Alpha Male
Bike India|February 2017

The latest motorcycle from Bajaj Auto is also their largest-capacity model to date. We rode the new Bajaj Dominar 400 and came back happy. Here’s what it’s like.

Sarmad Kadiri
Alpha Male

THIS IS THE MOST PREMIUM AND largest-capacity two-wheeler Bajaj Auto have ever manufactured. After being shown as a concept at the Auto Expo 2014, it continued to play hide and seek with the media and enthusiasts, changing its identity from Pulsar CS 400 to Kratos 400 and, finally, making its appearance as the Bajaj Dominar 400: the first offering from Bajaj’s all new family of motorcycles.

Projected as a power cruiser, the Dominar’s relaxed riding position, central mass and neck-less headlight seem to be inspired by the Ducati Diavel. There are traces of the Pulsar 200 NS, too, specially in the beefy tank and chunkier beam type perimeter frame.

We rode the Bajaj Dominar 400 for nearly 200 kilometres both in the city and on the highway. Here is what we found out.

You can feel the 182-kg weight of this motorcycle the moment you take the bike off its side-stand and pull it out of the parking lot. The handlebar is wide, the seat is comfortable and the rider’s geometry, although slightly sporty, is pretty relaxed. There are a set of instrument clusters. The first, a digital console, is conventionally positioned above the handlebar and gives out information such as vehicle and engine speed, gear shift indicator and fuel-gauge. The second one is housed on the fuel-tank with tell-tale lights for the side-stand, headlight high-beam, engine temperature, and the like.

Among the new features the highlight remains the really bright, full-LED headlamps with 10 LED units in a 3+3+4 configuration. The soon-to-be-mandated All-time Headlight On (AHO) feature is present as well. The illuminated switchgear is now a familiar sight and the handlebars get very nice soft rubber grips. Push the self starter button and the motor comes to life with a deep but subdued snarl thanks to the new side exhaust. The clutch feel is relatively light and progressive, and it shifts into first gear with a clunk.

Denne historien er fra February 2017-utgaven av Bike India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February 2017-utgaven av Bike India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BIKE INDIASe alt
BMW F 450 GS Concept
Bike India

BMW F 450 GS Concept

EICMA 2024 IS GENERALLY NIRVANA FOR MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIASTS as they're treated to plenty of new machines from a number of manufacturers. BMW Motorrad are one of them.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
Toprak is the 2024 World Champion
Bike India

Toprak is the 2024 World Champion

Toprak Razgatlioglu took home his second World Superbike Championship (WSBK) title after a good battle with the Italian rookie, Nicolo Bulega of Ducati.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
A Toprak Sandwich
Bike India

A Toprak Sandwich

The battle for the title heated up as Toprak Razgatlioglu won Race One and Race Two while Nicolo Bulega won the Superpole Race in Estoril, the penultimate round of the 2024 World Superbike Championship (WSBK) season.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
Navaneeth Wins Double
Bike India

Navaneeth Wins Double

Navaneeth Kumar S, Rohan R, and Yogesh P were the winners in the second round of the J K Tyre Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup INDIAN RACING

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
Ross Branch and Team Hero MotoSports are the new FIM World Rally-raid Champions
Bike India

Ross Branch and Team Hero MotoSports are the new FIM World Rally-raid Champions

TEAM HERO MOTOSPORTS was founded in 2016 and Ross Branch joined in 2022. Since then, he has been a Hero MotoSports rider and their years of toil have borne a particularly sweet fruit: Ross Branch and Hero MotoSports are now the FIM World Rally-raid Champions.

time-read
1 min  |
November 2024
The Rise of a New 'Rad'
Bike India

The Rise of a New 'Rad'

Reise Moto invited us to the COASTT High Performance Centre in Coimbatore to experience their all-new radial road tyres, the traceRads.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 2024
Feels Like Graduation
Bike India

Feels Like Graduation

The third and final round of the TVS Young Media Racer Programme (YMRP) saw us take P2 in the race and P3 in the overall championship. Here is how it went off

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024
In the Shadow of the Colossus
Bike India

In the Shadow of the Colossus

TVS have given the base Jupiter a complete overhaul, including a new engine. We had checked it out on a closed course back in August. This time we let it loose on the urban jungle and observed if it could survive there

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2024
Pay Win
Bike India

Pay Win

THE ATHER RIZTA WAS LAUNCHED TO much fanfare in April this year and then we got to sample it for a short burst in May.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2024
Agile and Aggressive
Bike India

Agile and Aggressive

The Kawasaki KLX 230 is a superbly built dual-sport that has the ability to take on some big hitters in our market. We hopped on it for a while and kicked up some dirt at the Prodirt Adventure Park.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2024