Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

[Throttlefreak]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Hello everyone, I'm Pranav. I will be buying the dominar 400 in a month's time. My question is how hard is it to maintain the matte black colour compared to the blue and red?

[dpukvinu]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

So Finally I got my delivery of Dominar 400 yesterday. Initial impressions were mixed. Bike feels good at 4000rpm. Vibrations are felt after 4000 to 5000rpm. Brakes are impressive. Clutch is very smooth. Definitely a head-turner. [emoji41]

Matte black. PS: her name is Maya.

[hardikbhansali]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Hello everyone, I'm Pranav. I will be buying the dominar 400 in a month's time. My question is how hard is it to maintain the matte black colour compared to the blue and red?

Hey! It's very tough certainly. It's Matt, it's black! Every spec of dust will be flaunted. It's literally a blackboard. However, if you can use some good shampoo. Give it a wash, a simple wipe every couple of days will suffice.

PS: Don't think too much! Go with what your heart tells, be it bike or it's color.

[Ijs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Hi brothers!!
Can anyone let me know about good Tyres for Dominar, as I am into long distance bike rides and also the sprockets, as both are worn out.
Bike has done 24k kms in 7 months..
So for which brand i should go for? pirelli, Michelin or stick to stock MRF?
Also for Sprockets current ratio is 15F and 45R, has anyone changed the ratio yet?

The stock sproket ratio is the best one and stick with the oe chain set buy from bajaj only they use rolon you can find the r logo on the chain links.
For the tyres try Apollo alpha h1 i am using it both front and rear, it is w rated zero degree steel belted. As per company it is comparable to metzeler m7 not the m5s which are commonly used. Life is 50 percent more then metzeler.
Or else perilli Diablo rosso2 or the Michelin psr.
My vote would be Apollo read more about it in the tyre section.

Folks, looks like I am in some (hopefully not-so-)deep trouble.

I took delivery of Dominar 400 ABS from Kanchan Auto (Kanjurmarg) on July 21, 2018 with full payment done by NEFT on July 15, 2018. Today I received owner's manual, and RTO tax receipt (registration is already finished). Owner's manual says I should have gotten SMS from Bajaj mentioning customer ID which needs to be mentioned for all services, AND, all service records must be uploaded by service center; otherwise warranty will not be entertained.

Problem is, I never got any such SMS; and I already have got first service from Bharti Bajaj @ Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. Even service center chaps too did not ask for customer ID. Receipt of said service mentions my name and registration number both; and details are filled by hand (I have seen some service centers giving printed receipt, while others giving receipts with details filled in ink; and none of that created any issue in Discover warranty claim). Dealer is saying that if svc is not giving printed receipts, they are not authorized to service D400 at-least.

Any idea how to recover from here? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

My Dominar is from the first lot and the from the first lot bikes delivered here in Delhi, i still haven't got any customer id they says it is my mobile number, you will get a satisfaction code on sms to give at the time of service so that they can close the case. For the authenticity of the svc try calling the toll free number in the manual and do mail the same with the hand written bill. And make sure to keep all the records saved with you.
Also there is a bajaj app you can register there many are using it. Don't ask for the link i am not using it.
With the onset of gst hand written invoice is not a good thing.

[B7ACKTHORN]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Hello everyone, I'm Pranav. I will be buying the dominar 400 in a month's time. My question is how hard is it to maintain the matte black colour compared to the blue and red?

Just a few cautionary notes to add from what our bhpian added. Do not use normal polish that are used on glossy finishes on a matte painted surface, or any matte painted surface for that matter. Doing so will create blotches or hotspots and ruin the finish of a matte black. Buffing a matte paint too will spoil the finish. Matte paints doesn't reflect the light, rather diffuse and absorb the light creating that look.

They are pain in the back to maintain as they are easily susceptible to swirls which cannot be removed as opposed to a gloss finished surface which can be buffed and polished to remove mild scratches. In matte, if you have a scratch, there is no other go, other than to paint the surface again, especially black which is a harder color to keep up with.

Do exercise caution when washing.

Cheers!
VJ

[Throttlefreak]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Just a few cautionary notes to add from what our bhpian added. Do not use normal polish that are used on glossy finishes on a matte painted surface, or any matte painted surface for that matter. Doing so will create blotches or hotspots and ruin the finish of a matte black. Buffing a matte paint too will spoil the finish. Matte paints doesn't reflect the light, rather diffuse and absorb the light creating that look.

They are pain in the back to maintain as they are easily susceptible to swirls which cannot be removed as opposed to a gloss finished surface which can be buffed and polished to remove mild scratches. In matte, if you have a scratch, there is no other go, other than to paint the surface again, especially black which is a harder color to keep up with.

Do exercise caution when washing.

Cheers!
VJ

Thank you!

Owning a flashy colour like red is a first for me hence was asking.

[s1d]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Folks, looks like I am in some (hopefully not-so-)deep trouble.

I took delivery of Dominar 400 ABS from Kanchan Auto (Kanjurmarg) on July 21, 2018 with full payment done by NEFT on July 15, 2018. Today I received owner's manual, and RTO tax receipt (registration is already finished). Owner's manual says I should have gotten SMS from Bajaj mentioning customer ID which needs to be mentioned for all services, AND, all service records must be uploaded by service center; otherwise warranty will not be entertained.

Problem is, I never got any such SMS; and I already have got first service from Bharti Bajaj @ Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. Even service center chaps too did not ask for customer ID. Receipt of said service mentions my name and registration number both; and details are filled by hand (I have seen some service centers giving printed receipt, while others giving receipts with details filled in ink; and none of that created any issue in Discover warranty claim). Dealer is saying that if svc is not giving printed receipts, they are not authorized to service D400 at-least.

Any idea how to recover from here? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

shoot an email to bajaj customer service with a copy of this bill and explaining the situation.
i own a ktm, and had received the customer id via sms.. but have never been asked or mentioned it at the svc (well, ktm's have their own outlets). most svc's usually update service records to a online portal (Centralized system) and i haven't had any issues claiming warranty.

[ksmtkmr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Thanks for all the inputs guys!

