Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

[~wolverine~]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Also.. Its not accident... A bad quality issue can't be considered as accident.

[ROHAN SPEEDOFREAK SHARMA]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Technically, it is an accident.just that it did not involve a second vehicle. You hit a pot hole. I have done similar on my earlier bike but got away as they were not tubeless tyre.
Dominar is a heavy bike and the body weight shifts to front easily as position is not completely up right.
But there may be quality issues.
If it gets covered under insurance, how much do you have to shell out.

Hello 1 more of my friend complained about using speed for the first time and working fine and second time the bike was knocking.

[kishanm77]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

First need to pay full amount of rim around 4k.
Then amount will be refunded into account withing 45 days.

Isnt it a cashless policy? Why do you have to give money upfront?

[deepDmnr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Also.. Its not accident... A bad quality issue can't be considered as accident.

As a biker you would know better. I would go by your judgment.
Hypothetically, If the pothole was big enough for the wheel to sink in and you did not hit the brake and air pressure was low and you almost fell off, Then I 'd say rim damage chances are high.
But in most other cases, rim should hold shape. Couple of days ago, watched an Australian video on Chinese car rims that get easily damaged at 50 kmph.
If these are Chinese rims, is hard to guarantee quality.

[deepDmnr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Hello 1 more of my friend complained about using speed for the first time and working fine and second time the bike was knocking.

Thanks, that's good to know. Will switch to normal grade and see the difference. Before speed, the cold start was a steady firing. Well... live and learn

[deepDmnr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Also.. Its not accident... A bad quality issue can't be considered as accident.

https://youtu.be/vaJixxQeosQ

[abhaisankar]

The Perfect Balance bike; DOMINAR 400

About me: Myself Abhai sankar(Thrissur,kerala) ,iam a medical student ,more than that iam a passionate petrol head.
Bikes i have owned in past :Bajaj discover 125,suzuki access 125 scooter,Apache RTR 180,Pulsar Rs 200.
BIKES I CURRENTLY OWN:KTM RC 390,BAJAJ DOMINAR 400.



DOMINAR 400 ; The perfect balance bike.

FLASH BACK; Before telling you about the bike, i have some flashback to go through regarding my previous Bajaj(Pulsar Rs 200). After my apache rtr 180 which served me a good 60000 kms i was looking for a worthy upgrade , thats when the Pulsar Rs 200 came out .The value for money with best power in the class and a single channel abs (Thought it was a bang for the buck).And that was the worst decision i made in my life(sorry to say this Rs 200 owners, just my opinion).It was a bike that ticked all boxes ,but does nothing perfectly. Poor handling(for a sports bike), poor touring capabilities (harder seat and ergonomics which is between sports and a street bike), Hell lot of vibrations, etc etc.. I really started hating that bike. Thats when I thought of buying an Rc 390 and went for it. It is a great sports bike ,it does what they say it does, i was fairly happy with it.But still sports ergonomics of that bike made it unusable for long rides and touring .I was really disappointed i had 2 bikes still i wasn't able to go on long tours . Thats when the Dominar 400 came out .

PATH TO DOMINAR: I came across Dominar 400 some time back when an add started playing in between a YouTube video.
I never felt like it was a bike of my taste. But following that constantly I started to see hypes abouts new Dominar 400 . Reviewers claiming this bike do that and this ,like that.But i was really skeptical about it , obviously due to my bitter experience from Plusar Rs 200. That was when I received a call from my Bajaj dealer (GRAND BAJAJ THRISSUR) asking me if i was interested in exchange it for Dominar 400. Even though i was not that much interested i thought of giving it a shot (any way i was not using pulsar Rs 200 anymore). So i went there ,got my pulsar Rs 200 inspected and in the mean time i took a test Ride on Dominar 400. Thats the point were everything changed ,that test ride. I was instantly in love with that bike ( i got nearly 5 km highway stretch for test ride). The bike felt amazing , it was the kind of bike i had in my mind for years( A powerful bike, with good handling , relaxed ergonomics , fairly good mileage at a good price) This bike nailed each of my needs.
[emoji72] and i was very sure what i needed to do. I expressed my interest for exchange and they arranged me a buyer. Within one week all the procedures were completed and sold the bike . On 14 feb ( valantines day) booking fee 9000Rs for my new found love. 16 Feb i paid the complete amount for my DOMINAR 400 ABS WHITE COLOUR(173400Rs including bumper to bumper insurance ). On 17 Feb evening 4:50 pm i got my bike delivered.[emoji4]
I really have to mention here that unlike when i bought my RS 200(which was my worst sales and aftersales experience ever) , The salesman DEEPAK , Who took my booking was very well manner and gave me excellent service . He was very frank about issues the bajaj bikes had and he didn't exaggerated a thing when he presented the bike.Everything was very prompt and I really felt like i was buying a honda city..Thats how they treated me. Fingers crossed for a good service.





