Re: Dominar 400 or adventure 390

Thread approved.

Re: Dominar 400 or adventure 390

I am a delighted owner of Dominar 400 (2019). Believe me, this was my last choice, kind of a compromise. My first priority was comfort for both rider and pillion and no other motorcycle offers this in that power segment. Now I can't find a single complaint with it even if I wish to do so.

We all say that we will go on long tours on highways but end up using the motorcycle for city usage 90% of the time. KTM adventure is not at all comfortable for city rides due to its rock hard suspension and poor low end torque. Whereas Dominar feels like a regular 160cc motorcycle while riding in city at medium speeds. Whenever I ride it sanely & calmly, I tend to forget that I am riding a sporty mean machine, it feels as relaxed and well behaved as an average 160cc motorcycle.

Your issues with Dominar:
Rear brakes? You do know that nowadays you can't buy Dominar without ABS? And the rear brake performs as expected, thanks to ABS. Why are you focusing so much on rear brakes, as it is we should never apply more than 20% braking force to the rear wheel, a motorcycle is designed to use the front brakes mostly as per principles of physics. Panic conditions: The ABS works so perfectly that I have knowingly applied panic braking on wet and sand filled roads BUT the tyres don't even slip 1 cm, the motorcycle comes to a stop smoothly, in a controlled manner.

Weight: It feels heavy ONLY in sluggish traffic where you cover 1 km in 15 minutes. As soon as you gain speeds in excess of 15 kmph, there is no effect of weight. This is common with all sports bikes above 300cc, not just Dominar. And we should not rest our body weight on the wrists/handlebar. Once you learn proper riding techniques like TANK HUGGING and COUNTER STEERING, most sports bikes will feel light and nimble. As far as I'm concerned, I can zigzag my Dominar (as if I was riding a Duke 125) in any kind of traffic with ridiculous ease!

I am not against KTM adventure, but it isn't suited for daily commuting and relaxed city riding. That's the reason I am suggesting you to buy Dominar. Else you can also look at Apache 310RR, that's a unique beast( but too low powered compared to Dominar).

Re: Dominar 400 or adventure 390

I own Duke 390 and I agree with our fellow member [MENTION=22852]arya809[/MENTION].

390 Adventure is strictly a highway or offroad bike.
I learnt this the hard way after purchasing Duke 390.

I would say that even Dominar 400 is overkill for city rides, it only shines on highway rides but still better than Duke or Adventure 390. Buy a Dominar 250 instead. Any bike under 300 cc is more than enough for city rider and occassional highway rides. If you are only buying Dominar 400 for cruising @100-120 kmph on highways , even a Dominar 250 would be comfortable upto 110 - 120 kmph.

Re: Dominar 400 or adventure 390

You are absolutely correct man. Yes, Dominar 400 is overkill for city riding, it feels like using a Katana sword to cut cheese. But I do enjoy the additional power for occasional overtakes. Also I sold my 10 years old Karizma ZMR which had an upgraded engine (240 cc) and open exhuast so it was producing around 24 bhp and I needed something with exceptionally high power than that. For beginners or those upgrading from 160cc motorcycles, I would suggest to choose between Gixxer 250 or Dominar 250, both are equally good.

P.S. I just love KTM machines, I would have blindly bought Duke 390 without thinking about logic & reasons IF I was little shorter. I can't ride any KTM's because of my 6'3" tall body!

Re: Dominar 400 or adventure 390; Is the Thunderbird 350x BS6 variant a good additional alternative?

Grateful to you guys for providing your inputs. I've the same dilemma; my budget is Rs. 2.5 - 3 L, and I'm looking to upgrade to a comfortable touring bike with adequate power and reasonably modern features on it. Using only 20-30% of the rear brake is something I learnt a long time ago from my father who taught me to ride motorcycles.

I can't decide between the Dominar 400, KTM Duke 390, and RE Thunderbird 350x models. Oh wait, there's also the Himalayan BS6 variant! I'm 43 years old and fairly fit (A marathoner who runs at least one full marathon every year) and commute between Mumbai and Pune on weekends. I live and work in Pune on weekdays and ride home on the weekends. I also go motorcycle touring whenever I can, ranging from 350-500 km long weekend rides to really long 1500 km trips once a year. I own a single-channel ABS Pulsar RS 200; not the best touring machine, but it hasn't let me down so far.

Considering the notorious reputation of RE motorcycles, I was wondering whether the newer BS6 variants of the TB 350x and Himalayan are good alternatives in this day and age. TB has upgraded to alloy wheels and tubeless tyres and both RE bikes come with dual-channel ABS. My concern is, are the brakes good enough? Does the Himalayan - and even the TB - still suffer from breakdowns and failures in the middle of the highway? I can carry a puncture fix and air compressor kit etc, a few spares too on my long rides, but I don't want to worry too much about breakdowns and punctures. Most of the time I ride solo. I'm a laidback rider and can do without the aggressive riding attitude of a KTM and even Dominar, but I have to agree that these two bikes are far more refined than RE. And no, I don't essentially need a "macho bike" between my legs to help me "feel macho"; no such issues :P Just want a reliable, decently riding machine that I can do faraway trips on. Please pardon this long question and do ride safely guys. Hope to ride with you guys too someday.

Cheers,
Sandeep

Re: Dominar 400 or adventure 390; Is the Thunderbird 350x BS6 variant a good additional alternative?

Considering age factor you should look for comfort and ergonomics first. There is no perfect bike but from what I have heard Himalayan ticks all the boxes of comfortable, highway cruising. Go for a test ride and then you can decide.

Re: Dominar 400 or adventure 390; Is the Thunderbird 350x BS6 variant a good additional alternative?

Totally agree, and thank you Abhi! I will definitely take a test ride of the Himalayan BS6 variant as soon as this damn lockdown ends. Fed up of looking at the walls of my house. I think I know how many floor tiles are there in my tiny Mumbai flat Here's hoping we can all ride out ASAP. Cheers!


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Totally agree, and thank you Abhi! I will definitely take a test ride of the Himalayan BS6 variant as soon as this damn lockdown ends. Fed up of looking at the walls of my house. I think I know how many floor tiles are there in my tiny Mumbai flat Here's hoping we can all ride out ASAP. Cheers!