Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

[Manu Abraham]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

thank you all for the reply. I'll probably go with a matte blue shade that is a bit brigter. that way I dont have to worry about the color in rc
i do hope they dont go in depth as to which version of blue

[chip94]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Ya wind hits the body but i thought weight of the bike would prevent it.
But now considering dukes are more light it would be so scary on dukes !!!

Not really. The 390 is very stable at normal highway cruising speeds of 140. Doesn't move or twitch. Infact, during a top speed run, it never shook or moved up until the top speed rev limiter.

Now, since the dominar is heavier, it should't move too. In your case a few things come to my mind. Maybe you're new to riding at such speeds? It does take getting used to. Or maybe the wind on that day was particularly more? That can be problematic. The tires on the Dominar are pretty okayish.

[Manu Abraham]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

i felt that shaking just once, but it was early morning and i was on a flyover with open area on both sides. Heavy winds. Apart from that the bike has never had any issue even at consistent high speeds.

[Somesh1902]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Not really. The 390 is very stable at normal highway cruising speeds of 140. Doesn't move or twitch. Infact, during a top speed run, it never shook or moved up until the top speed rev limiter.

Now, since the dominar is heavier, it should't move too. In your case a few things come to my mind. Maybe you're new to riding at such speeds? It does take getting used to. Or maybe the wind on that day was particularly more? That can be problematic. The tires on the Dominar are pretty okayish.

I also saw a review of the bike on youtube on the same patch of the road and that bike was also shaky after 130 or so.

[Ijs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Not really. The 390 is very stable at normal highway cruising speeds of 140. Doesn't move or twitch. Infact, during a top speed run, it never shook or moved up until the top speed rev limiter.

Now, since the dominar is heavier, it should't move too. In your case a few things come to my mind. Maybe you're new to riding at such speeds? It does take getting used to. Or maybe the wind on that day was particularly more? That can be problematic. The tires on the Dominar are pretty okayish.

I do face this shake or fishtail effect or loss of traction at high speed say 85-100kmp with heavy cross wind while riding solo and it gets scary . But things get stable when i increase the speed or crouch , also with the pillion there is no such problems. One thing I learned that at heavy wind blast speed is our bike's best alley.
Also i am new to riding at high speed as i have been using slow thing earlier. Would appreciate your pointers as how to handle such situations. I also got my wheel and hub checked and told the sa to soften the suspension by a notch but he advised against it. In the city roads there is no shake or wave even at 90kmph i occurs only on open and wide highway with heavy wind blast.

[ramdante]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Flagship bajaj bikes just does not fail to impress me..3rd time it has happened..

My first bike was the 1st Gen Pulsar 200, after riding it for close to five years, I was about to make a switch to the RE C350, it was the time when 200NS was launched. My relative had bought one from the first lots, test rode it, cancelled my RE C350 booking, and got the 200NS the next week

And now again, after selling my 200NS, was looking at the Himalayan, but wanted to test ride as many bikes as possible within my budget range. So went and test rode the Dominar 400 today. And history repeats itself, instantly impressed! Looks wise not so much (kinda similar to 200NS in many aspects), but the ergonomics, suspension (so much better than NS), power/acceleration, console, exhaust note, refined engine under lower RPMs (probably the first Bajaj bike that felt refined for me) were all better than expected.. Now seriously leaning towards the Dominar, even though I didn't want to get a Bajaj again..

Will it be a good decision for me to go for the Dominar and a Bajaj bike again ppl?

P.s: The showroom guy told that the Avenger 400 is already in production, and should be revealed in Q3, and be on sale by Sep/Oct. Not sure how true that is..

[Manu Abraham]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

I do face this shake or fishtail effect or loss of traction at high speed say 85-100kmp with heavy cross wind while riding solo and it gets scary . But things get stable when i increase the speed or crouch , also with the pillion there is no such problems. One thing I learned that at heavy wind blast speed is our bike's best alley.
Also i am new to riding at high speed as i have been using slow thing earlier. Would appreciate your pointers as how to handle such situations. I also got my wheel and hub checked and told the sa to soften the suspension by a notch but he advised against it. In the city roads there is no shake or wave even at 90kmph i occurs only on open and wide highway with heavy wind blast.

I'd say just take it easy. Dont push it just yet to speeds your not familiar with. Cross wind can happen anytime on a open highway.
crouching, holding the side of the tank with your thighs, that helps stabilize (for me anyway). Main point is just be safe and take it slowly till you get the hang of it

[Ijs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

I'd say just take it easy. Dont push it just yet to speeds your not familiar with. Cross wind can happen anytime on a open highway.
crouching, holding the side of the tank with your thighs, that helps stabilize (for me anyway). Main point is just be safe and take it slowly till you get the hang of it

Yes brother getting a hang of it been riding since 1998, and spoilt by slow moving heavy piece of metal. Been using the same techniques u mentioned to stabilize the bike.

