[nutcracker]

Another thing I was wondering:

If I do for the Dominar, say after riding it for 3-4 months and I have better skill and control over it, does it get easier for harsh city conditions like I mentioned above? Is it "manageable" or does it get overbearing?

My riding conditions are varied:
1. Urban city riding
2. A little bit of highway cruising everyday to get to my workplaces etc.
3. Single lane roads where one side there's slow moving tempo traffic and a bullock cart coming from the other side. I make a lot of trips to Old Delhi because of work. I hope you can visualise the riding conditions I'm talking about.

With the Dominar, I know No. 1 and 2 are sorted. What about No. 3? I know the bike can surely manage it, but is it overbearing, or does it get much easier with time?

Originally Posted by navpreet318

Going by your requirements you could search for dealers with BS4 inventory leftover. There are a number of dealers with good BS4 leftover inventory which is pre-registered.

I enquired about BS4 to every dealership I went, they say that it is not allowed to sell BS4 bikes now. Or..

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[navpreet318]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

I enquired about BS4 to every dealership I went, they say that it is not allowed to sell BS4 bikes now. Or

They cannot sell you new BS4 bikes. Some dealers have a few registered bikes. In their own name. Those are second hand bikes with zero kms. Those are available at some dealers. Maybe NCR dealers don't have those bikes. Try dealers from some other states like chandigarh etc. Or maybe UP or Punjab.

[rajshenoy]

What I can understand is you have zeroed in on Dominar400 but have concerns on its fuel economy figures. Not sure if you should be worried about the tank range as you are(not yet) into long distance touring.

D400 is a good choice and has very good pillion comfort too.

Other options can be

Gixxer250, FZ25, RE Himalayan(if you are into off roading)

I also want to point you to - Suartpilen250. Looks nothing like what we have on our roads with its scrambler looks. being 250cc, might be light on your pocket as well.

[MOUNTAINMAN]

KTM 390 ADV:
I would highly recommend KTM 390 Adv.
It can do all the things that you want and yet do more things, and as your motorcycling capabilities grows, you would discover that it has got more things to offer with its capabilities.
This bike is engaging and you will want to keep it for longer.
Unless you are 5’8”or below, and you would want to ride more around a busy town, then you should keep in mind trying out a busy street, stop-go traffic to check your comfort.

INTERCEPTOR:
This would be the second choice, it would do all the things you want with style but you might be looking for something more as your motorcycling grows.

DOMINAR:
No doubt its a good bike and it can do all the things that you want, but i feel the other two are way better at doing it in style and fun.
With this bike you will soon grow out looking for something bigger and more fun.
This I would suggest only if you are constraint on budget.

Having ridden the Honda's XL185 & XR250 off the road, I am in love with dirt and adventure bikes. Unfortunately in India anything similar to these bikes costs over 8 Lacs and may not be road worthy.
KTM 390 Adv is the closest you get in budget and I highly recommend you MUST take a longer test ride of 390 Adv, probably from a friend if not from showroom, and go on different terrains before you decide on anything.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

So, after spending enormous amounts of time researching and educating myself on Team-BHP, Youtube, I zeroed in on the Dominar 400. It has the safety features. It has a big engine, means it can do touring if need be. It is made in India (a bonus). It has wide service network. I can do city traffic riding plus touring on it. I did test ride a friend's dominar. It wasnt the BS6 version, I felt the handle bars were a little lower height than I would have liked. I am 5'10". But still, I loved the bike, it was good, and coming from a 97cc bike, the Dominar didnt overwhelm me. I felt I could totally control it. (some people said dont go for Dominar because it will be too fast for me). Maybe it's because I drive faster than your average Shankaran Pillai.

KTM Adv 390 - Light, powerful, and carefree. Vs close to 4 lakhs
Himalayan BS6 - Low maintenance, supremely comfy and decent power Vs slightly weaker brakes and overall quality look and feel

Do test ride these two also, nothing wrong in Dominar but the above two are the two allrounders that we have in the market and fits within your bill.