Bought the Dominar on 16 Aug from Hyderabad and rode it to Bangalore yesterday(22 Aug). It was fun but the 5.5k RPM limit sucked, I was constantly looking at the rev limiter light! ODO reading is a little over 800 KM. I didn't expect to exceed 750 but sh*t happens! I didn't really feel much of the vibrations spoken about. May be that's something not there in 2018 model or have to go faster or I'm not bothered by it. Don't know yet! A bit disappointed with the fuel gauge as I don't think it works properly. I had to switch off and then bring the vehicle back to life using the key to get the updated fuel reading every time. If there was a reserve, it would have been easier to not rely on the fuel gauge. I might end up worrying about fuel a lot! For the first 100 odd KMs the radiator got hot, sometimes really hot, but later on it was fine. It got hot even if it was ridden only for 4-5 KMs. Not sure why but do I need to worry?

Gonna give it for the first servicing on Saturday. Booked the servicing slot on the Bajaj care mobile app and was wonderings if that app is useful at all?

I guess there's dust in the front disk break as I can hear some noise coming out of it when applied. I did hear creaking noise from the rear break but that happened only twice till now.

Now, I made a mistake of not travelling with biking gear and now my hands are red and tanned! They hurt when they come in contact with hot/warm water or sun rays! Never saw this coming! So now, any suggestion for biking gear?


FYI... got the dust magnet, that's a good description of the color.

[srinikasyap]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

This is a usual issue, when the bike is new. Get used to it. I am surprised that you did not ask about the paint smell. My bike has done about 3.8K, and i still get the smell.


Never ride without Riding gears please. go for Spartan. They are very good.

Thanks for all the inputs guys!

Bought the Dominar on 16 Aug from Hyderabad and rode it to Bangalore yesterday(22 Aug). It was fun but the 5.5k RPM limit sucked, I was constantly looking at the rev limiter light! ODO reading is a little over 800 KM. I didn't expect to exceed 750 but sh*t happens! I didn't really feel much of the vibrations spoken about. May be that's something not there in 2018 model or have to go faster or I'm not bothered by it. Don't know yet! A bit disappointed with the fuel gauge as I don't think it works properly. I had to switch off and then bring the vehicle back to life using the key to get the updated fuel reading every time. If there was a reserve, it would have been easier to not rely on the fuel gauge. I might end up worrying about fuel a lot! For the first 100 odd KMs the radiator got hot, sometimes really hot, but later on it was fine. It got hot even if it was ridden only for 4-5 KMs. Not sure why but do I need to worry?


Gonna give it for the first servicing on Saturday. Booked the servicing slot on the Bajaj care mobile app and was wonderings if that app is useful at all?

I guess there's dust in the front disk break as I can hear some noise coming out of it when applied. I did hear creaking noise from the rear break but that happened only twice till now.

Now, I made a mistake of not travelling with biking gear and now my hands are red and tanned! They hurt when they come in contact with hot/warm water or sun rays! Never saw this coming! So now, any suggestion for biking gear?



FYI... got the dust magnet, that's a good description of the color.

[ksmtkmr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

This is a usual issue, when the bike is new. Get used to it. I am surprised that you did not ask about the paint smell. My bike has done about 3.8K, and i still get the smell.


Never ride without Riding gears please. go for Spartan. They are very good.

Paint smell? I didn't know that was an issue. How old is your bike now?

Gonna touch 2.5k in next two weeks as I don't like the break in period.

Thanks god my Vento has no such break in period!

[Ankey]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Thanks for all the inputs guys!

Bought the Dominar on 16 Aug from Hyderabad and rode it to Bangalore yesterday(22 Aug). It was fun but the 5.5k RPM limit sucked, I was constantly looking at the rev limiter light! ODO reading is a little over 800 KM. I didn't expect to exceed 750 but sh*t happens! I didn't really feel much of the vibrations spoken about. May be that's something not there in 2018 model or have to go faster or I'm not bothered by it. Don't know yet! A bit disappointed with the fuel gauge as I don't think it works properly. I had to switch off and then bring the vehicle back to life using the key to get the updated fuel reading every time. If there was a reserve, it would have been easier to not rely on the fuel gauge. I might end up worrying about fuel a lot! For the first 100 odd KMs the radiator got hot, sometimes really hot, but later on it was fine. It got hot even if it was ridden only for 4-5 KMs. Not sure why but do I need to worry?

Gonna give it for the first servicing on Saturday. Booked the servicing slot on the Bajaj care mobile app and was wonderings if that app is useful at all?

I guess there's dust in the front disk break as I can hear some noise coming out of it when applied. I did hear creaking noise from the rear break but that happened only twice till now.

Now, I made a mistake of not travelling with biking gear and now my hands are red and tanned! They hurt when they come in contact with hot/warm water or sun rays! Never saw this coming! So now, any suggestion for biking gear?


FYI... got the dust magnet, that's a good description of the color.

1. Fuel gauges are not accurate in any vehicle. It is futile to worry about them. The reason is that the sensor reads the position of the float every 10-15 minutes depending on the bike. Usually the float is fixed at the left hand side of the bike, so when you switch on the bike, it was on a side stand, so the first time you switched on the bike, the sensor gave you a higher reading, because the bike was on its side stand and all the petrol was tilted to left where the float is and raised its position higher. Now you start to ride and after 10 minutes, the bars on the fuel gauge drop, because now you are riding the bike and it is in straight position when the sensor took the reading. This is confusing at first but as long as you don't have just 20 rs worth of petrol in your bike its al good. ride it without worry and whenever the low fuel starts blinking, take it to fuel pump and fill her up.

2. its also a good habit not to let the fuel tank dry. Its not good for the fuel injection system. if the bike is low on fuel the fuel pressure drops and the pump starts to pump air through the fuel injection system, there are chances of it going kaput really soon. The fuel pump should always be fully submerged in fuel. It serves 2 purposes. 1. it acts as a coolant for the pump and keeps it nice and cool. 2. it acts as lubricant for the pump and keeps it well and healthy. I'm not saying you have to keep the tank full all the time but it should not go completely dry. So whenever the low fuel starts blinking, fill her up with a minimum of 200 rs. If you are the kind of guy whose bike contains 20 rs worth of fuel most of the time, the FI system is going to go kaput and you will have a heavy expense.

