I sold my Karizma ZMR (bought in 2010) in Dec 2019 and bought Dominar 400 (new). Xpulse is essentially karizma with elongated suspension travel. I loved karizma for its comfort but I hated it strongly for 1 reason - It wasn't safe or stable enough for speeds above 50 kmph. All Hero (previously Hero Honda) motorcycles are commuters with ridiculously soft & cushy suspension. It's great for commuting over bad roads but useless for sporty handling and braking. It bounced around so much that I used to get scared while leaning it in corners, changing direction in chicanes, braking while accelerating or leaning. Also Hero engines are made for good mileage and low end torque BUT useless at high rev range, all the power & torque is lost above 6500 rpm.

In contrast, Dominar is extremely sports friendly, stable and confidence inspiring. Don't listen to noobs who say it's heavy - once you learn tank hugging & counter steering, it will feel as light as a Honda Shine! I always ride it with ease, zigzagging through traffic as if I am on a bicycle. By their standards, all motorcycles above 2 lakhs are heavy since they have huge forks & tyres!

Best thing about dominar is its comfort - You don't have to ride it at high revs aggressively. You can ride it at relatively lower rpm's while sitting straight (not leaned ahead like R15 etc) and you will feel like you are driving a regular 150cc commuter. Then just blip the throttle and you will instantly be reminded that you are driving a beast, not a commuter! Overtaking is a piece of cake, I often end up gaining too much speed for overtaking and end up braking later on!

Its braking is sharp and confidence inspiring, front brake's ABS is not intrusive and works like a miracle. I often end up testing the ABS whenever I find a patch of fine sand or water on the road ahead, I just apply the brakes like a child with full force while going over that slippery patch, and the brakes work so well as if the tyres never came in contact with a slippery patch.

One important point about Dominar: Since it has an extremely high compression ratio engine, the engine hates & starts lugging below 3000 rpm's. If you release the clutch like a regular commuter (at low rpm's) then the engine will shudder and might turn off. It is bothersome while in back-to-back traffic and riding in 2nd gear at 5kmph or so speeds, you need to use half-clutch to raise rpm's before releasing the clutch else the engine will definitely die. It doesn't happen too frequently with me but it would definitely bother someone in a city like Mumbai or bangalore.

Just ask that Dominar seller for complete service record and check whether there ware any accidental repairs or not.

Xpulse is more fun on bumpy rides whereas Dominar on Highway rides. Your choice.