The Bajaj Dominar 400 sizes up the competition
The launch of Bajaj’s highly-anticipated Dominar 400 has significantly livened up the sub Rs 2-lakh motorcycle segment in the country. Although we haven’t yet had a chance to pit this new machine against the competition, we can do a quick spec comparison against the established players in the segment, namely the Mahindra Mojo and the Royal Enfield Classic 350. This comparison will evaluate how these bikes stack up against each other on paper.
Let’s start with the powerplant. All three bikes are endowed with single-cylinder motors, but while the Classic 350 unit cools off as fresh air blows over the cooling fins, both the Dominar and the Mojo get liquid-cooled mills. The Classic 350 also relies on a carburettor for fuelling, while the other two bikes here get modern fuel-injection systems. The Dominar’s KTM-derived engine is the largest here, displacing 373 cc, followed by the Classic’s 346-cc unit, while the Mojo’s engine is the smallest here, displacing 295 cc. When it comes to putting power down to the road, the Bajaj leads the pack with 35 PS at 8,000 RPM and 35 Nm of twist at 6,500 RPM, closely followed by the Mojo which makes 27 PS also at 8,000 RPM and 30 Nm of torque at an accessible 5,500 RPM. The low-revving Royal Enfield churns out 20 PS at 5,250 RPM and 28 Nm at just 4,000 RPM.
Coming to external dimensions, the Classic 350 is the longest motorcycle here, measuring 2,180 mm from end to end. The Dominar sits in the middle at 2,156 mm, while the Mojo is 2,100 mm long. At 813 mm, the Dominar is the widest of the three, closely followed by the Mojo at 800 mm wide and the Classic 350 at 790 mm wide. The Mojo is the tallest motorcycle here at 1,165.5 mm, while the Dominar stands 1,112 high, and the laid-back Classic 350 stands 1,080 mm tall. The Mojo features the highest ground clearance at 173.5 mm, followed by the Dominar at 157 mm and then the Classic 350 at 135 mm. The Dominar and the Mojo both tip the scales at 182 kilograms, while the Classic 350 is the heaviest of the lot at 187 kilos. When it comes to fuel capacities, both the Dominar and the Classic 350 have similarly-sized tanks, at 13 and 13.5 litres respectively. The Mojo on the other hand makes its touring intentions clear with a massive 21-litre fuel tank.
With all these facts and figures to compare, it’s now time to talk numbers. The Mahindra Mojo is the most expensive bike here at Rs 1.92 lakh, OTR, Pune. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 costs Rs 1.48 lakh, while the Dominar is the biggest surprise of all, coming in at Rs 1.53 lakh for the standard version and Rs 1.67 lakh for the ABS version.
So Bajaj have clearly mastered the performance to cost ratio here, while the Mahindra Mojo seems to have its work cut out for it. As for the Royal Enfield Classic 350, the characteristic lines and exhaust thump have a cult following in the country, and it is hard to imagine a hard core Enfield devotee switching over to a higher-revving performance-oriented motorcycle. All we can say is the 2017 promises to be a great year for motorcyclists in India.
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