Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

[Usual suspect]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

[MENTION=21096]alok urs[/MENTION]...
Bro, it seems like the purchase was made by you without test riding the bike else you wouldn't have felt the way you are feeling about it not being a good purchase.. Anyways, as you have moved from Honda to Domi, I would suggest that please try to adapt your riding style also to Domi's character n m pretty positive that you wouldn't feel as bad as U seem to be feeling now..
The weight of the bike is the best Bajaj could manage while keeping the target pricing in mind n as for gears, just try to shift up with swift movement of the clutch timed with gear movement n U would hear just light clicks..
Take care n Enjoy ur ride

[Ijs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

I am vertically challenged at 5.4ft only and weighs 60kg. And i find dominar to be very easy to maneuver in heavy traffic and it is very easy to squeeze into small gaps. To me it is the best handling bike due to its superb chassis and weight management . I can only feel the weight on standstill on the move bike is weightless. I even do not find the need to keep my feets down in crawling traffic.
Don't know why others are feeling its weight too much, i know it is not as light as a commuter but it is a very good everyday bike.

[alok urs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

@alok urs Congrats on ur purchase .

No point 1 . I bet if u put a bigger cc more than 300 in the honda , u would not have the same level of refinement as u get in the honda 150 and 250 . Heck mate i have tried hornet it does have vibes and is more than domi. For better refinement from bigger capacity we need to have more than one cylinder period.

Point 4, durability of bajaj . U said can not keep bajaj fit for more than 2 years. Again wrong brother this is my 3rd bajaj bike and if i include a scooter its my 4th bajaj . And i have seen guys using bajaj bikes from more than 5 to 6 year without any major complain. It is just the matter of how u take care of ur ride.
Unlike Re bajaj is not a money pit(i have used 2 re).
Rest all things like mirrors and etc can be moded to owners liking in any bike and no stock set up is on equal level for different riders ,whats good and comfy for me might not be the same for u.
As of now domiar is the most vfm bike one can buy and a bike which is also fun and safe while being vfm (a rare combo).
Mileage i am getting is close to 30kmpl in city and 34 to 36 kmpl on highway. So it would improve for u too.
And as per me domi has the best pillion seat on stock level.

I say u have invested in a very good time and it would grow on u .
Gear shift quality will improve with usage and more oil changes.

Please do not get offended by my words above as we are all brothers and are here to help one another for the machines we ride and love irrespective of make and capacity.

There is nothing to get offended as we all belong to biking brotherhood but I beg to differ on ur point of engine refinement, the engine displacement doesn't affect the refinement but the quality of materials used surely does. Bajaj compromise on quality to attain Max vfm for their bikes, the huge price difference between Duke 390 and dominar explains it. Light weight pistons, precision machined bores, well designed camshaft and intake manifold all contribute to engine refinement, bajaj knows the Indian market and produce vfm product ignoring quality, who is stopping them from using the best available materials and tech in the market and produce a quality product that could compete with the Japanese and European manufacturers? D400 is such a well designed bike but the main intention was to produce a vfm bike and increase their sales figures instead of making a quality product.

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[MENTION=21096]alok urs[/MENTION]...
Bro, it seems like the purchase was made by you without test riding the bike else you wouldn't have felt the way you are feeling about it not being a good purchase.. Anyways, as you have moved from Honda to Domi, I would suggest that please try to adapt your riding style also to Domi's character n m pretty positive that you wouldn't feel as bad as U seem to be feeling now..
The weight of the bike is the best Bajaj could manage while keeping the target pricing in mind n as for gears, just try to shift up with swift movement of the clutch timed with gear movement n U would hear just light clicks..
Take care n Enjoy ur ride

I took two test drives before booking the bike and was rly impressed by its performance, the engine was smoother than I expected for a TD bike. Hope my bike smoothens out with more miles on the odo.

