[payeng]

Originally Posted by amitg79

Congratulations, MadBiker! I booked mine on 20th December and they have told me the expected date of delivery would be around 15th Jan. The website only says that deliveries start in Jan. Will call them again in a couple of days to check.

The wait is maddening.

Edit: Which colour did you go for?

You will receive an SMS once your bike is ready for delivery.

Deliveries should start post 15th Jan

[rajaghuru]

Dominar 400 – Test Ride & Initial Impressions

Dominar 400... Where do I start?

The name evokes a mixed response in my heart – while the world was eager that a new 'Pulsar’ (CS 400) is born, along came the 'Kratos' which, in my opinion, sounds a lot more masculine than Dominar. As some rumors would lead you to believe, Bajaj seems to have had to decide against it (copyright issues?) and reach into the Spanish lexicon to come up with a name that unabashedly portrays its intentions – to Dominate.

And dominate they will. Whether the Dominar will turn out to be a billion-dollar brand, is yet to be seen. But knowing Bajaj's business acumen, their presence in Latin America, their ambitions for Europe & if the fan following of the Pulsar brand is any indication, the Dominar should soon be a roaring success. Building a brand takes a lot of time and effort. The Pulsar brand took 15 years to get the recall that it has today. Now, Bajaj should invest ample time, effort & keep the communication channels engaged, to ensure that Dominar as a brand gets the recall that it deserves. Because, by and large, Bajaj has got its first product in the brand, right.

That brings me to the first impressions.

These impressions are based on riding a Test Ride bike, with 1000 km on the odo. The route had a bit of city traffic and city bypass road with a dual-carriageway.

Design

I'm pleased that the overall dimensions of the motorcycle, are right. Even the design of the tank, tank extensions & panels are not overdone, as in the NS200. There is a distinct maturity in the overall design language, except for just one area. I felt that the headlamp was a tad bit oversized, but considering that the designers tried to emulate the look of a male lion (remember, Bajaj wants its bikes to be distinctly male), it is quickly forgotten & whatever lingering doubts are there are also dismissed, considering the illumination that the mosaic, full-LED headlamps are capable of. Personally, I would've liked more colors to the palette – a full-blown Blood Red, Ducati Red or whatever Red (as displayed in the Auto Expo) and a Yellow option would've been really great. That said, the Plum & Blue are good to look at in person, with White being the obvious choice for most. Overall, it may not be incorrect to say that D400 looks like a grown-up NS200 and a certain cough-Diavel-cough.

Look & Feel

For the most part, the motorcycle is very well put together, with panels having clean lines, paint quality being very, very good & overall fit & finish meeting expectations, at the given price point. I especially liked the lack of clutter at all of the important areas – will make it a cinch, while cleaning this bike. However, some areas of the motorcycle could've really, really improved considering that Bajaj wants to position this as a premium offering. For e.g., the levers, switchgear, the finish of the meters, etc. While there is nothing wrong with those & they function quite well, the quality could've been better. Well, I'm nit-picking here, but, aren't these the areas that the riders are going to keep looking at often & keep using? Some higher quality plastics & aluminum-finished chunky levers would've done the trick? For me, my current ride (Inazuma GW 250), scores immensely in this area. Also, this is a slightly heavy motorcycle, but since I’m used to the already heavy Zuma, I didn’t feel much of a difference.

Build

Move over to the top triple clamp or the bar-risers, they look the part & also seem to be chunky components. Of special mention here is those fat 43mm telescopic forks (although right side-up) which look good & also do a decent job, during the ride. The TR motorcycle had already done a 1000km, so, I'm glad to note that there aren't any panel vibes on the instrument cluster (a huge deterrent on the NS200, so much so that I was annoyed by it, sold it & got my current ride). However, there are some vibes at idle & a little bit that’s felt on the tank, bar-ends & sometimes on the foot-pegs as well while riding, but nothing really deal-breaking. The motorcycle feels good & the overall build, at least during the initial impressions, look pretty decent. As to how it will hold-up during the vagaries of commuting, touring & fast-riding, over many miles – only time (and ownership reports) will tell. For now, I will say that it has pretty good build quality for the price.