3. Noise in the brakes is not a problem as long as they work as expected. The noise is more due to two reasons. 1.Currently monsoons bring a lot of rains and the rain water along with the fine dust is splashed continuously on the rotors and the calipers. due to this a find coat of dust is accumulated on the brake pads (look at the side lines of your tire after a rainy day ride, it will be yellowish and its very hard to remove even after washing, its the same coat of dust in brake pads as well) which cause the noise. It does not affect the braking at all but If you are annoyed, remove the pads, use sand paper on it and the noise will go away. 2. If the bike is left standing in rains (Which it will because it is monsoon), the rotors start rusting, which again can be a factor for noise. Wipe the rotors with WD40 and noise will go away.


4. There are several types of basic gear and you can choose from a wide variety depending on your budget and usage. Please Motorcycle accessories\Riding gear section, and you will get a good idea of what you can get in your budget and also reviews of how good the gear is.

Ride safe brother. may you have many many happy and safe miles on your bike.

[Gopiraj.]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Red Riding Hood – The wolf under a sheep’s skin!


Note: This is my first review. It is long. It may not appeal to all. I look forward to all suggestions – positive and the not so positives. I am willing to learn!


“Inferno”, “Red Baron”, “Flash” etc were few of the names I had thought up when I booked my Canyon Red steed. These were the brash, in your face kind of names which I thought would do justice to the harsh, vibey, yet immensely powerful thoroughbred that the Test Drive Dominar was! It bucked, it stalled and it flew! I relished at the prospect of this challenge, a manly challenge to tame the beast that I would eventually own!

Oh, how naïve was I! How I failed to notice the refined grunt, the “I got your back” low end characteristics, the “release me – (a la Independence Day alien dialog)” roar! I was so pleasurably surprised at how this bike was taking me back to school. Read on and I will take you through the journey of how a pure bred was mated to the clothing of a “girl next door”!


Reviews/Questions/Forums and all the “interesting” stuff:
The first look at the machine was an instant connection with the heart! A second look on a “knight rider” cruising the streets and my head was sold! I knew I had to have 1 myself. And I will thank 1 and all who are members of this forum for sharing experiences and keeping the community alive for well over a year and that, my friends, I believe, is the true success of a product. The details shared, technical as well as individual experiences, boosted my confidence in parking my hard earned money in a brand and product that has stood the test of fire.

Test Drive and Purchase:
I test drove the bike 3 times. Once each from Jai Bajaj in Sanitorium, Jai Bajaj in W. Mambalam and Khivraj Bajaj in Mt Road. I had the opportunity of riding a refined and relatively new TD bike in 1 showroom to an absolutely filthily maintained, vibe monster at another. Realization struck me and I have vowed to “take care” of my machine. But then again, so have I vowed to achieve my targeted BMI this year. I hope my machine inspires me on my personal goals!
After much deliberation, I decided to give my business to Jai Bajaj in W. Mambalam. For this where my father bought me my first bike – the Boxer CT! This was a decision of the heart because since 2002 this is the first time my father accompanied me to buy a vehicle – car or bike, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way! (OT – The Boxer CT still putters around once in a while, ever so feebly though! Bajaj FTW!!!)
I booked my Red Riding Hood (I hope the intrigue on the choice of name is still alive! I hope to give the plausible reasons for the name before this review is done!) on 25/07/18. Got delivery on 27/07/18. Jai Bajaj rocks! The gleaming Red was pumping blood in my veins (or arteries) at a rate coming real close to that of when I met my first gf! The PDI was an aberration at that time and my heart gave a wonderful piece of it to my brain! I am thankful that my brain persisted and completed the monotony of the friendly SA who was going through the A B n Cs of this Red naked thunder! After about half hour or so, I got to straddle my beauty and announce to the world – here comes the mighty Gopiraj on his indomitable steed – D-O-M-I-N-A-A-A-A-R-R-R-R!


The first night:
Well, the first evening haha! I clocked about 20km from showroom to my house in an unusually high traffic evening from W. Mambalam to Pammal. The bike was extremely heavy to push out of the delivery area to the road. But as soon as I sat on it and rolled off in 1^st gear, the weight disappeared! I had to stop immediately to check if I was dizzy in the head because I felt so light! Soon as the speedo touched 0, the weight reappeared! Almost as if it had an “on-off” switch! It took me about 10 minutes or so to get used to this feeling.
The next immediate observation was a growing pain in my left wrist and palms. My Dominar was making it clear to me that, she was not the “wham bam thank you ma’am” type at all! And I had to earn her respect to “open up” to me. A bike of character! Respect!
45 minutes later, with a throbbing pain in the left wrist, overshadowed by the biggest grin on my face, reached home. Oh and what a welcome ride it was into my Gated Community residence! Right from the security anna to the neighbour who has a big thumper 500, were drooling over the looks of my Red Babe! (I get to be the 1^st owner of a D400 in my colony. Ha!)
During this ride, I noticed the following:
A. Engine heat
B. Engine heat
C. And more Engine heat
I thought my beauty was actually a beast in disguise and after taking my nearly Rs 2 lakh she decided to show her true ugly face – a real life Bridezilla! However, thanks to all xBhp brethren and the friendly Svc guys, I was reassured that “with great power comes great heat”. So I just have to suck it up, be a man and wait for 1^st service


The Honeymoon: (500 km initial run in)
I had the opportunity to run my bike in varied conditions. Back n forth between office and home is a good 40km round trip in mostly moderate to heavy traffic. The bike’s heat was noticed not just by me but also all other riders who stopped beside me in traffic signals. It smelt of burnt heat too almost like an empty barbeque – only smoke, no pork!

Since, I have easy enough access to ORR, I could take her on longish solo rides on weekends. This helped me get the feel of the bike in traffic as well as in relaxed driving conditions. On the highway runs, I would mostly settle for the 4k-4.5k rpm limit. However, I would rev the engine occasionally to its 5.5k rpm limit warning and keep it there for about 15 sec or so and then ease up.

