Re: Long Ride with Mileage

A heavy bike will feel heavy, no matter what you do. Once you start riding it daily, you grow used to the weight.
I felt the same when I got the N650 and N1000 and they weigh more than Dominar. Initially had to very careful esp when taking turns at slow speeds. Over a period of few weeks, my body got accustomed to the bike's behaviour and weight distribution and now its a lot better. I am just 5'6 and even I have to tip toe a bit. Good pair of riding boots will help solve the height issue a bit.

Seat height of Dominar 400 is 800mm which is very good. Suggest OP to at least take a test ride and then take a call.

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

Go for gixxer 250 naked version. It's a very refined motorcycle with punchy engine. No headache of maintaining a liquid cooled system. Kerb weight is only 165kg !! But feels a lot lighter than the specs. Instead of buying 2nd hand bikes filled with vibrations why not go for a smooth Japanese brand new motorcycle. [emoji4] .


FYI it has 0 to 100 timing of 6.5 seconds !!! [emoji7][emoji7]

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

Thanks for your response and suggestions. I had checked out CBR 250 but I feel the posture is too sporty for me.
And after a lot of test drives and research, I have realized what you are saying is true that there will always be compromises.

I had same confusions about those bikes in 2nd hand market, and you have confirmed them. Thanks a lot

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. I have my eyes on this one too.

Let me tell a little bit about myself
I am 5'9", 73 kgs, 36 years old, lean and kinda fit. I love touring but when i sat back to calculate all the long drives I realized that they consist of only 25% of what the bikes' odo says. So, that is where I have killed off my options by realizing that I would need a balance between commuter and tourer/cruiser. Also, the relaxed seating posture has spoiled me and I do not feel comfortable on agressive seating as in sport bikes. A good pillion seat is required too. So, I am coming up with a lot of requirements which are difficult to find in a single bike. Still, i have started researching/test driving couple of them.
Bikes I have tested -
1. Jawa 42- found handling in city traffic difficult, also the awkward positioning of foot pegs made me decide that this bike is not for me.
2. Himalayan - Found it too big and not very impressive. Maybe in my case, RE steeds are just to drool upon and not to buy.
3. Mojo - I liked the handling and ride. However, found it too heavy while taking it out of tight parking spot (which another xbhp user felt too - from mojo ownership threads). Also, the after sales service is a major concern even if I am put up in Bangalore.
4. Xpulse 200/200T - Found 200 FI a bit better than 200T version and it ticks a lot of boxes. The gripes I have here are a not so powerful engine for touring and a narrow seat (which can be fixed in aftermarket). This is my fallback option for now. What do you say, a Carb one is better or FI one? The salesman was pushing for FI way too much but I have read somewhere that the maintenance is higher for FIs.

This Saturday, I have my work cut out for me to test drive below bikes -
1) Apache RTR
2) Gixxer 250 Naked version
3) Yamaha MT15
4) RE Thunderbird 350x ( I know I know, its an RE but its ticking a lot of boxes)

Lets see where it goes. Thanks for your suggestions pple and apologies to OP for hijacking his query.

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

@alkemyst Whats the max budget that you have in mind?
With the kind of requirement you have, the old N650 is the perfect bike. Good riding posture. Great rider and pillion comfort. Made for munching mile. Decent mileage for a 650cc (around 22-25kmpl in city and 30-35kmpl on highway).
You can easily get a N650 or ER6N for 2-2.5lacs in Bangalore.

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

Well, let me be honest and tell you that I started with a max budget of 1.5 L and a mid capacity (200-300 cc max) engine for a decent daily mileage and enough power for touring, when there is an opportunity (which is becoming a rarity these days, sadly). But then my research led me to Mojo which is 2.4L ONR in Bangalore and I was ready to stretch till there too if the compromises were minimum, but I am not fully convinced with Mojo's A.S.S (or even Himalayan which is 2.4L ONR too)

I checked out both N650 and ER6N and damn, I was elated reading about them in past hour. I had never imagined myself owning anything more than 300cc in my life as I knew I wont be needing that much power, or maybe inside I knew I wont be able to afford it. Still, I checked out OLX and quikr too for these and found one N650 for 2.5L.
However if I could have my way, I would prefer ER6N looks more than the N650.
Because you have helped me out so far, I would like to ask one more question here - Dont you think both of these bikes are more into sports touring category (just like CBR 250)? I mean, I have seen people touring for 4000+ kms on their R15s but I dont think that posture is very comfortable for such long rides.
Pardon my ignorance in this matter, as I have always done long tours on either Avenger (very comfy sitting posture) or on Suzuki GS150R (which was a commuter and did not need me to bend reaching the handlebars).

