Quick ride: Bajaj Dominar 400

Quick ride: Bajaj Dominar 400

Best Bajaj yet

As far as I’m concerned, Bajaj changed the motorcycling landscape in India back in 2013, with the launch of the KTM 390 Duke. We did have the 200 Duke by then, but there were vehicles around that could be spoken of in the same breath. Once the 390 came out, it was unassailable, and to a large degree, remains so today.

Bajaj has used the basic motor architecture for their Pulsar 200 series of motorcycles, but never quite ventured into the 390 platform, despite widely being expected to. That is, until now with the Dominar 400. And while it is available in showrooms as I type this, you can’t, in fact, have it in 30 minutes or free.

If you’ve continued reading beyond that previous paragraph, we thank you and ask you to bear with more pizza jokes. You see, the name that eventually made its way to the tank badge was never a sure thing. Back in 2014, we saw a very similar motorycle at the expansive Bajaj Auto stand at the Delhi Auto Expo. It was labelled the “Pulsar CS400” at the time, and it took most breaths away. Save for mine. I thought it looked awkward, but put it down to a rushed concept job which would eventually be massaged into a cleaner production unit. It’s taken Bajaj three years to do so, but has lost very little of the original essence. Normally, this is a very good thing but to my mind, it is an opportunity lost.

Back to the name: the Pulsar CS400 eventually became the “Kratos” some time in 2016. We knew the company was conducting focus groups to decide the name and positioning in the second half of the year. Other sources told us that this was the only thing stopping the motorcycle from hitting the roads. Eventually, we learned of the “Dominar” name, which dripped onto our keyboards with the enthusiasm of a fresh cheese crust, recently bitten into. We no longer had a big Pulsar, we had something different entirely.

Bajaj is pitching the Dominar 400 as a “power cruiser”, which is consistent with what we saw in the first concept bike. It has a purposeful stance, but the ergonimics look reasonable. It could have been a sport naked, but Bajaj has deliberately taken another route, perhaps giving some clue of why the new brand strategy. The thing is, this was envisioned as a big Pulsar, and it looks it. We had very few, if any, curious onlookers in our 200-odd kilometre press ride because of the clear family resemblance with the Pulsar family. This is partly where we think an opportunity has been lost. If we are to consider the Dominar a new brand family (there will be other Dominars), I struggle to shed my Pulsar-tinted glasses. Still, it’s a nice looking bike, Aggressive, but not crazy, with the right muscled bits to be imposing.

We had very few, if any, curious onlookers in our 200-odd kilometre press ride because of the clear family resemblance with the Pulsar family. This is partly where we think an opportunity has been lost

And imposing it is, on paper. With a 182kg weight, this is proper big bike territory. You can buy Ducatis with twice the displacement and power that weigh as much. Thankfully, Bajaj has weaved some form of magic to make all that weight disappear. You can’t feel it when you take it off the side stand. You don’t feel any of it when you’re tipping it into corners, or being the psychotic rickshawalla of your dreams in traffic. You barely notice it when you’re hard on the brakes — 320mm disc up front, the largest on an Indian bike since the Mojo.

There are several firsts on the Dominar 400 as well. We’ve never had this much equipment at this price (Rs 1.5 lac ex-showroom for the ABS model). This is the first time we’re seeing an all-LED headlamp cluster on a locally-manufactured two-wheeler. The first time we’re seeing a 43mm conventional fork and a “split spring” rear monoshock on an Indian bike. There’s even a slipper clutch — an evolution of the KTM design that will be available in the 2017 motorcycles. Bajaj is actually first in using it. If poorly executed or included just for bragging rights, all this would mean nothing, but everything comes together surprisingly well on the Dominar. Other notable bits include a reverse-LCD console that’s visible in bright sunlight, and a separate idiot light cluster on the tank, ala Ducati Diavel.