I haven’t done runs more than 1 hour at a time. Have decided to woo my Red Riding Hood after all by taking regular breaks! And I have never felt uncomfortable “mounting” her :P. The comfort levels are good. The seat is like a sofa! It is hard to come to terms with the roar coming from behind a comfortable saddle!
Suspension: is hard. One needs to learn to work it or adjust to it. Coming from riding a TVS Jupiter, my work horse, I had developed a habit of lifting my butt whenever approaching a speed breaker/pothole/undulation. This worked as long as I could see it coming. Sore butt was almost a regular phenomenon when a pothole would creep up from underneath the car/bus/truck in front. I happen to follow the same on my D400. On planned bumps, I have no issues. However, if I miss a bump, my lower spine has begun to protest as well. (not in such a polished manner at all!) It is not a deal breaker, yet, so am still sticking to stock suspension setting in the rear. The front suspension is easy to live with. I haven’t been pushed into really hard braking yet, thank God! However, I haven’t noticed any unusual behaviour.
Brakes: As mentioned before, I haven’t really brake tested the bike. However, it has always managed to keep me in control and never lose confidence. The ABS has kicked in on few occasions, but that was mostly on gravel or sandy patches, nothing too dramatic. Since I’m used to ABS very much in my car, I was at ease with my D400 too.
Tyres: They are good. They are best on black tops. They keep your confidence levels high in gravelly/sandy patches as well. This is more so because of the fine weighted front end. Helps maintain the line in nearly any surface. The downside is felt in flickability of the bike, however, this can be learned to be dealt with by connecting to the machine more – read as using your legs to hug the tank and make it go in the direction you want!
Performance: Well below 4k on the tacho, the bike is like a cute little kitten! Ok maybe an adolescent tigress! The size is the there, the meanness is there, yet it feels almost – cuddly! Release the shackles and go beyond 4k, there is a marked change in character! The adolescent tigress seems to come of age ever so suddenly! I have had to re start meditation in the morning. Do you know why? Because I have had the urge to twist that throttle open and let loose the dragon to wreak havoc in the roads! God only knows how I have managed to ease back on the throttle after the 4k mark! And this brings me to why I have decided to name my ride – Red Riding Hood! It’s a frigging beast in a “girl next door” clothing! Smile at her and she purrs back. Scowl and she can make you say names of Gods you wouldn’t even know about!
Vibrations: Between 4k-5k, there is a heavy buzz. It is not as if the whole bike is shaking. But it is disconcerting enough to make you notice it. The RVM becomes illegible so much so that you can’t make out if it is a big bad truck behind you or a lowly housefly! The tank is well damped. The foot pegs are not so much a bother. But the buzz is irksome in your butt. Depending on how you sit, ie which part of your bottom is contact more with seat, you feel the buzz in your ass or in your, im sorry, your balls. However, post 5k, the buzz settles down. I have revved her up to 5.5k and between 5k and 5.5k there is a marked improvement.
FE: Tankful to tankful on mixed riding conditions am getting around 28kmpl.
Fuel Gauge: I might have an aberration at hand because my fuel gauge actually works! I won’t say it is 100% accurate. At the same time, it is not pointing north when I’m riding south!
RVM: Well the RVM stalk is short. My shoulders are, well let’s be diplomatic, broad! When I took delivery of the bike, they weren’t RVMs but rather Vanity mirrors . However, I found a work around. I went back to SVC and twisted the stock out wide as far as possible while turning the mirror towards me as much as possible. Finally managed to hit a sweet spot where in more than 60% of the RVM is available for what it is actually intended for! It also served another unexpected purpose. When driving in higher speeds, the wind flow cannot hamper the RVM anymore because it is bent forward to its max angle. The tradeoff here is that there is no view of whoever or whatever is directly behind me. I’m willing to let my “xDiavel”esque tail lights do the talking for me to whoever is close enough to smell my rubber .

1^st Service:
Oil changed, chain cleaned and lubed, a sparkly water wash done, whatever needed to be tightened was tightened. Took delivery and rode out into the sunset and BAM – false neutral!!! Almost 50% of gear shifts between 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd gears was a false neutral! I had to beg the sun to hold its set and rushed back to Svc. Thankfully it was only the clutch cable play! They adjusted it and she was back to normal!
Vibes: Significantly reduced. The vibe range has come down to between 4k-4.5k. Even then it is very mild as compared to what I experienced earlier. Just so that I can give a tangible feel of what exactly the nature of the vibes are. If you happen to own an electric shaver/razor, remove the blades and switch on the razor with only the stalk rotating. Now stick your finger onto the fast rotating stalk. You would feel a buzz. And this is exactly the buzz felt on the D400. PLEASE DON’T STICK YOUR FINGER ONTO THE BLADES – YOU WILL GET HURT!
She has become smoother. Exhaust note has settled into a low, bassy grunt. Gear Shifts are smooth. Other than the trademark 1^st gear “thud”, the rest of the gear shifts are free from drama. What I do note is that gear box expects you show that you are in command. A firm push or lift on the gear lever results in a smooth shift. If you have the feeling that you are hurting the gear lever by pressing too hard and try to apply pressure in slow motion, please DON’T! You are likely to hit false neutrals or actually hit neutral while upshifting from 1^st to 2^nd.

So here goes my review on my D400. Hope I have been able to connect with you readers on what to expect from the bike on the initial days of ownership. In my experience, the relationship between man and machine has only been on an upswing. Minor niggles will come often to wake you up from dreamland. As with any solid summation of parts, the solution is just around the corner! Ride ON!

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Red Riding Hood – The wolf under a sheep’s skin!


Note: This is my first review. It is long. It may not appeal to all. I look forward to all suggestions – positive and the not so positives. I am willing to learn!


“Inferno”, “Red Baron”, “Flash” etc were few of the names I had thought up when I booked my Canyon Red steed. These were the brash, in your face kind of names which I thought would do justice to the harsh, vibey, yet immensely powerful thoroughbred that the Test Drive Dominar was! It bucked, it stalled and it flew! I relished at the prospect of this challenge, a manly challenge to tame the beast that I would eventually own!

Oh, how naïve was I! How I failed to notice the refined grunt, the “I got your back” low end characteristics, the “release me – (a la Independence Day alien dialog)” roar! I was so pleasurably surprised at how this bike was taking me back to school. Read on and I will take you through the journey of how a pure bred was mated to the clothing of a “girl next door”!