The Ride

In one word – effortless. Not just for me or other biking brethren used to the D390 or even higher capacity motorcycles, but most importantly to the populace that’s looking to graduate from their 125-200cc commuters & street-bikes. Folks currently riding the D390 needn’t look down this alley, as they might be miffed with the reduced albeit manageable power delivery. But what they would revel in, if they choose to take this route, is the improved refinement, tractable motor (especially in the city), improved levels of comfort owing to the compliant suspension and the lack of engine heat – at least, I couldn’t feel any during my brief stint within city traffic & certainly nothing could be felt on the dual carriageway.

This is understandable as the power has been tuned to be friendly & unstressed and consequently, there’s lesser heat to dissipate. That said, my impressions are based on riding during relatively cool December weather and let’s not forget that it’s a big single. In continued city riding, especially during summers, it might heat up a bit, but still shouldn’t be alarmingly high to give you ‘Tandoori thighs’! What this engine rewards you, even with two-up riding, is dollops of torque for good tractability. While one of our Chennai folks had commented that the fueling had a little glitch, in on-off transitions, I didn’t find anything particularly out of order, during my ride.

The gearshifts were felt to be quite good & neutral was easy to find – however, first gear slotted with a ‘clunk’ & I noticed this happen, whenever I shifted down to first. Downshifting from higher gears was never a problem & even during shifting down at higher speeds, the slipper clutch made things easy & under control. It’s strange that I never found a false neutral! The clutch action is again light, which leads me to believe that it may have an assist function – the bite-action however, was not well defined. This again, may be due to the fact that it is a TR bike & an owner’s review should clarify. Building up speeds, even two-up is a no brainer, what with the motor being a derivative of the awesome D390’s heart. Suffice to say that this can be put to use to tour. Will it be a good one? Well, let’s attempt to answer that.

If you want to tour single, with only your luggage strapped – this should be a no-brainer. However, consider these factors. The seat squab, where your bum rests, is adequately shaped, so comfort for the rider is not a problem, but, there is less space front to back (after the tank & before the pillion seat), to move around. This might be a problem for some. The pillion seat, while usable for city rides, is not that great for touring – not from a comfort perspective, but from the lack of space. The tank range is also probably not that much, considering the tank’s capacity is at 10-11 liters usable. Pretty much, D390 stuff here. I think Bajaj may not have intended for this to be used for two-up touring. However, for a one-up rider with luggage, there is ample torque & power and a tractable motor which doesn’t surprise you, but has a linear power delivery. Crossing slow moving vehicles is not a problem at all – point and squirt.

I took this to a road that is now riddled with lots of undulations, due to heavy vehicle traffic. It is remarkable that the suspension coped with what the road had to throw and the motorcycle was very stable. Stability at 110-120 kmph is excellent (I didn’t go faster), as I kept it around 6K to 6.5K revs. I could see 100kmph around 5.5K revs & 110kmph around 6K revs, in 6th gear. So, while you’re cruising at 120kmph, you’re still very much riding the torque curve.

The riding position is comfortable, yet sporty – certainly, not commuter-like. If you are an RE toting fan, who likes the riding positon of a Thunderbird or Himalayan or even the Avenger from Bajaj’s own stable, please stick to your choices. This is more of a ‘relaxed’ D390, such is the rider triangle. However, the bars are wide for easy maneuvering & overall, should result in lesser strain, except to those that have shorter hands.

The brakes are awesome & ABS does its job. This along with the slipper clutch, saved me from a hair-raising moment, when suddenly a cage-driver cut in my lane, for reasons best known to him. The tires seem quite good for the job & there was nary a squeal or squirm under hard braking. That said, the ownership reports or a long-term review will be the judge of this. I didn’t get the opportunity to corner, so outright grip is for an owner to comment. That said, it held admirably well when holding a line and also when changing lanes and in high-speed curves.

Didn’t get the opportunity to test the much-touted lighting prowess of the mosaic LED headlamp – an owner’s review should answer this? However, noticed that the always-on headlamp had the desired effect of keeping you visible to both oncoming traffic & ones that you want to cross. The headlamp switch doesn’t have an off position, however, when in the default position, the high-beam is actually ON (the vertical rows on either side of the central cluster light up). When you turn the headlamp on (push to the other position), it switches to either high or low beam, based on whether high/low beam is selected on the left toggle switch. Low beam is the central cluster. Don’t know about the pass switch or what it does – I didn’t notice it or use it.

