Bajaj Dominar 400 (2016-2018)

Big, bold and brash - the Bajaj Dominar 400 is the brutish naked motorcycle from Bajaj which spearheads their portfolio. Based on the CS 400 concept, Bajaj brought the Dominar in December 2016. Its aggressive performance to price ratio is surely something that has drawn crowds to the showrooms.

Powering the Bajaj Dominar 400 is a 373cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that has been borrowed from the KTM 390 Duke. The fuel-injected mill develops 35PS power at 8000rpm and 35Nm torque at 6500rpm. The gearbox is a six-speed unit that also receives a slipper clutch (first for a Bajaj motorcycle) for aggressive downshifts.

Talking of design, the Dominar 400 falls into the category of a power cruiser, the idea of which is quite new, especially for the Indian two-wheeler market. The design language possesses all the sturdiness of a cruiser with some elements that seem to have been taken from the sports bike philosophy. The front section gets a full LED headlamp and is one of the prime highlights of this motorcycle. The beefy fuel tank and the neatly chiselled side panels add a dose of muscle to the overall styling. The bike also gets a fully digital instrument cluster to give an easy access of information to the rider.

The motorcycle comes with dual disc brakes that have been further linked to an optional ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System). Front disc brake size has to be mentioned as it is the largest for any Bajaj offering and also the largest in that particular segment. The suspension system comprises 43mm telescopic forks up front while the rear gets an adjustable mono-shock.

The Bajaj Dominar 400 is available for sale at a price of Rs 1.49 lakh for the non-ABS variant and Rs 1.63 lakh for the top end ABS trim (both prices, ex-showroom, Delhi). At this price, the bike challenges the likes of Mahindra Mojo XT, Royal Enfield Thunderbird X 350. The bike is available for sale in three colours namely Rock Matte Black, Glacier Blue and Canyon Red.

The Bajaj Dominar 400 is designed on the lines of a power cruiser. The motorcycle takes its design inspiration from the iconic Ducati Diavel. The front facia of the Dominar is dominated by a full LED headlamp set up, which is so bright that you don’t need to add auxiliary lights. The fuel tank and the tank extensions offer a beefed- up look to the body and the dual- tone paint schemes of glossy and matte colours further add to the touch. The split seats look sporty and well-padded to offer optimum comfort to the rider and pillion. The body-coloured belly pan gels well with the overall design. Coming to the rear end, the tail lamp looks more or less similar to the unit fitted in the Pulsar range with the same split-type design. 

The instrumentation of this bike is all-digital and comes with a reverse backlit functionality that enables the rider to read the information easily even under direct sunlight. The display gets loaded with details like speedometer, tachometer, gear position indicator, trip meter, odometer and fuel gauge. 

Powering the Bajaj Dominar 400 is a 373cc engine that has been lifted from the KTM 390 Duke. The engine has been detuned to better suit the characteristics of the cruiser motorcycle and also to extract better mileage figures. The single-cylinder, liquid-cooled mill produces a maximum power output of 35PS at 8000rpm along with a peak torque of 35Nm at 6500rpm. The engine has been linked to a six-speed gearbox that is further assisted with a slipper clutch to minimise the effects of engine braking during aggressive downshifts. An electric starter is also available for the ease of starting the bike. Bajaj claims a top speed of 148kmph for the Dominar 400.

The Bajaj Dominar 400 has a 320mm disc brake up front that pairs with a 230mm disc at the rear. These come with an optional ABS for added safety and convenience. Unlike the Bajaj Pulsar RS 200 which has a single-channel ABS, the Dominar 400 features a dual-channel unit. The suspension system in the Dominar 400 comprises of conventional telescopic forks at the front along with a multi-step adjustable mono shock absorber for the rear. The motorcycle rides on 110/70-R17 front and 150/60-R17 rear MRF tyres. These have been mounted over multi-spoke diamond cut alloy wheels.

The Bajaj Dominar 400 comes equipped with a 320mm disc brake up front along with a 230mm disc unit for the rear. These come linked to an ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) that has been fitted as an optional accessory and avoids skidding of the tyres under hard braking. As already known, the bike receives a full LED headlamp section that illuminates the roads at nights very effectively.