Reviews/Questions/Forums and all the “interesting” stuff:
The first look at the machine was an instant connection with the heart! A second look on a “knight rider” cruising the streets and my head was sold! I knew I had to have 1 myself. And I will thank 1 and all who are members of this forum for sharing experiences and keeping the community alive for well over a year and that, my friends, I believe, is the true success of a product. The details shared, technical as well as individual experiences, boosted my confidence in parking my hard earned money in a brand and product that has stood the test of fire.

Test Drive and Purchase:
I test drove the bike 3 times. Once each from Jai Bajaj in Sanitorium, Jai Bajaj in W. Mambalam and Khivraj Bajaj in Mt Road. I had the opportunity of riding a refined and relatively new TD bike in 1 showroom to an absolutely filthily maintained, vibe monster at another. Realization struck me and I have vowed to “take care” of my machine. But then again, so have I vowed to achieve my targeted BMI this year. I hope my machine inspires me on my personal goals!
After much deliberation, I decided to give my business to Jai Bajaj in W. Mambalam. For this where my father bought me my first bike – the Boxer CT! This was a decision of the heart because since 2002 this is the first time my father accompanied me to buy a vehicle – car or bike, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way! (OT – The Boxer CT still putters around once in a while, ever so feebly though! Bajaj FTW!!!)
I booked my Red Riding Hood (I hope the intrigue on the choice of name is still alive! I hope to give the plausible reasons for the name before this review is done!) on 25/07/18. Got delivery on 27/07/18. Jai Bajaj rocks! The gleaming Red was pumping blood in my veins (or arteries) at a rate coming real close to that of when I met my first gf! The PDI was an aberration at that time and my heart gave a wonderful piece of it to my brain! I am thankful that my brain persisted and completed the monotony of the friendly SA who was going through the A B n Cs of this Red naked thunder! After about half hour or so, I got to straddle my beauty and announce to the world – here comes the mighty Gopiraj on his indomitable steed – D-O-M-I-N-A-A-A-A-R-R-R-R!


The first night:
Well, the first evening haha! I clocked about 20km from showroom to my house in an unusually high traffic evening from W. Mambalam to Pammal. The bike was extremely heavy to push out of the delivery area to the road. But as soon as I sat on it and rolled off in 1^st gear, the weight disappeared! I had to stop immediately to check if I was dizzy in the head because I felt so light! Soon as the speedo touched 0, the weight reappeared! Almost as if it had an “on-off” switch! It took me about 10 minutes or so to get used to this feeling.
The next immediate observation was a growing pain in my left wrist and palms. My Dominar was making it clear to me that, she was not the “wham bam thank you ma’am” type at all! And I had to earn her respect to “open up” to me. A bike of character! Respect!
45 minutes later, with a throbbing pain in the left wrist, overshadowed by the biggest grin on my face, reached home. Oh and what a welcome ride it was into my Gated Community residence! Right from the security anna to the neighbour who has a big thumper 500, were drooling over the looks of my Red Babe! (I get to be the 1^st owner of a D400 in my colony. Ha!)
During this ride, I noticed the following:
A. Engine heat
B. Engine heat
C. And more Engine heat
I thought my beauty was actually a beast in disguise and after taking my nearly Rs 2 lakh she decided to show her true ugly face – a real life Bridezilla! However, thanks to all xBhp brethren and the friendly Svc guys, I was reassured that “with great power comes great heat”. So I just have to suck it up, be a man and wait for 1^st service


The Honeymoon: (500 km initial run in)
I had the opportunity to run my bike in varied conditions. Back n forth between office and home is a good 40km round trip in mostly moderate to heavy traffic. The bike’s heat was noticed not just by me but also all other riders who stopped beside me in traffic signals. It smelt of burnt heat too almost like an empty barbeque – only smoke, no pork!

Since, I have easy enough access to ORR, I could take her on longish solo rides on weekends. This helped me get the feel of the bike in traffic as well as in relaxed driving conditions. On the highway runs, I would mostly settle for the 4k-4.5k rpm limit. However, I would rev the engine occasionally to its 5.5k rpm limit warning and keep it there for about 15 sec or so and then ease up.

I haven’t done runs more than 1 hour at a time. Have decided to woo my Red Riding Hood after all by taking regular breaks! And I have never felt uncomfortable “mounting” her :P. The comfort levels are good. The seat is like a sofa! It is hard to come to terms with the roar coming from behind a comfortable saddle!
Suspension: is hard. One needs to learn to work it or adjust to it. Coming from riding a TVS Jupiter, my work horse, I had developed a habit of lifting my butt whenever approaching a speed breaker/pothole/undulation. This worked as long as I could see it coming. Sore butt was almost a regular phenomenon when a pothole would creep up from underneath the car/bus/truck in front. I happen to follow the same on my D400. On planned bumps, I have no issues. However, if I miss a bump, my lower spine has begun to protest as well. (not in such a polished manner at all!) It is not a deal breaker, yet, so am still sticking to stock suspension setting in the rear. The front suspension is easy to live with. I haven’t been pushed into really hard braking yet, thank God! However, I haven’t noticed any unusual behaviour.
Brakes: As mentioned before, I haven’t really brake tested the bike. However, it has always managed to keep me in control and never lose confidence. The ABS has kicked in on few occasions, but that was mostly on gravel or sandy patches, nothing too dramatic. Since I’m used to ABS very much in my car, I was at ease with my D400 too.
Tyres: They are good. They are best on black tops. They keep your confidence levels high in gravelly/sandy patches as well. This is more so because of the fine weighted front end. Helps maintain the line in nearly any surface. The downside is felt in flickability of the bike, however, this can be learned to be dealt with by connecting to the machine more – read as using your legs to hug the tank and make it go in the direction you want!
Performance: Well below 4k on the tacho, the bike is like a cute little kitten! Ok maybe an adolescent tigress! The size is the there, the meanness is there, yet it feels almost – cuddly! Release the shackles and go beyond 4k, there is a marked change in character! The adolescent tigress seems to come of age ever so suddenly! I have had to re start meditation in the morning. Do you know why? Because I have had the urge to twist that throttle open and let loose the dragon to wreak havoc in the roads! God only knows how I have managed to ease back on the throttle after the 4k mark! And this brings me to why I have decided to name my ride – Red Riding Hood! It’s a frigging beast in a “girl next door” clothing! Smile at her and she purrs back. Scowl and she can make you say names of Gods you wouldn’t even know about!
Vibrations: Between 4k-5k, there is a heavy buzz. It is not as if the whole bike is shaking. But it is disconcerting enough to make you notice it. The RVM becomes illegible so much so that you can’t make out if it is a big bad truck behind you or a lowly housefly! The tank is well damped. The foot pegs are not so much a bother. But the buzz is irksome in your butt. Depending on how you sit, ie which part of your bottom is contact more with seat, you feel the buzz in your ass or in your, im sorry, your balls. However, post 5k, the buzz settles down. I have revved her up to 5.5k and between 5k and 5.5k there is a marked improvement.
FE: Tankful to tankful on mixed riding conditions am getting around 28kmpl.
Fuel Gauge: I might have an aberration at hand because my fuel gauge actually works! I won’t say it is 100% accurate. At the same time, it is not pointing north when I’m riding south!
RVM: Well the RVM stalk is short. My shoulders are, well let’s be diplomatic, broad! When I took delivery of the bike, they weren’t RVMs but rather Vanity mirrors . However, I found a work around. I went back to SVC and twisted the stock out wide as far as possible while turning the mirror towards me as much as possible. Finally managed to hit a sweet spot where in more than 60% of the RVM is available for what it is actually intended for! It also served another unexpected purpose. When driving in higher speeds, the wind flow cannot hamper the RVM anymore because it is bent forward to its max angle. The tradeoff here is that there is no view of whoever or whatever is directly behind me. I’m willing to let my “xDiavel”esque tail lights do the talking for me to whoever is close enough to smell my rubber .