The weight can be reduced by using low weight high strength materials and I agree it wud push the price a bit but not too much as u ppl think, I am an estimation engineer in a locomotive & gear manufacturing company so trust me bajaj cud have done a Lil better job in cost reduction than opting for a heavy material. My gripe with bajaj is why compromise with quality on a bike which is touted to be a flagship? When ppl are investing 1.8 lakhs on a bike another 20k is not a burden and it wud still be vfm compared to CBR 250, even though mojo and himalayan costs less it misses out on features that d400 offers so buyers wud still consider this bike as a better package.

Coming to gearbox the upshifts are smooth, downshifts are very clunky and negates the feeling of slipper clutch. Hope it gets better with usage

I don't regret buying D400 but what ticks me off is this bike doesn't live upto the hype created by the media and reviewers, its jus a poor man's Duke with better seating minus the fun and crazy acceleration.

[benz]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Hello riders, this is my first post in this thread but I was following the thread since it was started and have gone through every post, I bought a white D400 abs a month ago and have covered around 1000kms. Previously I owned a Honda unicorn, Hero Honda Karizma ZMR, CBR 250r STD, CBR 250r ABS and now the D400. Having ridden Honda engines for 10yrs n close to 2lakh kms I feel the same towards D400 as you feel for RE.

Each bike has its own pros n cons so lets not bash any manufacturer coz riding is an experience and what matters is the feeling you get when you ride a bike, I bet D400 cant give the same feeling of an RE.

Coming to D400 my list of pros n cons when compared to Honda bikes :

Pros
1. Power - engine is well balanced for more power and torque at 35bhp and 35NM which pulls two adults effortlessly but u do notice a drop in pick.

2. Looks - bike looks rly cool wen viewed from the front and rear quarter angles. The headlamp adds a character to bike.

3. Brakes - the abs braking system is on par with CBR 250.

Cons
1. Engine Refinement - can never even come close to a Honda. The gearbox is too clunky and slipper clutch is not of much use for street riding as we don't downshift rapidly like in track riding. Engine feels very rough n lots of vibration.

2. Rider comfort - the ergonomics of ZMR was perfect for touring, I have covered 400 kms without any pitstop and didn't break a sweat ( both the rider and the bike ). Even though CBR 250 was a bit on the racier side the rider seat was perfect for long distance touring.

3. Quality - I don't have to explain more on this as its a well known fact about the quality of bajaj bikes, just to give u guys an example one of my friend who works in chakan plant showed a pic of pulsar frame which had a crack, they just welded the crack and it was tested OK.

4. Durability - u cant keep any bajaj bike in pristine condition for more than 2 yrs

5. Mileage - m getting a poor mileage of 25 kmpl after 1st service. Before i used to get 19kmpl.

6. High Speed Stability - I cudnt go beyond 142 kmph on speedo as the bike started wobbling in light wind. I have touched 165 kmph on speedo on cbr 250 and the bike was rock solid. The D400 is not aerodynamic and is not designed for high speeds, it is perfectly stable upto 130kmph. Absence of a wind shield tires the rider soon and cant be ridden above 100kmph for long.

7. Vibrations - the ZMR known as king of vibrations was far easier to fix the vibes from the fairings using a double sided tape but u can never fix those annoying vibes in D400 between 3500-6000 rpm.

8. Suspension - both front and rear suspension are very hard on rider and makes u feel uncomfortable to ride in city with humps n potholes.

9. Pillion seat - the seat is very flat and doesn't offer any lumbar support, the pillion foot pegs are rear set placed very high, a small twist of throttle makes the pillion fly off the seat. A pillion of height above 5'10" feels uncomfortable to sit. The grab rails are only for aesthetics and not for practical use. Compared to length of the bike the seat length is very small, the bike was designed for posing rather than riding I guess.

10. Headlight - this is one of the MSP for this bike but its actually not a practical design. The white led headlight doesn't perform well on wet roads and this of the beam is too less. Strictly it isclimited to city use and not meant for touring.

11. Mirrors - height of the mirror post is too short and visibility is only 60%.

12. Maneuveribility - the turning radius is too big to ride in busy city traffic conditions. Feels like riding a car.

13. Weight - inspite of having a fibre fuel tank the bike weighing 182kgs is a big let down. This drops the power to weight ratio and also affects mileage.