[emoji4] [emoji4]
(I know photos are not that good[emoji12] , will post some later)
EXPERIENCE WITH MACHINE TILL NOW:
The odo marked 5 kms which is due to PDI ,i inspected the bike thoroughly before thaking the delivery and made sure everything is ok( ofcourse you have to, we are talking about bajaj here[emoji23] ). It had 3 litre petrol and i filled up to full tank from the nearest pump.
As of now 3 days ,300kms ( 100plus in highway, 80plus in city , Rest in the night)
The bike is in Running in period till 2000km , till that iam planning to limit the rpm below 4k and speed below 70km(actually its the rpm that you should look it , better don't ride above 4.5, its still have plenty of torque at 3-4k range ,unlike my ktm )

BUILT QUALITY: Good buildqulity for a Bajaj bike ( 100% better than my old Rs 200)
No visible gaps ( they gave me an option to choose the bike out of 5 bikes, so i choose on with no gaps.. 2 of them had fairly large gaps in their bikini fairing)
Excellent paint quality , better than my ktm.
Pedals and liver have good quality( but the break pedal could have been rubber coated like ktm )
Still there is lot to improve especially on the plastics
7/10

HANDLING : Its very flickable despite it higher weight ,i personally feel that this the best handling bike from the bajaj stable till now. It was fairly easy to handle in the city , i felt like i was using a benelli .its not a sharp handling maching like ktm rc 390 , but i felt its better flickable.Havent done any cornering , will update later. 8/10
Ergonomics: The sitting posture is upright and the seat are very comfortable . I did an 80km stretch in highway and it was breeze(occasional stops as it was new engine)suspension is not too stiff or is it too soft .It is nitpicking still it would have been great if they made rear portion of rider seat more flat rather than a curve. It has really good grips too ( but I don't think the softness will last long ).9/10


ACCELERATION :Very linear ,no sudden outburst of power , it lacks the fun like ktm duke 390 , but for a cruiser its way ahead of the competition like RE bikes.(no offence RE owners). There is plenty of torque in each gear and lower rpm. In any gear a twist of trottle and you will have the confidence to overtake.Short gear ratios.8/10

SLIPPER CLUTCH: Yes it works , gives better result than one on my Rc 390 .Down shift at any speed and its smooth no jerking. And its for the first time iam riding 250cc plus bike that doesn't know at 35-40 km speed in its 6th gear.9/10

VIBRATION: at 6th gear, 4000 Rpm and 70 km speed it feel like a Honda engine , its exceptionally smooth for a 373 cc single cylinder.
Between 4.5 - 5k Rpm there are fair amount of vibrations ( but atleast 60% lower than my ktm Rc 390) ,but the vibrations are nothing like it wil bother you in the ride ,or make you fingers numb)
7/10

BREAKING: Breaking is progressive and have batter feel than ktms ,but rear could use little bit better stopping power.( Front has better stopping power than my RC 390)

HEADLIGHTS : EXCELLENT , really excellent job by bajaj ,its the best on any sub 500 cc bike.It really has very good visibility is the high beam (but the ow beam is mediocre).
But i think it really an eye sore for vehicles coming opposite.Each and everyone flashed their light when they went passed ( yes even when i was in low beam). Thats bit of a problem.