1^st Service:
Oil changed, chain cleaned and lubed, a sparkly water wash done, whatever needed to be tightened was tightened. Took delivery and rode out into the sunset and BAM – false neutral!!! Almost 50% of gear shifts between 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd gears was a false neutral! I had to beg the sun to hold its set and rushed back to Svc. Thankfully it was only the clutch cable play! They adjusted it and she was back to normal!
Vibes: Significantly reduced. The vibe range has come down to between 4k-4.5k. Even then it is very mild as compared to what I experienced earlier. Just so that I can give a tangible feel of what exactly the nature of the vibes are. If you happen to own an electric shaver/razor, remove the blades and switch on the razor with only the stalk rotating. Now stick your finger onto the fast rotating stalk. You would feel a buzz. And this is exactly the buzz felt on the D400. PLEASE DON’T STICK YOUR FINGER ONTO THE BLADES – YOU WILL GET HURT!
She has become smoother. Exhaust note has settled into a low, bassy grunt. Gear Shifts are smooth. Other than the trademark 1^st gear “thud”, the rest of the gear shifts are free from drama. What I do note is that gear box expects you show that you are in command. A firm push or lift on the gear lever results in a smooth shift. If you have the feeling that you are hurting the gear lever by pressing too hard and try to apply pressure in slow motion, please DON’T! You are likely to hit false neutrals or actually hit neutral while upshifting from 1^st to 2^nd.

So here goes my review on my D400. Hope I have been able to connect with you readers on what to expect from the bike on the initial days of ownership. In my experience, the relationship between man and machine has only been on an upswing. Minor niggles will come often to wake you up from dreamland. As with any solid summation of parts, the solution is just around the corner! Ride ON!

Few Pictures

[ksmtkmr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

1. Fuel gauges are not accurate in any vehicle. It is futile to worry about them. The reason is that the sensor reads the position of the float every 10-15 minutes depending on the bike. Usually the float is fixed at the left hand side of the bike, so when you switch on the bike, it was on a side stand, so the first time you switched on the bike, the sensor gave you a higher reading, because the bike was on its side stand and all the petrol was tilted to left where the float is and raised its position higher. Now you start to ride and after 10 minutes, the bars on the fuel gauge drop, because now you are riding the bike and it is in straight position when the sensor took the reading. This is confusing at first but as long as you don't have just 20 rs worth of petrol in your bike its al good. ride it without worry and whenever the low fuel starts blinking, take it to fuel pump and fill her up.

2. its also a good habit not to let the fuel tank dry. Its not good for the fuel injection system. if the bike is low on fuel the fuel pressure drops and the pump starts to pump air through the fuel injection system, there are chances of it going kaput really soon. The fuel pump should always be fully submerged in fuel. It serves 2 purposes. 1. it acts as a coolant for the pump and keeps it nice and cool. 2. it acts as lubricant for the pump and keeps it well and healthy. I'm not saying you have to keep the tank full all the time but it should not go completely dry. So whenever the low fuel starts blinking, fill her up with a minimum of 200 rs. If you are the kind of guy whose bike contains 20 rs worth of fuel most of the time, the FI system is going to go kaput and you will have a heavy expense.

3. Noise in the brakes is not a problem as long as they work as expected. The noise is more due to two reasons. 1.Currently monsoons bring a lot of rains and the rain water along with the fine dust is splashed continuously on the rotors and the calipers. due to this a find coat of dust is accumulated on the brake pads (look at the side lines of your tire after a rainy day ride, it will be yellowish and its very hard to remove even after washing, its the same coat of dust in brake pads as well) which cause the noise. It does not affect the braking at all but If you are annoyed, remove the pads, use sand paper on it and the noise will go away. 2. If the bike is left standing in rains (Which it will because it is monsoon), the rotors start rusting, which again can be a factor for noise. Wipe the rotors with WD40 and noise will go away.


4. There are several types of basic gear and you can choose from a wide variety depending on your budget and usage. Please Motorcycle accessories\Riding gear section, and you will get a good idea of what you can get in your budget and also reviews of how good the gear is.

Ride safe brother. may you have many many happy and safe miles on your bike.

Thanks for the info about fuel pump in FI system, didn't know that! I don't think I will ever let the fuel indicator blink. It's always gonna be full tank. I used reserve as an indicator to fill fuel on my old bike. I guess I have to get used to relying of the fuel gauge. As I'm gonna give my bike for servicing tomorrow, wondering if I should stick with the oil Bajaj intends to use? Should I buy some other brand and ask them to use it instead?