There are many other issues with this bike like power loss while riding, faulty fuel gauge, oil seal leakage on a brand new bike, etc.

I am not happy with this purchase and definitely not a worthy replacement for my cbr 250. I think I got carried away by the overwhelming response from the early owners and paid reviewers.

I may upgrade sooner or later to a bigger cc tourer and D400 wud be my secondary bike, no offence to fellow owners but this is jus my experience with this bike from past one month.

Bro, I don't agree with you in your Cons..

points 4, I have Pulsar 180 for the last 14 years and still running. This Aug it will complete its registration life of 15 years and it is still going good.

Point 6. It depends on how you are riding at that speed, if you have heavy cross wind then no bike can be stable at that speed. the more heavier the bike is the better stability it has on high speed.

Point 8. I think you got used to very soft suspension. The softer you have the worse cornering you will get. Most bikes having stiff suspensions will have very good cornering. Having said that, D400 is not very stiff nor very soft.

Point 10. Show me another Indian bike that has better stock headlight? Everyone has their own choice, people having halogen bulb fit LED light and people with stock LED light will fit halogen or HID light. So, not everyone gets satisfied with one headlight.

Point 12. You think a 182KG bike will turn in short diameter? common, think practically and please drive a hardly and see how much long does that take to turn.

Since you are not happy with the bike, please sell it and take a bike that will solve your points from 1 to N. There isn't any bike in this world that will not have any problems. My two cents.

[ALI.R]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

https://youtu.be/lhwfi_EI_hE

[alok urs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Disagree with many points.. You should also have insights of quality assurance departments from other manufacturers like the Hondas, etc before commenting anything on Bajaj. (Note: I am not associated with Bajaj and not trying to take sides here). Just trying to be rationale!!

Sorry but you cant compare CBR 250 with D400. D400 produces much more power with a single cylinder, vibes will always be a part of it. For mileage, don't tell me that your CBR gave more than 25kmpl in realistic conditions for that you're unhappy with D400!!!

And all this with lesser money spent! Still quality at par with majority of International competitors. I don't want to brag about issues with CBR here, but how about spare parts availability of CBR250? Why isnt it selling in numbers as good as D400 and Duke? Why is Honda unable to relaunch the new version and experiment being a more powerful & an international manufacturer? Once you've understood these things you will know Why & How Bajaj is able to give you what others can't!

I expected such an outrage by fellow owners as everybody love the bikes they own and its pretty normal. Coming to sales of cbr and d400 the answer is simple "price", d400 is pure vfm. Dukes msp is performance, availability of spares was not an issue for me though they cost a bomb they last longer, I used to get 32kmpl in city and 34 on highways.

The mindset of Bajaj is to produce a vfm product to increase their sales figures, whereas Honda produces quality product and charge a bomb. I wud rather pay more for a quality product than to live with a cheap bike, by cheap I mean only price. When fellow Indian manufacturer mahindra cudnt produce mojo with all the features of d400 how do u think it was possible for Bajaj? Just answer me why am I still facing power loss issue even after resetting the ECU? It is very dangerous when it happens while riding in busy traffic, the bike just stalls no matter how much u wring the throttle.

Many ppl argue the bigger the cc more vibrations a bike has, mojo is also a single cylinder engine but has much better refinement and less vibes. The engine layout contributes to the vibes than its cc, RE having 350cc engine then acc to your theory d400 shud have more vibes than RE? The squarer the engine lesser the vibes and higher the performance.

I kept my views to myself for so long cos I knew it wud start a debate which wud not end in a gud way. D400 appeals for a common man but technically speaking there is nothing to brag about compared to other bikes in the segment except for its vfm.

I may not sell the bike but wud still wait and see how it preforms after 2nd service, hope it might change my impression for the good.

[I Ride Alone]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Guys...Each person's level of satisfaction and dis-satisfaction depends on their level of expectations from the bike to start with. Let's not start defensive debates on which bike is best.

Enjoy your ride.
Cheers.

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Chennai Dominar Owners: Did anyone go to the Ride organised by Jai Autos last week?