MILEAGE: I dont know , i haven't checked yet. Will check after 1 at service and keep updating.

DEMERITS: Actually nothing can be considered a disadvantage considering the price point still these are certain point where i felt improvement.

∆ Absence gear shift indicator; its a must have, especially considering the smoothness of the engine. At time i was really confused if iam at 4th ,5th,6th . You don't know unless you pass 4500rpm limit.

∆ Two console design : aesthetically it is appealing. But in real life scenario its completely use less.. Atleast they should have adjusted the position of 2 nd console in a way that I don't have to look away from the road each time i look at it.

∆ RPM LIMIT AT 9000; thats seriously disappointing for a bike with this much potential.

∆ THE REAR MUDGUARD: THIS IS THE WORST PART OF THE BIKE, it really look like it belong to a 150cc commuter budget bike ,rather than a premium bike like Dominar 400 . Even the aesthetic appeal of duccati diavel like tail lamps are lost all thanks to this.

∆ Tank pads: How much will a better tank pad cost??maximum 50-100 rs . They are selling the bike for 1.7 lakhs and they can't give a good tank pad.Atleast they could have used the one present on Rs 200. This is were Bajaj show their typical traits , it's really shame ,they doing these kinds of cheap cost cutting measures.


∆ Accessories : It really high time Bajaj starts thinking of providing optional accessories , even though not like ktm powerparts they could Atleast provide some touring accessories especially when they are branding it as a POWER CRUISER placing it against RE where you can find lakhs of accessories and custom mods both factory made and aftermarket ones . And i think its time bajaj start selling some riding gear like RE , Considering they have such a wide network they would probably sell like hot cakes .Its not just about selling them its actually a social responsibility to ensure saftey too.


CONCLUSION
This is motorcycle which check all the right boxes and have a perfect balance between power ,handling and daily life usage
If you are someone looking for a good quality motorcycle with ample power ,good handling and reasonable mileage at an affordable price there is no better choice in the segment . Especially if you are looking for an easy to live with bike which can get you to office in city traffic ,go for occasional long tours and need a better equipped powerful bike than RE ,this is the bike for you. Each time you get on this bike for a ride ,i can assure you that it will put a smile on your face..

Planned upgrades for the bike.

Rubber sleeves for break pedal .
A mobile holder with charger
Roots gladiator 2 central locking (i know it will take a toll on your battery and sensors in the long run, But where I usually keep the bike kochi its a must have .)
Better breakpads when this one is worn out.
Michellin piolet radial or perelli or an mrf masseter(last choice) for the next tyre change.

Really sorry for making this such a long review.i will be updating about further experience with Bajaj Dominar 400 after next service.

Thank you.

[B7ACKTHORN]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Thanks VJ. Sold the CBR to my friend. Didn't feel bad as I could visit her anytime, any day I wish.

Yes, the bolt is already stuck.. Have to check during first service.

BTW what happens when the ABS does not engage below 10kmph? I braked hard as soon as I took off in first gear to check this and it's behaving as if engine is knocking. Can't figure what's happening.?! Please advice.

Yes, most ABS are calibrated to work above certain speeds, in this case and CBR's case 10 kmph. When you brake under 10 KMPH in any gear, without depressing the clutch, at extremely walk pace speeds, you would knock the engine to a stall. The ABS won't work in and around 10 KMPH. It's a high compression engine, and knocking are prone to happen at such low gear with extremely low speeds. Imagine, taking off the bike at 3rd gear and pressing the rear brake, you will feel jerks, knocks, and that's precisely what's happening. Suggest not to try that. As long as ABS kicks in at the right instant, you're fine.

Does anyone have the problem of engine rpm rising to 2500 when the clutch is pressed while slowing down?

I guess, some faced this issue and was sorted with the ECU update. IIRC, a member posted facing the same issue after the ECU update, and when contacted SVC, the folks recommended a reflash. Perhaps, it's a wise idea to report it to your service center.