In conclusion

Inevitably, some of the buyers will try to rev the nuts off in the quest to set new top-speed records; to bask in that YouTube glory. Well, while this can do that, I think the purpose of this bike is different – to tour / cruise effortlessly at 120kmph, all day & you’ll still be fresher. And also serve as a friendlier city bike to ride in the traffic, than the D390. The fact that Bajaj brought some great attributes together as a package & served it at a delicious price, is the icing on the cake. There are a few areas, where Bajaj could’ve gone all out, but I think it struck a balance, choosing to cater to enthusiasts who value a well-rounded offering at a VFM price-point and to this end, it has largely achieved what it set out with.

This motorcycle would be wasted as just a city-bike only. As a touring motorcycle, I don’t find any reason as to why it shouldn’t do well. Will it take the baton from RE & dent its sales? I doubt it & I guess even Rajiv Bajaj knows it. What they’ve tried is to give a viable alternative for the discerning wanderer. On its own merits, it’s a decent motorcycle & has all that’s needed to shake the segment & more importantly, as a one-size fits all offering.

If you’re willing to move up the rung, the G310R & the GS variant is just around the corner, with the promise of superior quality, feel, ownership experience & the BMW badge to boot. The G310GS is a bike to watch out for in the touring space. If you’re willing to wait a little bit more & spend some more, I guess KTM is cooking up a tastier dish (390 ADV). For the fairing-loving crowd, the Akula seems to be a tempting proposition – pricing for all of these are unknowns yet & I’m sure it can’t match the Bajaj.

If you’re deciding between a CBR250R & this (which you shouldn’t, as one is faired & the other is a naked bike, but in India even a car and a bike are equated purely on price-points throwing logic out of the window), then, the Bajaj offering is serious enough to consider. But, some would argue that a Honda is a Honda…

If you’re deciding between a D390 and this, it’s fairly simple: are you a mature rider that needs an alternative to the scores of REs dotting our landscape & is conscious of value, but still wants to taste that single malt on the rocks? Look no further than the Bajaj. However, for the Hooligan with a capital ‘H’, to whom no amount of dope does it good & The Deadpool resonates with the senses much more than Captain America, there’s a KTM showroom close to where you live – and 2017 seems to be the year of the Orange team!

[payeng]

Am surprised with this Vlogger's review. His older Vlogs used to make me laugh since he came across contrived in them.

But I am surprised that I actually liked this review of his of the Dominar 400

https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=gf6QN7F-5eY

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

Congratulations in advance.

That was a very detailed explanation.

W.r.t the lights, Bajaj IMO should have equipped the bike with atleast 1 halogen lamp with warmer colors so that it could be useful in bad weather conditions.

Also, I would not be surprised if a few riders are inadvertently booked for using after-market headlamps, if the cops are unaware about the Dominar LED headlamps.

Yeah, cops (more likely D400 riders) are going to be in for a harrowing time finding a bike factory equipped with "white" lights.

Mixing halogen with LED would look odd, the color temperature difference is too stark when you put them in one housing ; but yes, I'm apprehensive about the actual vision/illumination as in my short rides, I didn't find them head and shoulders brighter than the 220.

Originally Posted by Sheel

This for your commuting purposes?

Commuting, short holiday trips to the coast and scouting (new routes for first time, or old routes after a long time where I don't want to risk taking the Triumph and finding the roads terrible, or non-existent ).

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

2. Headlamps are always ON with highbeam. Switching on the headlamps will make the low beam turn on and the high beam switches off.

3. When pass switch is pressed with headlamps switched off, the low beam comes on and the high beam switches off temporarily. With headlamp switched on , the pass button will turn on the high beam. Low beam remains unaltered.

Actually, that's due to mis-wiring. I noticed that in the test ride bike, and that the high beam info light was always on. Another Dominar I checked was wired the right way, and yet another Dominar in another showroom was wired wrong , with low beam coming on with the pass-light switch. I may have jumbled the high on, low off and flashing low beam bit, but I can say with 100% confidence - some of the bikes are wired wrong. I wonder if it's the all female assembly line

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by payeng

Am surprised with this Vlogger's review. ]

Talking of Vloggers, I feel we are focusing too much on their reviews. Most of the vloggers hop on the Dominar 400 just because they want views and subscribers. A very few of them review it out of genuine interest on the motorcycle.

