard. Plus, my thighs were roasted crisp. Case closed. For the life of me, I can't figure out how they are generating that much heat with a 9.5 compression ratio.

Originally Posted by ThePatientMan

@mohansrides - amazing review. The subtle humor really makes it a very pleasant read.... Requested help from @Maverick5490 as i knew he was a neighbor and rode a Dominar. It was very nice of him to get his Dominar over for me to get a feel of before i booked mine. Have just completed 1000 kms recently and will put up my impressions after the 2nd service.

Thank you.

And yes, I know about your purchase. Maverick5490 is a nice guy that way. He had actually to join you guys for your delivery. But, I was travelling that day and could not do so. Congratulations on your purchase. Hope you are enjoying it.

Originally Posted by Viswam

WOW!!! Absolutely wonderful review of an absolutely wonderful bike the Dominar. Thank you, @mohansrides for your lucid, pleasant and compelling write-up, which i finished reading in one sitting.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by jd10ent

Extremely eloquent review. Completely agree with everything you say about the Dominar and its capabilities. Have been an owner myself for 2 years now with 28k kms clocked and it's an amazing VFM product being let down by its poor sales experience and even worse after-sales service. Even though my bike is still under warranty have been getting it serviced at an FNG vs. authorized service station. I'm Pune based, home of Bajaj, still availability of parts is an issue. But all said and done, once i'm on the open highway riding, i can't control the smile on my face.

Thank you. This motorcycle is absolutely fabulous. Glad that you are enjoying yours.

Originally Posted by DriverWanderer

What an amazing review from a personal viewpoint.
I was half expecting a small review with some personal insights, but the review had me absorbed!

I especially loved the part where you have put the total cost of ownership. Thank you for sharing your experience!

Thank you. And you're welcome.

Originally Posted by New2Carz

Excellent review - rated the 5 it deserves.
I too own a D400 for two years now. It is an absolute joy every time I get on to it. My BIL recently got a Jawa and I ride it extensively as well. Every time I ride the Jawa, I cherish the D400 a bit more. This is to take nothing away from the Jawa, which offers a pretty smooth drive in the city. But the D400 is something else.

What a coincidence; a close friend of mine just got his Java. Haven't ridden it yet. But, I am not a retro fan. So, I don't expect to be bowled over by that machine. That said, I do hope that Mahindra succeeds with that vehicle. We desperately need some healthy motorcycle companies in this country.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Brilliant ride report, I think, it is a totally to the point, unbiased review. There are few aspects, which, you can know of a ride / drive post having it for some time, this review just highlights it.

And one never stops learning new thing, I never knew, there is a visor sleeve available in market, as I am someone who has to have clear and dark visor in my back-pack, and visors are expensive, so, thanks to your exhaustive coverage of all aspects, I will order one when it is in stock.

Thanks for this awesome review, please keep updating on a frequent basis and wish you happy and safe miles.

Aside from GTO, you are the first senior BHPian to have read this report in full. Thank you for that. I have read your ride reports else where in this forum and have always admired your experiences. Yes, I will update this thread as I see fit.

By the way, during my recent conversation with Viaterra, they told me that they were discontinuing the visor sleeves as there was not enough demand. It's a shame really. People do not know the utility of these items because as you rightly pointed out, visors are super expensive.

[Red Liner]

Very well written review. I remember you got cold feet before buying the bike and you wanted to sell your gear. Good that you followed through.

I feel the same about Indian gear as well. We still have some way to go to catch up.

The dominar is a great multi purpose bike at an accessible price. Well researched by the look of your posts.

Its "jawa". I guess auto correct at its finest.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Aside from GTO, you are the first senior BHPian to have read this report in full. Thank you for that. I have read your ride reports else where in this forum and have always admired your experiences. Yes, I will update this thread as I see fit.

Apart from GTO, I maybe one of the senior BHPians to have responded to it [edit - D BHPian Red Liner has read it as well] many may have read, including guests, but, few couldn't / didn't respond. In future, many will read it and a small percentage may revert, but, you can't believe how much is it going to help a lot of prospective people.

I recall [post a long chat] with someone about my thread of my 4WD Scorpio to which he quipped, are you that Sheel, one of the reasons I got mine 4WD after reading your review. So, it sure helps, believe me and experiences shared like this [in my books] is, like a thanksgiving to this amazing community [where you too gain a lot by threads / posts of others], plus, your thread stays, always, which is a bonus. A win-win if you ask me.

Originally Posted by mohansrides

By the way, during my recent conversation with Viaterra, they told me that they were discontinuing the visor sleeves as there was not enough demand. It's a shame really. People do not know the utility of these items because as you rightly pointed out, visors are super expensive.

That is real bad, I will try to search for it in some other place of some other brand, but, thanks to you, I knew of this after 2+ decades of riding actively.

I have registered a request, I hope the product is put up for sale again. Else, I will will have to keep using a small towel etc or will have to scour at some International websites.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Aside from GTO, you are the first senior BHPian to have read this report in full.

Not everyone who has read it has something to comment on.

Aside from all the weighty stuff you commented on, one minor item struck a chord with me. In fact one of my pet peeves - properly thought out storage space for bike papers.

Regards
Sutripta