[IamAditya]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Refinement of DOMINAR.
QUESTION MARK EVERY WHERE!

I would like to say few things , which may help someone who is considering Dominar and has doubts because its a Bajaj.


This is not bashing of other bike in other thread or going on OTs!!
This is not FANBOYSIM!!!🙏🙏🙏


Dominar is not refined like the Mahindra Mojo,
And some say its not as refined as CBR250.


Japs always scores high on refinement, thats true.
Y? Because the play the game safe and calm way.


KTMs have vibrations in its respective segment,
Dominar has vibrations in its respective segment,
Both NS and RS200 are less refined than its rivals.


CBR250 has a 250cc engine that produces power just above the max power output of KTM 200s and way lower than DUKE250!

So it is refined,but not as exciting to ride as the KTMS.
( no offence CBR owners)

Same with Mojo,it has a 300cc engine that produces way less power than other 300s so scores REALY HIGH on refinement.
What about performance dude? Performs just as a 200cc bike.

Smaller capacity singles are more refined ???

FZ V2 has lowest power output, its more refined compared to the peppy little viby Gixxer and top end tuned HORNET160R.

Every knows the fact that FZ 150 looses steam post 90kmph compared to other two.
Here also FZ offers best refinement of the lot.


Same goes to RTR200, It has bettet refinement level compared to Bajaj or KTM 200s.
Again less power out, just like FZ150, RTR200 looses steam post 100kmph compared to NS200 or Duke200 (RTR200 owners no offence 🙏&#128591.


Same goes to FZ25, way less power output than most of 200cc bikes, but has very good refinement level.

This means japs always plays in a different way.

I know the fact that engine configuration also matters, but just going through the power and the refinement of the bikes at their respective segment, we CAN see it this way too.

Mojo and rtr200 has followed Japs foot steps where as Bajaj and KTM are doing things their own way.

Every bike offers something good and something not so good.


Please Don't start a debate FOLLOWING this posts!!


Happy riding.
👍
Cheers!

[bikerahul]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Thanks [MENTION=38603]The Monk[/MENTION]

[The Monk]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

People. Relax. Different people can have different experiences of the same machine.

Please learn to respect other people's perspectives.

Thanks

[Gunslingin_Ridr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Refinement of DOMINAR.
QUESTION MARK EVERY WHERE!

I would like to say few things , which may help someone who is considering Dominar and has doubts because its a Bajaj.


This is not bashing of other bike in other thread or going on OTs!!
This is not FANBOYSIM!!!🙏🙏🙏


Dominar is not refined like the Mahindra Mojo,
And some say its not as refined as CBR250.


Japs always scores high on refinement, thats true.
Y? Because the play the game safe and calm way.


KTMs have vibrations in its respective segment,
Dominar has vibrations in its respective segment,
Both NS and RS200 are less refined than its rivals.


CBR250 has a 250cc engine that produces power just above the max power output of KTM 200s and way lower than DUKE250!

So it is refined,but not as exciting to ride as the KTMS.
( no offence CBR owners)

Same with Mojo,it has a 300cc engine that produces way less power than other 300s so scores REALY HIGH on refinement.
What about performance dude? Performs just as a 200cc bike.

Smaller capacity singles are more refined ???

FZ V2 has lowest power output, its more refined compared to the peppy little viby Gixxer and top end tuned HORNET160R.

Every knows the fact that FZ 150 looses steam post 90kmph compared to other to.
Here also FZ offers best refinement of the lot.


Same goes to RTR200, It has bettet refinement level compared to Bajaj or KTM 200s.
Again less power out, just like FZ150 looses steam post 100kmph compared to NS200 or Duke200 (RTR200 owners no offence 🙏&#128591.


Same goes to FZ25, way less power output than most of 200cc bikes, but has very good refinement level.

This means japs always plays in a different way.

I know the fact that engine configuration also matters, but just going through the power and the refinement of the bikes at thier respective segment, we see it this way too.

Mojo and rtr200 has followed Japs foot steps where as Bajaj and KTM are doing things their own way.