And we tend to blindly believe what ever the bloggers say. We forget that they unknowingly have their bike as a bench mark for comparison. It is pretty natural.

For someone who rides a 390, D400 performance will be defined as "good". For someone who rides a 650/750/600/800/1000, D400 would feel "just ok". For a humble vlogger riding an apache/gixxer/enfield 350, the D400 would feel "explosive". Someone riding a N300 & above will feel D400's plastic quality is not good enough.

All these first ride impressions (i won't call a 20 minute ride experience as a "review") don't do justice to the bike.

Take famous media houses like the power drift, they bring out the best reviews. Why? They spend time on the bike before the review.

If you are not in a hurry, wait for 6 months, one of our BHPians will come with an ownership review.

If you are in a hurry, go for D400 test ride as many times as you like. I for one have done RC390 test rides for 3 times now(i don't even have plans of buying it in near future). First time, i wanted to experience the power delivery and handling. I ripped the crap out of the bike and leaned out on corners. It was so impressive i forgot to feel its ergonomics clearly. Second time it was for ergonomics and seat feel. Third time it was for urban ride ability and pillion comfort. I may do another test ride for high speed stability and manners.

If you are going to spend 1.7 lakhs on a motorcycle, you need to feel it as best as you can. Deciding a motorcycle by trusting man's view on the motorcycle is like asking your parents to select a bride for you. You may be lucky enough to like it, or may have to end up adjusting.

Anyone who wants to buy D400, just dont waste time on n number of reviews on the youtube. Feel free and do as many test rides before booking one. If the dealer doesn't allow, find another dealer. They should let you take multiple test rides.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

If you are not in a hurry, wait for 6 months, one of our BHPians will come with an ownership review.

Dude, have posted here before that I am waiting for at least a year and half (18 months) so as to let Bajaj iron out the initial issues :-)

By the way I have already taken my first test ride

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by payeng

Dude, have posted here before that I am waiting for at least a year and half (18 months) so as to let Bajaj iron out the initial issues :-)

By the way I have already taken my first test ride

Ya ya. I very well remember it.
I was talking about other potential buyers.

[Satishtv]

I finally got a test ride on 31st December. It was unfortunately a very short ride and in the crowded by lanes off Bannerghatta road in Bangalore. Could not open the throttle fully and feel the power of the bike, but driving it in the by lanes in very slow speeds of 15-25, the vehicle was not at all hurrying me up with all its power, felt very smooth and relaxed at the slow speeds. The bike should be easier to manage in the bad traffic conditions

There was a continuous flow of people and in the one hour I waited for my test drive the vehicle never once stopped going around for test drives. It was nice to note that the person providing the test drive asked the riders to first take a small drive within the compound of the showroom before taking it on the road. For people like me used to the 150 cc bikes, this was very helpful.

While returning home, it occurred to me that there is a RE showroom nearby (east end, Jayanagar) and thought of checking it out. The environment in the RE showroom was a stark opposite of the Bajaj showroom, the RE showroom was crowded with people and it took me 15 minutes to get the attention of a sales person. Finally, after waiting for about 30 minutes, i got the test drive of the classic 350. I also test drove the classic 500 and Thunderbird 350. It was a very different experience compared to the dominar. But i liked the commanding presence of the RE bikes.

This decision of mine to visit the RE showroom has put me in a fix. I like the Classic 350 but I also like the Dominar 400. The RE lobby at my office is influencing me towards the RE and it looks like i may commit.

I use my Yamaha FZ16 mostly for daily office runs (25 kms) and an occasional highway run. Not sure what to do

[MDED]

Originally Posted by Satishtv

I use my Yamaha FZ16 mostly for daily office runs (25 kms) and an occasional highway run. Not sure what to do

Even I am sailing on the same boat with loads of confusion. To RE or not to RE. Mine has to be either CL350 or TB 350. You don't need to heed to anyone, as another bhpian suggested, do as many test rides as you can before taking the plunge.

[farhadtarapore]

http://overdrive.in/news/bajaj-auto-...hunger-strike/

According to a PTI report, workers of Bajaj Auto will be going on a two-day hunger strike. The hunger strike will be held on January 7 and January 8 to protest against the management’s anti-worker activities.