Regarding the alloy, I am surprised as to the niggles already plaguing this topic. Though it can be a quality or one-off issue, Bajaj would have definitely taken the wheel strength into consideration considering the bike's very purpose, touring, bike's wet weight, + loaded, it equates to quite a heavy weight. If they did their homework right, they would have learnt that the devil is in the details from the Duke conundrum. Luckily it didn't crack, it's just bent. Keep us posted.

Cheers!
VJ

[Ijs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

[MENTION=89514]deepDmnr[/MENTION] brother no where in the manual it says use power or speed petrol , it says Ron91 which is the standard grade of petrol all over the country so stick with it. Power and speed are Ron93.

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Hello Friends,

This is my very first post on xbhp. I am KISHAN from Vizag. I am a CARDIAC SURGEON. I thank the mods for accepting my membership. I have recently bought a Moonwhite Dominar 400 ABS from the local dealer VARUN BAJAJ. Its been exactly 2 weeks. I was lucky to be offered the bike without booking as another customer had backed out. I picked it up on the very first day of DOMINAR's delivery in Vizag. A total of 10 bikes were delivered that day.

xbhp was a major contributor for my decision. I had stopped riding bikes about 10-12 years ago, when I sold my Samurai and shifted to Vizag.

I have ridden Dominar for about 200 kms only. (My work place is very near my home, and I don't get much time for evening rides).
I hope to munch more miles as biking is something which I like very much.

KISHAN

Welcome back to riding sir. My best wishes.

[~wolverine~]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

https://youtu.be/vaJixxQeosQ

This is my concern. The quality. I believe now you understand well.
This is what i was saying... it should handle the normal pothole... but in my case it didn't.

[deepDmnr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

[MENTION=89514]deepDmnr[/MENTION] brother no where in the manual it says use power or speed petrol , it says Ron91 which is the standard grade of petrol all over the country so stick with it. Power and speed are Ron93.

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



Welcome back to riding sir. My best wishes.

I was mistaken in thinking that normal grade was octane 87.

[vishalmusle]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Also.. Its not accident... A bad quality issue can't be considered as accident.

My two cents here. On another thread which i was an avid follower of, the TNT 300 thread, some of them had expressed similar issues occurring on their rims which gave way (sometimes cracked) when they hit pot holes. Now these alloys aren't meant to take a beating, no wonder, off roaders come with spoked rims. Having said that, this will be treated as an accident as it is physically broken and may not be covered under warranty. However, it is worthwhile to bring this to the notice of big bosses at Bajaj who will sit up and take note and do something about it. The SA guys, will not do anything, believe me!!

Please keep the thread updated on what happens.

[sman999]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Yes, most ABS are calibrated to work above certain speeds, in this case and CBR's case 10 kmph. When you brake under 10 KMPH in any gear, without depressing the clutch, at extremely walk pace speeds, you would knock the engine to a stall. The ABS won't work in and around 10 KMPH. It's a high compression engine, and knocking are prone to happen at such low gear with extremely low speeds. Imagine, taking off the bike at 3rd gear and pressing the rear brake, you will feel jerks, knocks, and that's precisely what's happening. Suggest not to try that. As long as ABS kicks in at the right instant, you're fine.


Cheers!
VJ

I know engine would stall without a depressed clutch. I wanted to test rear locking as it was a muddy terrain, What i did was, slot into first, accelerate, was under 15kmph, pulled the clutch, stamped the rear pedal, i understood the jerk was cuz of ABS but the stalling like jerky behavior? No one would probably get what i say unless you experience it.

[deepDmnr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

I know engine would stall without a depressed clutch. I wanted to test rear locking as it was a muddy terrain, What i did was, slot into first, accelerate, was under 15kmph, pulled the clutch, stamped the rear pedal, i understood the jerk was cuz of ABS but the stalling like jerky behavior? No one would probably get what i say unless you experience it.

Whats this about being in gear vs depressed clutch. Can abs not be tested with a depressed clutch.

[deepDmnr]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Whats this about being in gear vs depressed clutch. Can abs not be tested with a depressed clutch.

My bad, got it now. I have heard a knock out two on hard brake with the clutch pulled towards the end. I thought that might have been something to do with slipper clutch