Heading down the ghat from Panchgani, where we got astride the bike, the Dominar felt immediately familiar. The riding position is very commuter-like, with your feet ever-so-slightly rearset from below your knees. Your arms reach comfortably to the handlebars and your elbows are free and relaxed. Clutch action is light and the gearbox feels slick as on the KTMs. This adds to the confidence you feel when the Dominar is doing its thing. It tips into corners easily and holds a line about as well as the conditions allow. The ghat was full of bumpy sections and broken tarmac, but the Dominar did not flinch. We’ve heard the suspension being described as stiff but this is a matter of perspective. We would consider it well-damped, the way a bike of this weight class should be. Softer, and we’d have the jelly-like feeling of a CBR250 in a corner. The front forks hold up very well, complementing the ample stopping power of that big front disc. We did not notice any significant dive or breaking of traction, and failed to activate the front ABS throughout the ride.

The rear monoshock is essentially two springs with different rates in series, separated by a metal collar. One spring is harder than the other. We’re not sure how this is supposed to work, but work it does. We suspect the supplier has managed to stick to Bajaj’s strict cost targets while cleverly delivering the required characteristics. On a variety of terrain between Panchgani and Pune, the rear did not misbehave once. Due credit must be given to the excellent MRF Revz C1 tyres, an evolution of the hoops we get on the KTM 200 series of motorcycles. They feel remarkably at home on the far heavier Dominar, and provide a great deal of confidence.

Why did we take this far into the story to mention the engine? Because it plays as much part in the Dominar’s package as everything else. For sure, it is the most powerful engine ever put into a Bajaj-branded bike, at 35PS and 35Nm, but it is also a full 10PS down from the KTM 390 Duke. And we must stress, it makes no difference to the enjoyment you extract from this bike. Torque is made lower down in the rev range than on a Duke, and peak torque is the same despite using a simpler SOHC head.

To be clear, the combination of more peak power and much lower weight means that the Dukes will leave you for dead at a stoplight, but you’ll also comfortably keep up on the highway, and make less fuel stops thanks to the 13-litre fuel tank (the current Duke carries 10, the 2017 model has over 13 litres). The perfectly neutral handling combines with the generous 35Nm torque ensure that you can be as relaxed or aggressive as you want on the highway. Cruise comfortably above 120kmph, or explore the limits at 148kmph, this motor feels at home. We believe that top speed is limited by gearing on this bike, but you’re already pushing Murphy’s tolerance levels on our roads, so we didn’t mind at all. About the only complaint at speed was the constant buzz that comes through the pegs and the handlebar, something that our colleagues in other publications also noticed. It doesn’t feel like something that’s a product of the motor, but more likely due to some areas that may need more damping. The rorty exhaust note rises to a nice drone at highway pace as well.

We rode over 100 kilometres of well-surfaced highway on the NH4 and came away impressed by the Dominar 400. The first-in-India LED headlamp cluster has DRLs that are plenty bright on their own, ensuring that I never lost track of my riding companion Muntaser in my rear-view mirrors. Switch to the low or high beam and there’s plenty of illumination for the night time, which Bajaj believes this bike will dominate. We particularly liked the immediacy of the flasher — a characteristic of fast-reacting LEDs. Hauling down to a stop from triple-digit speeds is an elegant affair and long sweepers are handled with such stability that you could order pizza on your cellphone for the next rest stop. But don’t, please. The supportive, but roomy seat and comfortable foot position means that more mature riders will have no trouble doing long hauls on this bike. This is the sort of crowd that finds alternatives like the KTMs a little too “boy-racer” for their tastes.

Bajaj’s stated intent is to target the large market that is currently dominated by the Royal Enfield 350cc motorcycles, and if pure logic were to be considered, the Dominar should dominate. But motorcycles aren’t entirely about logic, or everyone would buy a Kawasaki Versys 650 and be done with it. Royal Enfield buyers are among the more brand and image-conscious of the riding community, and the community itself is a large part of the appeal. Think about any of your friends who own a Royal Enfield, and consider whether they would switch to a Dominar.

But there are many other peers who should be worried. At Rs 1.36 lac for non-ABS and Rs 1.5 lac for the ABS model, ex-showroom, we are in a price range that decimates the value proposition of the Mahindra Mojo, should worry the upcoming Yamaha FZ250 and even gives pause to potential buyers of the KTM motorcycles. The Bajaj Dominar 400 provides much of the capability of the KTM 390 Duke at a far lower price, and has enough gimmicks to attract customers still making up their minds. The neutral riding position should appeal to older riders as well, and the bike is cheap and capable enough to be a commuter for weekend track junkies on weekdays. This is the best Bajaj yet.