[NitinDev]

Originally Posted by MOUNTAINMAN

DOMINAR:

With this bike you will soon grow out looking for something bigger and more fun.

Exactly what I felt after extensive touring on my D400. Sold it off. Eyeing on INT650 or something bigger.

[iamgyan]

Hmm..looking at your budget, I'm wondering why don't you look at buying 2 vehicles which would better cover your range of requirements.

Basically Dominar/Himalayan (touring, rides with gf, days when old delhi trips are not planned - atleast initially) + get an aprillia 160/tvs N-torq or xpulse if and when it's available again (when getting down and dirty in old delhi)

However, if you're getting only 1 vehicle, I'd suggest the 390adv purely since that's the fastest AND safest option that covers all your requirements - pillion & rider comfort, power, Switchable ABS (plus CORNERING ABS!), service availability, nimble and most importantly - upright riding posture.

PS: I'm in the same dilemma of choosing a bike under 4 lakh (sold my Benelli TNT300 last December) and after a lot of back and forth over last 6 months between int650 and 390adv and one off used N650s, might go for 390adv finally (hoping i get over the not so great low end torque).
Unless ofcourse, a certain cb500x shows up 😁

[darkLightning]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

I can say now that my awareness of when to use the front/rear brakes and other similar things has increased. My accident happened because I had initially applied the front brakes instead of the rear.

This is a big red flag for me buddy. Let me tell you the reason why it is so.
I learned riding on My Splendor+ which is quite similar to your HF Deluxe especially when it comes to braking with both bikes having no ABS and drum brakes. I have also ridden bikes with far more power than Splendor and the most striking change was always in braking.
Power delivery is something that unless you have bought a hooligan you will always be able to learn how to control. It's the braking especially hard braking which is of concern because no matter how much you ride you only learn your bike's braking system when you have to use it
You are moving from 100 cc to lets say a 400 cc machine, you can get hang of power delivery in some time even the gearing pattern also if it has changed you can get hang of it however when you are going to apply hard brake (and you will sooner or later) then your muscle memory of HF deluxe braking is bound to take over and true difference in dynamics of both bikes will become apparent to you. The weight distribution plays a key role in braking behavior, HF deluxe is one extremely well aligned bike when it comes to weight distribution whereas a bike like Dominar is front heavy.

All such factors will come into play and no matter how many miles you have clocked on HF deluxe the new bike will be a totally new learning experience for you. Since you have loads of experience with cars let me say it will be as similar as moving from an Alto to a Pajero Sports.

What I would suggest here is don't make such a big jump so soon, get something middle tier like Yamaha R15/ Pulsar, it doesn't sound much of an upgrade in terms of cc (although other specs are far higher) but considering your interests are mostly sports touring machines R15 will serve as a good stepping stone for you and off course when let's say in a year or two you make jump to say Dominar it will feel an upgrade without any intimidating factor.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Is it even on sale? Haven't heard of any BS6 version announcements yet.

To be honest even I am not 100% sure. Some online sources say it is launched already with 2.41 lakh ex showroom price tag, Some say it will be launched next year as locally manufactured, Some say Honda was going to launch it in Feb. Even honda website has removed it's non BS6 bikes but CB300R is still listed there although without a price. I checked once with a dealer for both BS4 and BS6 model during BS4 extension phase and he said he will call me for test drive as he was not having the bike at that time, I am yet to hear back from him.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

. I can say now that my awareness of when to use the front/rear brakes and other similar things has increased. My accident happened because I had initially applied the front brakes instead of the rear. Now I just need a machine that will support me to my best abilities.

?

Well, with that being said, my humble advise will be to ride some more time, may be 6 months to an year, with the dawn and then graduate to something powerful.

Affordability is one thing, experience is another. No sin in riding a slow bike in order to gain the much needed experience over various traffic/panic situations.

70% of dawn's limits is 35% of a 400cc bike's.