[jitark]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

i am also planning to buy Dominar next month, please tell me if there is coolant problem in newer 2018 model. because i have read many times about coolant problems on the internet and some videos too. please update me if you found any other problem in your bike. your review is very detailed. good luck with your rides

Red Riding Hood – The wolf under a sheep’s skin!


Note: This is my first review. It is long. It may not appeal to all. I look forward to all suggestions – positive and the not so positives. I am willing to learn!


“Inferno”, “Red Baron”, “Flash” etc were few of the names I had thought up when I booked my Canyon Red steed. These were the brash, in your face kind of names which I thought would do justice to the harsh, vibey, yet immensely powerful thoroughbred that the Test Drive Dominar was! It bucked, it stalled and it flew! I relished at the prospect of this challenge, a manly challenge to tame the beast that I would eventually own!

Oh, how naïve was I! How I failed to notice the refined grunt, the “I got your back” low end characteristics, the “release me – (a la Independence Day alien dialog)” roar! I was so pleasurably surprised at how this bike was taking me back to school. Read on and I will take you through the journey of how a pure bred was mated to the clothing of a “girl next door”!


Reviews/Questions/Forums and all the “interesting” stuff:
The first look at the machine was an instant connection with the heart! A second look on a “knight rider” cruising the streets and my head was sold! I knew I had to have 1 myself. And I will thank 1 and all who are members of this forum for sharing experiences and keeping the community alive for well over a year and that, my friends, I believe, is the true success of a product. The details shared, technical as well as individual experiences, boosted my confidence in parking my hard earned money in a brand and product that has stood the test of fire.

Test Drive and Purchase:
I test drove the bike 3 times. Once each from Jai Bajaj in Sanitorium, Jai Bajaj in W. Mambalam and Khivraj Bajaj in Mt Road. I had the opportunity of riding a refined and relatively new TD bike in 1 showroom to an absolutely filthily maintained, vibe monster at another. Realization struck me and I have vowed to “take care” of my machine. But then again, so have I vowed to achieve my targeted BMI this year. I hope my machine inspires me on my personal goals!
After much deliberation, I decided to give my business to Jai Bajaj in W. Mambalam. For this where my father bought me my first bike – the Boxer CT! This was a decision of the heart because since 2002 this is the first time my father accompanied me to buy a vehicle – car or bike, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way! (OT – The Boxer CT still putters around once in a while, ever so feebly though! Bajaj FTW!!!)
I booked my Red Riding Hood (I hope the intrigue on the choice of name is still alive! I hope to give the plausible reasons for the name before this review is done!) on 25/07/18. Got delivery on 27/07/18. Jai Bajaj rocks! The gleaming Red was pumping blood in my veins (or arteries) at a rate coming real close to that of when I met my first gf! The PDI was an aberration at that time and my heart gave a wonderful piece of it to my brain! I am thankful that my brain persisted and completed the monotony of the friendly SA who was going through the A B n Cs of this Red naked thunder! After about half hour or so, I got to straddle my beauty and announce to the world – here comes the mighty Gopiraj on his indomitable steed – D-O-M-I-N-A-A-A-A-R-R-R-R!


The first night:
Well, the first evening haha! I clocked about 20km from showroom to my house in an unusually high traffic evening from W. Mambalam to Pammal. The bike was extremely heavy to push out of the delivery area to the road. But as soon as I sat on it and rolled off in 1^st gear, the weight disappeared! I had to stop immediately to check if I was dizzy in the head because I felt so light! Soon as the speedo touched 0, the weight reappeared! Almost as if it had an “on-off” switch! It took me about 10 minutes or so to get used to this feeling.
The next immediate observation was a growing pain in my left wrist and palms. My Dominar was making it clear to me that, she was not the “wham bam thank you ma’am” type at all! And I had to earn her respect to “open up” to me. A bike of character! Respect!
45 minutes later, with a throbbing pain in the left wrist, overshadowed by the biggest grin on my face, reached home. Oh and what a welcome ride it was into my Gated Community residence! Right from the security anna to the neighbour who has a big thumper 500, were drooling over the looks of my Red Babe! (I get to be the 1^st owner of a D400 in my colony. Ha!)
During this ride, I noticed the following:
A. Engine heat
B. Engine heat
C. And more Engine heat
I thought my beauty was actually a beast in disguise and after taking my nearly Rs 2 lakh she decided to show her true ugly face – a real life Bridezilla! However, thanks to all xBhp brethren and the friendly Svc guys, I was reassured that “with great power comes great heat”. So I just have to suck it up, be a man and wait for 1^st service


The Honeymoon: (500 km initial run in)
I had the opportunity to run my bike in varied conditions. Back n forth between office and home is a good 40km round trip in mostly moderate to heavy traffic. The bike’s heat was noticed not just by me but also all other riders who stopped beside me in traffic signals. It smelt of burnt heat too almost like an empty barbeque – only smoke, no pork!

Since, I have easy enough access to ORR, I could take her on longish solo rides on weekends. This helped me get the feel of the bike in traffic as well as in relaxed driving conditions. On the highway runs, I would mostly settle for the 4k-4.5k rpm limit. However, I would rev the engine occasionally to its 5.5k rpm limit warning and keep it there for about 15 sec or so and then ease up.

