BAJAJ DOMINAR RANN OF KUTCH TOUR IT SALT GOOD

STRETCHING THE DOMINAR 400's LEGS ON A RUN TO KUTCH

- CHRISTOPHER CHAVES

Riding a motorcycle long distance always gives me a refreshing perspective on things. A long ride gives me a chance to take a break from everything that's going on in my life, revel in the journey, and come back home to see things with a revitalised mindset. Clear past the city and all the chaos it ensues, a tour on a motorcycle can be a very soothing experience. Taking in all the sights on a new bike, trying to understand the machine and settle into a rhythm, finding its sweet spot, getting into the zone - it's all very relaxing. I'd never ridder the Dominar 400 long-distance before, so when Bajaj invited OD to join in on the Rann of Kutch tour, this was the perfect excuse to set out on a good seven-day road trip through Gujarat to understand what the once-optional and-now-standard-fit accessories do for the perky street bike and find out if it actually holds its own as a proper touring machine given its attractive price tag.

First, getting out of the city - is always a task if you’ve not set out early enough to beat commuter traffic. The Bajaj’s first two gears are really short and will demand that you shift down correctly to prevent a stall. But once the crowd disperses and the roads open up a bit sixth gear is the place to be. The motor is a little gruff low down the band and there are a good amount of vibrations to be felt through the bars at around 3-4,000rpm. This didn’t take a while to get used to, but seeing as I had my phone mounted on the navigation stay, I often had to pay attention to the setup because the phone would come loose and fly off at some point down the road. At around 50kmph but picks up very nicely. It has a nice buzz about it at 90kmph at around 4,500rpm, and you can stretch its legs nicely, all the way over to 150kmph, should you safely find the time and space.