Flagship bajaj bikes just does not fail to impress me..3rd time it has happened..

My first bike was the 1st Gen Pulsar 200, after riding it for close to five years, I was about to make a switch to the RE C350, it was the time when 200NS was launched. My relative had bought one from the first lots, test rode it, cancelled my RE C350 booking, and got the 200NS the next week

And now again, after selling my 200NS, was looking at the Himalayan, but wanted to test ride as many bikes as possible within my budget range. So went and test rode the Dominar 400 today. And history repeats itself, instantly impressed! Looks wise not so much (kinda similar to 200NS in many aspects), but the ergonomics, suspension (so much better than NS), power/acceleration, console, exhaust note, refined engine under lower RPMs (probably the first Bajaj bike that felt refined for me) were all better than expected.. Now seriously leaning towards the Dominar, even though I didn't want to get a Bajaj again..

Will it be a good decision for me to go for the Dominar and a Bajaj bike again ppl?

P.s: The showroom guy told that the Avenger 400 is already in production, and should be revealed in Q3, and be on sale by Sep/Oct. Not sure how true that is..

Rightly said it is super impressive.
And for Avenger 400 , i have been to official breakfast ride organized by bajaj but their representatives have no clue about it. Also puting 400cc mill in the current frame and chassis of avenger is not possible so it would take time. But when it arrives, it would be interesting.

[Khushal Mistry]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Got my bike after 3 and half day. Wonder what they done to my bike.
service station was APCO BAJAJ AT NIKOL AHMEDABAD GUJARAT.
1 vibration is still there, they don’t know way this coming.
2 penal noises has been reduced
3 I give bike at 550km for service and got back at 641km (they test my bike 91km in 3 days???????)
4 they take sing of my on Bajaj satisfactory report and refuse to give me bike without signature. WAY????
5. Bike smooth now than before.
6. Oil level in under min and service person say “don’t worry sir we have pure 1.5ltr oil in it” I am trusting blindly. Again WAY????
7. Bike jerking more than before.
8. They charged me for petrol Rs.220 for that 91km there ride.
God help me please. Will send mail to Bajaj again and let see what they do.

[GuyBiker]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Would suggest that you Google and read up on what ABS is and how it functions. Will help you in the long run. It doesn't work how the noobs at the SC make it out to be.

Thanks man, will do.

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If that were to be the case, shouldn't the service guys or the sales manager handling the whole thing tell you that the RPM is limited when they deliver the bikes to you. I am just drawing conclusions based on what I am experiencing. I mean the onus of it shouldn't rest on the customers to find out what is or isn't.

@GuyBiker

The ABS kicks in after you have crossed 10 kmph and not 60kmph(!!). The ABS light goes off after that speed. Also you get owner's manual now unlike earlier where some didnt get it.

Thanks for your help man

[Ijs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Got my bike after 3 and half day. Wonder what they done to my bike.
service station was APCO BAJAJ AT NIKOL AHMEDABAD GUJARAT.
1 vibration is still there, they don’t know way this coming.
2 penal noises has been reduced
3 I give bike at 550km for service and got back at 641km (they test my bike 91km in 3 days???????)
4 they take sing of my on Bajaj satisfactory report and refuse to give me bike without signature. WAY????
5. Bike smooth now than before.
6. Oil level in under min and service person say “don’t worry sir we have pure 1.5ltr oil in it” I am trusting blindly. Again WAY????
7. Bike jerking more than before.
8. They charged me for petrol Rs.220 for that 91km there ride.
God help me please. Will send mail to Bajaj again and let see what they do.

Do mail again writing all that you have faced and also u can go to consumer forum,.
Now try some different service centre. and if you get a call from Bajaj tell them that you don't want to go to the same service centre again.

also I would like to know what kind of vibrations you are facing and did u try some other dominar.

[chip94]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

I do face this shake or fishtail effect or loss of traction at high speed say 85-100kmp with heavy cross wind while riding solo and it gets scary . But things get stable when i increase the speed or crouch , also with the pillion there is no such problems. One thing I learned that at heavy wind blast speed is our bike's best alley.
Also i am new to riding at high speed as i have been using slow thing earlier. Would appreciate your pointers as how to handle such situations. I also got my wheel and hub checked and told the sa to soften the suspension by a notch but he advised against it. In the city roads there is no shake or wave even at 90kmph i occurs only on open and wide highway with heavy wind blast.