I haven’t done runs more than 1 hour at a time. Have decided to woo my Red Riding Hood after all by taking regular breaks! And I have never felt uncomfortable “mounting” her :P. The comfort levels are good. The seat is like a sofa! It is hard to come to terms with the roar coming from behind a comfortable saddle!
Suspension: is hard. One needs to learn to work it or adjust to it. Coming from riding a TVS Jupiter, my work horse, I had developed a habit of lifting my butt whenever approaching a speed breaker/pothole/undulation. This worked as long as I could see it coming. Sore butt was almost a regular phenomenon when a pothole would creep up from underneath the car/bus/truck in front. I happen to follow the same on my D400. On planned bumps, I have no issues. However, if I miss a bump, my lower spine has begun to protest as well. (not in such a polished manner at all!) It is not a deal breaker, yet, so am still sticking to stock suspension setting in the rear. The front suspension is easy to live with. I haven’t been pushed into really hard braking yet, thank God! However, I haven’t noticed any unusual behaviour.
Brakes: As mentioned before, I haven’t really brake tested the bike. However, it has always managed to keep me in control and never lose confidence. The ABS has kicked in on few occasions, but that was mostly on gravel or sandy patches, nothing too dramatic. Since I’m used to ABS very much in my car, I was at ease with my D400 too.
Tyres: They are good. They are best on black tops. They keep your confidence levels high in gravelly/sandy patches as well. This is more so because of the fine weighted front end. Helps maintain the line in nearly any surface. The downside is felt in flickability of the bike, however, this can be learned to be dealt with by connecting to the machine more – read as using your legs to hug the tank and make it go in the direction you want!
Performance: Well below 4k on the tacho, the bike is like a cute little kitten! Ok maybe an adolescent tigress! The size is the there, the meanness is there, yet it feels almost – cuddly! Release the shackles and go beyond 4k, there is a marked change in character! The adolescent tigress seems to come of age ever so suddenly! I have had to re start meditation in the morning. Do you know why? Because I have had the urge to twist that throttle open and let loose the dragon to wreak havoc in the roads! God only knows how I have managed to ease back on the throttle after the 4k mark! And this brings me to why I have decided to name my ride – Red Riding Hood! It’s a frigging beast in a “girl next door” clothing! Smile at her and she purrs back. Scowl and she can make you say names of Gods you wouldn’t even know about!
Vibrations: Between 4k-5k, there is a heavy buzz. It is not as if the whole bike is shaking. But it is disconcerting enough to make you notice it. The RVM becomes illegible so much so that you can’t make out if it is a big bad truck behind you or a lowly housefly! The tank is well damped. The foot pegs are not so much a bother. But the buzz is irksome in your butt. Depending on how you sit, ie which part of your bottom is contact more with seat, you feel the buzz in your ass or in your, im sorry, your balls. However, post 5k, the buzz settles down. I have revved her up to 5.5k and between 5k and 5.5k there is a marked improvement.
FE: Tankful to tankful on mixed riding conditions am getting around 28kmpl.
Fuel Gauge: I might have an aberration at hand because my fuel gauge actually works! I won’t say it is 100% accurate. At the same time, it is not pointing north when I’m riding south!
RVM: Well the RVM stalk is short. My shoulders are, well let’s be diplomatic, broad! When I took delivery of the bike, they weren’t RVMs but rather Vanity mirrors . However, I found a work around. I went back to SVC and twisted the stock out wide as far as possible while turning the mirror towards me as much as possible. Finally managed to hit a sweet spot where in more than 60% of the RVM is available for what it is actually intended for! It also served another unexpected purpose. When driving in higher speeds, the wind flow cannot hamper the RVM anymore because it is bent forward to its max angle. The tradeoff here is that there is no view of whoever or whatever is directly behind me. I’m willing to let my “xDiavel”esque tail lights do the talking for me to whoever is close enough to smell my rubber .

1^st Service:
Oil changed, chain cleaned and lubed, a sparkly water wash done, whatever needed to be tightened was tightened. Took delivery and rode out into the sunset and BAM – false neutral!!! Almost 50% of gear shifts between 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd gears was a false neutral! I had to beg the sun to hold its set and rushed back to Svc. Thankfully it was only the clutch cable play! They adjusted it and she was back to normal!
Vibes: Significantly reduced. The vibe range has come down to between 4k-4.5k. Even then it is very mild as compared to what I experienced earlier. Just so that I can give a tangible feel of what exactly the nature of the vibes are. If you happen to own an electric shaver/razor, remove the blades and switch on the razor with only the stalk rotating. Now stick your finger onto the fast rotating stalk. You would feel a buzz. And this is exactly the buzz felt on the D400. PLEASE DON’T STICK YOUR FINGER ONTO THE BLADES – YOU WILL GET HURT!
She has become smoother. Exhaust note has settled into a low, bassy grunt. Gear Shifts are smooth. Other than the trademark 1^st gear “thud”, the rest of the gear shifts are free from drama. What I do note is that gear box expects you show that you are in command. A firm push or lift on the gear lever results in a smooth shift. If you have the feeling that you are hurting the gear lever by pressing too hard and try to apply pressure in slow motion, please DON’T! You are likely to hit false neutrals or actually hit neutral while upshifting from 1^st to 2^nd.

So here goes my review on my D400. Hope I have been able to connect with you readers on what to expect from the bike on the initial days of ownership. In my experience, the relationship between man and machine has only been on an upswing. Minor niggles will come often to wake you up from dreamland. As with any solid summation of parts, the solution is just around the corner! Ride ON!

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----



Few Pictures
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[xearoum]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Thanks for all the inputs guys!

Bought the Dominar on 16 Aug from Hyderabad and rode it to Bangalore yesterday(22 Aug). It was fun but the 5.5k RPM limit sucked, I was constantly looking at the rev limiter light! ODO reading is a little over 800 KM. I didn't expect to exceed 750 but sh*t happens! I didn't really feel much of the vibrations spoken about. May be that's something not there in 2018 model or have to go faster or I'm not bothered by it. Don't know yet! A bit disappointed with the fuel gauge as I don't think it works properly. I had to switch off and then bring the vehicle back to life using the key to get the updated fuel reading every time. If there was a reserve, it would have been easier to not rely on the fuel gauge. I might end up worrying about fuel a lot! For the first 100 odd KMs the radiator got hot, sometimes really hot, but later on it was fine. It got hot even if it was ridden only for 4-5 KMs. Not sure why but do I need to worry?

Gonna give it for the first servicing on Saturday. Booked the servicing slot on the Bajaj care mobile app and was wonderings if that app is useful at all?

I guess there's dust in the front disk break as I can hear some noise coming out of it when applied. I did hear creaking noise from the rear break but that happened only twice till now.

Now, I made a mistake of not travelling with biking gear and now my hands are red and tanned! They hurt when they come in contact with hot/warm water or sun rays! Never saw this coming! So now, any suggestion for biking gear?


FYI... got the dust magnet, that's a good description of the color.

although new tech doesnt need proper breakin but it is still advised that you dont run the bike at a stable RPM.. which typically happens on highways.