[nutcracker]

Update
The Bajaj dealership called me to tell me that the Dominar is available and can be picked up today. I refused. They have a small deposit amount of mine.
So I just test rode the KTM 390 Adv and oh my God this is such a nice bike to ride. Powerful and it really invokes confidence. Much, much better than the Dominar.

I am leaning towards the KTM 390 Adv now. Sure, its expensive, but I think it will enable me to up my skills and will be a stable machine for the 3-4 years (minimum) that I play to own it for.

PS: Im still gonna be keeping my Dawn. Will use that for flip-flop short pant riding of 2-3 km distances.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

Update


I am leaning towards the KTM 390 Adv now. Sure, its expensive, but I think it will enable me to up my skills and will be a stable machine for the 3-4 years (minimum) that I play to own it for.

PS: Im still gonna be keeping my Dawn. Will use that for flip-flop short pant riding of 2-3 km distances.

Good. You finally made the right decision after cutting through all the clutter, at least from the perspective of those of us who don't know you. Keeping the dawn for market runs is sensible.

Once you up your riding skills on road and offroad, these are just some of the places the KTM 390 Adventure can take you. I hope this image serves as good mid week motivation

[Maverick5490]

Considering your usage pattern and learning curve, the Dominar will suit you well. It is a very forgiving and easy to use bike and can do most of the tasks at hand. I Have been using one for more than 2 and half years, and still loving it!

[nutcracker]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Attachment 2020415

Originally Posted by Jaggu

KTM Adv 390 - Light, powerful, and carefree. Vs close to 4 lakhs

@Red Liner and @Jaggu
I've been reading up the 390 Adventure thread extensively and saw this amazing picture there! Thanks! Also, both of your posts on that thread are very informative. I feel very lucky to have experienced enthusiasts like yourself advising me. Thank you again!

@PrasanaDharna and @Dark Lightning
I am keeping my HF Dawn (even though I have received multiple offers to buy it). So if buy the 390 Adv I have two bikes with me now, 100cc and a 370cc. That I think is a good mixture. Will use the 100cc for short 2-3 km trips and the 390 Adv for longer trips.

So today at the KTM showroom, they have 2 390Adv machines, one white and one orange. The white one has 12km on the odo, and the orange one has 22km on the odo. I'm leaning towards the orange but dont you think that 22km for a new bike is a bit much? The salesman also told me that he doesn't know when the new stock will come in as supply chains are hurt due to the virus.

Also, I noticed that most companies offer 5 year warranty on parts, but KTM is offering 30,000km/2 year warranty. This took me back a little. Any thoughts about this? I don't wanna be spending a bomb on parts after 2 years, since I intend to keep the bike for long.

The dealership is giving me a final price of 3,51,650/- INR. This is including 0 dep third party insurance, doesn't include helmet. Is this offer good?

[Red Liner]

You should get on the 390 adventure threads to have specific queries answered better there.

[petrolHead_1609]

Pardon me for any mistakes or not so relevant bits. It's my first post.
Even I've been looking to go for a bike purchase, maybe by the end of year. Thing is we haven't ever had a bike in our family, so my knowledge in this topic is zero. I have driven some in my college days when my friends weren't wanting to (RE Thunderbird 350 mostly) but haven't driven enough of any to form an opinion. I have been reading some wonderful bike ownership threads, one of which had a BHPian purchasing it in Mumbai, sending through truck to Coimbatore and then driving it off to his native place. Such commitment and love made me wonder should I explore this side of mine!

Pardon me for vague requirement but that's the truth
- to explore the biker in me
- this wouldn't be my daily commute ( that'll be my 2012 i10, I just love it, my father's behind me to buy another or atleast swap it with his. I might write a post about it)

Budget - 4L is the max, frankly speaking this figure is set in my mind because of Benelli TNT 300. I just love the seating position, it's tamed characteristics and boy, that exhaust. Now this is based on my limited knowledge and negligible experience in the field, hoping I get some wonderful takes on this.

Please let me know I need to post this somewhere else or any kind of suggestion based on information, way of writing the post.