I shall also check out your earlier suggestion Dominar.

Thanks again for all your help mate.

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

If you considering CBR250R just a thing to keep in mind, the bike on it's last breath in ventilator, that 250cc engine will not be made BS6 complaint, so it will be eventually discontinued before 31/Mar/2020 and will be replaced with CBR300R(with engine from CB300R) by next year Aug 2020 as part of Honda BigWing Project 2.0.

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

+1 to that. I am 6'1'' skinny guy weighing mere 55kgs & when i initially test rode the Dominar i immediately felt the heft since i used to ride a HH Glamour. As soon as as went above crawling speeds the heft of the bike disappeared and i instantly connected with it. Its been more than 2 years since i bought the bike and no i did not manage to gain any weight and now dominars weight completely feels normal to me. You get used to it ince you are exposed to that factor for a prolonged period of time. I say you test ride every bike you have in mind and buy the one which you feel the most connected to.
Ride hard Ride Safe
Amogh Sharma

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

Thats something I have been reading all over this site, hence I was not considering it very seriously even if a lot of pple suggested it. To top that, I am more into commuter-tourer/cruiser bikes over sports tourers.
Thanks for the heads up though

Because you are vouching for it, I shall check that out. Thanks for sharing the personal experience here.
Btw, I saw a less driven 2018 model on sale for around 1.4 L. Do you think a used one will make sense in case of Dominar? This question is coming with the background that the Mojo and Himalayan had issues with previous iterations and have improved a lot, so an older version might not be a very good choice even if its at a lower price.

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

No bike can be made perfect. The earlier lots of dominar (1st and 2nd lots of 2017) had some issues which they rectified. 2018 (updated) Dominar had most of the issues resolved. My bike was bought on 26th June and I did not face any major issue till now. I had one in which air got inside paint (tank area) which they replaced under warranty in 2019. Also my coolant drops every 1000kms which I top up. Feel free to ask me any doubts regarding dominar if you have any.
Ride Hard Ride Safe
Amogh Sharma

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

I think coolant is mixing with engine oil in your bike ! Coolant disappears in 1000 kilometers !!!

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

I have an avenger 2012 model and I am not very happy with the parts quality with it. Do you face the same with Dominar? I am reading that Indian manufacturers like TVS and Bajaj are becoming better every year in terms of quality but did not have a very satisfactory experience with Bajaj (with my current bike) hence this question.
I know I am asking a lot and I appreciate your patience. Thanks!

Took me a second to differentiate coolant from engine oil in my head as never had any bike with oil cooled engine.

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

Yes they are becoming better year on year. However, if you are comparing their reliability and quality with the Japs, then its not right.
Japs do provide better quality and reliability but it comes at a price. Their parts are not cheap (even the premium 150cc bikes when compared to a 150cc from Indian manufacturer) and availability is also not that widespread. E.g R15 has been in the Indian market for over a decade, but a automobiles part shop in a small town or village most likely won't have parts for it. However they will have parts for Indian bikes like Pulsar, Splendor etc. I hope you are getting the point.

Test ride the Dominar and see if you would like to consider it. If yes, then you can think about whether to get a new one or used.

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I would suggest N650 over ER6N. A faired bike behaves way better at higher speed and handles cross winds way better. I toured 15k+ kms in 1 year on my N650.
The riding position on the N650 is very comfortable. The handle bars are pretty upright and you can get handlebar risers that will raise it further for a more comfortable ride.
Believe me, once your body gets used to the acceleration of the N650, you will simply crave for a upgrade to a litre class.
If you can, contact the person in Olx and check out the bike first. Sit on it and get a feel of the riding posture. The seat will feel no less than a sofa initially.
Do note that these models don't have ABS and you need to get used to the brakes. Its nothing that aftermarket steel braided brake lines and EBC Double H pads won't solve.

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

That's why i am saying buy an oil cooled motorcycle like apache 200, fz 25, gixxer 250 or pulsar 220. Simple motorcycle = peace of mind ~ more focus on enjoying the ride .

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

That's the problem. It is not mixing with my engine oil. Got it checked at svc. Checked if the color of oil changes or if there is froth formation. Don't know wtf is coolant going because it is not leaking from anywhere. My suspicion is that it is being evaporated due to some faulty seal.

Re: Long Ride with Mileage

Yeah, i think there's a minute damage in the seal because of which coolant is slowly getting disappeared.