You're right about increasing speeds when encountering cross-winds. Since you're new to high speed, I'd suggest you start off at 100 and keep it there until you're comfortable with that speed for long hours. The bike will move or resist sometimes but don't fight it. I personally think you just need to get used to the wind blast post 100 like all of us have. I sometimes ride at speeds higher than 130 and have to literally fight the wind to stay on. When I initially started moving up from 100kmph, I had to get used to the new "speed". I'm sure the bikes fine and it's just you getting used to the speed since the Dominar is probably faster than all your past bikes?

I'd advice you not to soften the suspension a lot if you're riding at high speeds. The handling becomes sluggish and it'll tend to bounce around a lot more. For example, on my 390, the stock setting "3" is horrible. The bike bounces at high speeds and thats not a nice feeling. "4" and "5" feels much more planted when taking a narrow corner.

[Ijs]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

You're right about increasing speeds when encountering cross-winds. Since you're new to high speed, I'd suggest you start off at 100 and keep it there until you're comfortable with that speed for long hours. The bike will move or resist sometimes but don't fight it. I personally think you just need to get used to the wind blast post 100 like all of us have. I sometimes ride at speeds higher than 130 and have to literally fight the wind to stay on. When I initially started moving up from 100kmph, I had to get used to the new "speed". I'm sure the bikes fine and it's just you getting used to the speed since the Dominar is probably faster than all your past bikes?

I'd advice you not to soften the suspension a lot if you're riding at high speeds. The handling becomes sluggish and it'll tend to bounce around a lot more. For example, on my 390, the stock setting "3" is horrible. The bike bounces at high speeds and thats not a nice feeling. "4" and "5" feels much more planted when taking a narrow corner.

Thanks for the suggestions and yes it is my personal fastest bike though i have ridden faster bikes with more than 1 cylinder, but i have been spoilt by slow moving heavy piece of metal.
I also did not get the suspension soften.
One thing more is that i am comfortable at 120kmph and also bike is stable post 100 but i have to crouch for more than 120kmph.

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The is very stable and relaxed at 110kmph with pillion. And as of now I am keeping it at 85-90kmph on highways to avoid undue stress on a new engine.

[shriomman]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

The beast finally arrived last night..
No wonder everyone on youtube is using this word

[ATTACH]227503[/ATTACH]

'Awesome'

how is your instrument cluster white ? i thougt it was black with white font!

All this while i had my eyes on the Rs200 abs version, last night i went for a ride on the Dominar 400 and man it got me bigtime ! , it got me so much that i actually went through all the 143 pages of this thread to read about everything the bike ! and man this is one hell of a bike. surprising how riding style changes economy so drastically. some people have gotten 19 kmpl while the maximum was 43 for some ! this is very good news for me as the only deciding factor for me was the mileage since the price difference here in goa for the rs200 and the dominar 400 both abs variants is only 15k approximately , and the mileage difference being about 10km, i think i should blindly go for the dominar now ! it would be the perfect upgrade for me from my pulsar 220 (2009 year ), and since fuel is only 60 rs per liter here :P its even better ! i'll mostly book the bike this month and get it in the next month. im getting about 35k for my pulsar 220 50k ridden, worth the deal ? any views would be helpful here.

now on my main question, did anyone do long rides say about 300km at a stretch ? did the engine heat up a lot ? any jerkiness after its heated up?

also is the instrument cluster change contrast as per day and night ? (noticed it in the above picture)

What is the average fuel consumption for this bike ? myself getting 29 to 32 in city , and 37-39 in highway ? is this normal ? can i expect more ?

you made me buy this bike with this mileage ! minimum ill expct 25 and max 39, but then again im 15 kilos underweight and that helps bigtime in economy lol, my p220 gave me close to 52 kmpl only because i weigh that less

[joelgreen]

Re: Bajaj Dominar 400 Ownership Experience Thread

Hey Dominar owners!
I'm curious to know about this bike as I'm planning for an upgrade but have to decide between this and the 2017 390 Duke. I know the bikes are very different but the money saved in buying the D400 is something really significant (part of which I can use to upgrade my riding gear! xD) and that's why I'm here.
I have a few queries and it'd really help a lot :-

1) Can the bike do 110-120ish speeds all day without breaking a sweat? At what RPM in top gear do the speeds 100, 110 and 120 kmph come up? Any idea of FE one can expect at these speeds on long hauls? Comparo with a 390 Duke, anyone?

2) Any idea of how the new 390 Duke fares against this in terms of refinement and mileage? Is the difference in riding experience really that huge so as to justify the price difference for someone who's looking at a riding pattern comprising of 85% weekend rides, 14% touring and the occasional track-day once in a blue moon (track days are impossible with the D400 AFAIK)?

3) Does the bike heat up as bad as the Duke? I've heard it's not as bad at all!