Every bike offers something good and something not so good.


Please Don't start a debate FOLLOWING this posts!!


Happy riding.
👍
Cheers!

I agree to what you've said. Since coming from a 2 year ownership of Duke 390 to CBR 250R, I can say the Jap bikes are like workhorses. They keep running. But the excitement factor is almost zero. I feel like I'm riding a commuter when I'm on the CBR and except for the way it looks on the move and about 8 km more for a litre, I'm really having second thoughts about the purchase. Duke felt more alive, even the 200 I test rode was exciting.

No Jap bikes can have the soul of an Euro bike. I miss my Duke 390.

That said, Bajaj is in a real compromising position. They're trying to rip the soul out of the KTMs and are trying to make a workhorse out of it which I don't think is possible given our engineering standards. Hopefully, they sort this out as they are the ones actually trying in the country's 2 wheelers market.

[ALI.R]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

People need to calm down. It's motorcycles that are being discussed here, not civil rights.

Moreover, every owner is completely within his rights to point out flaws/issues with their respective machines. These are not "Only good things about xyz motorcycle" threads but ownership experiences. And ownership experiences can be good or bad. No point sugar coating the negatives which in future could misguide a prospective buyer's decision.

If someone is putting in nearly 2 lakh rupees of their hard earned money into something, they bloody well are entitled to voice their concerns and dissatisfaction if their purchase is not up to their hopes. Not everyone likes to simply 'live on' with niggles and irritations especially when it is comes to everyday usage.

There is a big difference in adjusting to the character of a motorcycle and simply trying to ignore the flaws. I might be mistaken but I am seeing this more on threads of Bajaj made motorcycles than any other brand where any concerns /issues pointed out are ferociously put down or retorted to by fellow owners. This is really unhealthy and discourages constructive discussion.

[PrinceCruise]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

People need to calm down. It's motorcycles that are being discussed here, not civil rights.

Moreover, every owner is completely within his rights to point out flaws/issues with their respective machines. These are not "Only good things about xyz motorcycle" threads but ownership experiences. And ownership experiences can be good or bad. No point sugar coating the negatives which in future could misguide a prospective buyer's decision.

Yep.

And not sure why my comment got deleted, I said the exact same thing. The owner is entitled to his opinions, good or bad, its baffling to see people calling someone's ownership experience as nonsense.

Regards.

[alok urs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

We are not paid to discuss only the positives of the bike, instead we have invested a lot of money on this bike hoping it wud meet our requirements. All I request is have some courtesy for fellow owners and maintain the right attitude of biking brotherhood while replying or putting up any post in this thread.

[shriomman]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Refinement of DOMINAR.
QUESTION MARK EVERY WHERE!

I
Please Don't start a debate FOLLOWING this posts!!


Happy riding.
👍
Cheers!

Nice to see you Aditya 😁. If only we could pin this post ! This perfectly describes how each person thinks about the bike and it's all up to personal preference in the end.

Here are My 2 cents on the dominar .
I finally got to ride it for about 20 km run and I totally loved it. Can so seamlessly Cruze at 100kmph. A nice aerodynamic helmet definitely helps in this case. (The owner uses a dirt bike type helmet 😂 rides at 100 n complains about neck pain ).

I found the suspension to be on the steeper side for my weight (58kilos).But it did very well with the bumps and potholes.

Lights are a bliss !

The horn... Bajaj why you do this??? Calling them bad is an understatement 😂 this bike needs a horn that'll roar !!

Breaks are really good . I'm coming from a habit of p220 and I could stand on the rear break pedal and it wouldn't work at times so these breaks on the dominar are out of this world for me 😁!!!

When we consider the price ! There's no complains from my side. But I always prefer buying Bajaj bikes after a year from release as they do a lot of improvements over the initial models and it definitely helps out. My p220 was the first carb 220 and the rear caliper uses to be open on top which would cause the bad breaking performance, but if you notice how that will never happen since the whole thing has a different assembly (I upgraded mine to the new one and now I no longer have the issue ). I think this should give any interested buyer some useful information to decide .