Despite being a fast, capable bike, the Bajaj Dominar 400 didn’t exactly turn out to be a runaway success. This is because it was the perfect recipe on paper, but brought not much beyond a well-packaged motorcycle to the table in terms of aspirational value. Now, Bajaj thinks it has taken the necessary action to change all of that. Let’s find out what exactly this new Dominar 400 is all about, and if it has finally hit the nail on the head.
Visually, the Dominar is largely unchanged, except for some bits of bodywork that have been blacked-out, the swanky new mirror-stalks and mirrors, and the wheels, which have gone back from being gold-coloured to black with polished-metal outer edges. The exhaust end-can is now a double-barrel unit and stealthily wears a matte-black coat while also sounding louder and throatier. The headlight remains a full-LED unit and should offer the same performance as before, which is absolutely fine.
Apart from that, there is nothing new to see here — a missed opportunity, perhaps, since the Dominar could do with some purposeful bits of trim to highlight its abilities as a highway-hauler. For now, all it gets is a set of four bungee straps under the pillion seat which is a small (and inexpensive) but thoughtful touch.
The rider’s interface has been revised, however. In addition to the fully digital instrumentation, the secondary display panel (neatly integrated into the fuel tank) now issues readouts rather than hosting a bank of tell-tale lights as it did on the previous version. On this panel, you now get a scroll of riding data about dynamic and average fuel consumption, average speed, trip time and fuel range. Unfortunately, this display doesn’t fall within one’s peripheral vision and its usage, therefore, is limited.
The Dominar gets its 373cc motor from the KTM 390 Duke, and the last-gen Dominar was a seriously fast bike. Fuel-injection did its bit to keep things smooth and Bajaj even plonked in a set of three spark plugs, but the result was a motorcycle that was capable but not exactly refined throughout its rev range. It sure was exciting to ride, but there was, undeniably, room for improvement. On the new Dominar, that room has been filled up neatly. The new model is noticeably more refined, thanks to improvements to the balancer shaft, and the vibrations — mild, at best — emerge only past 8,000rpm, at the seat and the pegs. At the handlebar, they are largely muted, which goes a long way in making it a comfortable mile-muncher down the highway.
It only gets better in the department of speed. With 40hp being produced at a higher-than-before 8,650rpm and an unchanged peak torque figure of 35Nm, it instantly comes across as faster. More importantly, thanks to some thoughtful R&D hours Bajaj has clocked in, the Dominar now feels crisper and more at ease being ridden at high speeds. In this state of tune, the now-DOHC-equipped 373cc mill is less secretive about its KTM 390 genes. Throttle input effort and response have improved marginally and the already-good mid-range, generous serving of torque and niggle-free six-speed gearbox all go on to make the Dominar better suited to hyper riding.
The other fly in the Dominar-branded ointment was its suspension. On the previous model, Bajaj did quite well with the ergonomics for both rider and pillion, and the seats were also generous and well-crafted. However, the firm suspension set-up sort of undid all that good work. Thankfully, Bajaj is a good listener, and so, this aspect was given some serious consideration and acted upon. First to arrive was the Endurance upside-down fork.
The 43mm USD fork is heavier, but also offers softer spring action. However, I cannot tell you if this softer set-up has resulted in a slight loss of very-high-speed stability, since I only rode it on a public road and not on Bajaj’s test track.
And what about value? Ever since Bajaj decided to stray away from targeting Royal Enfield motorcycles, the Dominar became destined for a better life. Now free from price restrictions or a more traditionalist approach, Bajaj has been able to make the Dominar exactly how good it should have been in the first place.
We think it would be fair to expect a sticker price of ₹1.80 lakh, which is ₹17,000 more than the outgoing Dominar 400’s ₹1.63 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). At this price, the updated Dominar will still handsomely undercut the rest of its rivals — like the BMW G310R, TVS Apache RR 310, the newly-launched Honda CB300R and its own cousins, the KTM 250 Duke and 390 Duke. This, in turn, also means it will only get better in terms of value, since it now offers so much more for not that much more money.