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by MDED

Even I am sailing on the same boat with loads of confusion. To RE or not to RE. Mine has to be either CL350 or TB 350. You don't need to heed to anyone, as another bhpian suggested, do as many test rides as you can before taking the plunge.

Seriously ask yourself, what are you buying the bike for and what are you looking for in the bike you plan to use everyday. I've lived with / ridden REs for a decade now and i can tell you that they have improved but they are still no where near the reliability bench mark of a bike that costs 2lakhs. Besides, it isn't the only motorcycle capable of touring - heck its not even the best one anymore even in that price range. It is a pain to ride in the traffic given its weight, the hit or miss self start and notchy gearshifts. And trust me, the A.S.S can be terrible experience and relatively expensive too. But what it offers is tons of riding buddies who don't need too long to become friends and tons of rides RE / clubs plan for you - you just go ride! That is one thing which is still simply unmatched by any other bike.

Coming back to the Dominar - i think Bajaj has improved by leaps. I remember a friend of mine rode his P200 (right after it was launched!) to ladakh and 3 days into the 2 week ride, shipped it back on a truck. A few years later, another friend toured ladakh and jhanskar on the Avenger180! I like the Dominar for the fact that it can be your only motorcycle for all purposes. It will be fairly reliable and relatively cheap to maintain given that the 390 is proven both in terms of reliability and cost of ownership. The feature list is leagues ahead of similarly priced competition. And the current price is unbeatable! The 30-35k you save may just sponsor your first long ride on the bike. Also, remember that prices will go up soon - Bajaj won't be selling these for 1.51 for ABS for too long if the initial response is any indication.

Tons of people fall for the RE and get sold on the myth that they become "bikers" automatically once they buy an RE. Many don't ever ride except in the first year to rider mania, that too only once in their life time. Most really don't have the time...But for those who really want to tour and hence get an RE, the ecosystem is unbeatable. Take an objective decision on what you want and don't get swayed by anything beyond what you really want the bike for - the D400 just might turn out to be your choice.

[MadBiker]

Originally Posted by amitg79

Congratulations, MadBiker! I booked mine on 20th December and they have told me the expected date of delivery would be around 15th Jan. The website only says that deliveries start in Jan. Will call them again in a couple of days to check.

The wait is maddening.

Edit: Which colour did you go for?

Thanks! I opted for the Moon White - ABS.

Delivery is expected to start by Jan end. I was added to some Dominar 400 Whatsapp group by the showroom contacts and They are expecting to receive their first lot of bikes by 3rd week of Jan.

I did enquire on the financing :

Downpayment: ~ 49,564

EMI: 6601 x 24 Months or 4809 x 36 months.

On road price in Chennai: 1,72,849.

[uday.ere]

I believe bikes have begun to arrive at dealerships and deliveries should happen in the next few days. Those who have been alloted bikes in the first lot have been contacted by the dealers to complete paperwork/payments so that registration can be done asap. Any prospective owners here, who have got calls or got the bike itself . Waiting for owner reviews here eagerly.

Edit : Oncars tweeted just now : http://www.oncars.in/bike-news/bajaj...n-cities/13515

(Apologies, Pic may or may not be of a new owner, as I would have thought that they would want to have event with lot of fanfare to give away the first few bikes atleast?)

[dZired]

Bajaj Dominar 400 - Deliveries commence

Bajaj Auto has officially announced the commencement of customer deliveries of their new flagship motorcycle - the Dominar 400 from January 10th, 2017. The Dominar 400 was launched last month and is currently being sold through Bajaj dealerships in 22 cities.

Bajaj claims that the Dominar 400's January production was sold out within 14 days of the launch. Bookings for the bike are being accepted on the official website, with a token amount of Rs. 9000. Since the bikes that will be produced in January have already been sold out, online bookings are now underway for deliveries in February.

Link to Team-BHP News

[amitg79]

It rained Dominar reviews yesterday:

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-rev...de-403907.aspx

https://www.zigwheels.com/news-featu...-points/27210/

http://overdrive.in/reviews/bajaj-do...t-ride-review/

http://bikeindia.in/bajaj-dominar-40...ew/#more-26611