2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 vs rivals: Price, Specifications comparison

The updated Bajaj Dominar 400 has already started to reach dealerships across the country. The brand has not officially announced the price of the bike, but dealers have revealed that the 2019 bike is priced at Rs 1.74 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), putting it in a price bracket closest to the KTM 250 Duke. However, as the name of this story suggests, this is a specifications comparison and the new Dominar’s specs are much closer to those of the 390 Duke. So, that is the KTM we’ll consider here. We’ve also thrown in the naked BMW G 310 R and the TVS Apache RR 310 – two other bikes that sport similar specifications.

POWERTRAIN

The 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 gets an updated engine that produces considerably more power. At 373.3cc, the new engine has the same capacity as the one on the older bike. But, thanks to a DOHC set-up and an increased compression ratio, the new Dominar now makes a peak power and torque figures of 39.9hp and 35Nm, respectively – a considerable 4.9hp increase over the 35hp seen on the outgoing model – which means that the Dominar 400 now produces output figures which are very close to one of the motorcycles it shares its engine with – the KTM 390 Duke.

The engine on the 390 Duke is in a higher state of tune and produces 43.5hp and 37Nm of torque; making it the most powerful motorcycle in this comparison. Coincidentally, the other two bikes in this comparison share their engines with each other as well. The near 313cc engine was co-developed by TVS and BMW and makes 34hp at 9,700rpm and 27.3Nm of torque at 7,700rpm on the RR 310 and an almost identical 34hp at 9,500rpm and 28Nm of torque at 7,500rpm on the G 310 R. It’s worth noting is that although these bikes all produce similar output figures, the way this performance is delivered is different on each bike.

DESIGN AND STYLING

Barring the TVS Apache RR 310, the other bikes are naked and lack extensive body work. The updated Dominar 400 doesn’t receive any significant visual changes apart from blacked-out plastic bits and a different wheel colour. That said, Bajaj has also made the Dominar available in an Auroral Green colour scheme that will make the bike much more noticeable than before. The KTM 390 Duke features a bolder design language with its sharper lines and bright-orange colour scheme. It is for this reason that the 390 Duke still continues to hold its own in this department, despite its age. The BMW G 310 R, on the other hand, features relatively conventional styling; but its large tank and BMW badge gives it a noticeable presence out on the road. An aspect where the G 310 R fairs better than the competition is with its seat height. At 785mm, the BMW is accessible by much shorter riders. The RR 310 is the only fully faired motorcycle here and is one of the most visually-appealing motorcycles from an Indian manufacturer. The upswept tail-end and large side fairings make the bike look like it's from a segment above. 

CHASSIS

The Bajaj Dominar 400 features a perimeter frame. The RR 310, G 310 R and 390 Duke, on the other hand, all sport a trellis frame. The 2019 Dominar finally joins the rest of these motorcycles – in the sense that it now gets a USD fork to complement its monoshock. Bajaj has also revised the monoshock, resulting in the updated Dominar having a much better ride quality. The new Dominar is the heaviest bike of the lot, at 184kg. Despite the additional weight of its fairing, the RR 310 is a significant 15kg lighter, at 169.5kg. The 390 Duke sits close behind with a kerb weight of 163kg with the G 310 R being the lightest, weighing in at 158.5kg. All four bikes come equipped with dual-channel ABS, but the KTM is the only one that allows the rider to turn off either the rear-wheel ABS, or the whole system, entirely.

FEATURES

The new Dominar has also received updates to its instrument cluster. The primary unit, placed on the handlebar, displays information in text; meanwhile the secondary unit now displays additional information like gear position and the trip metres, while the telltale lights have moved up to the main display. Additional information displayed on the primary unit is fuel consumption and the 'distance to empty' range. The console has been updated, although it is not as advanced as the TFT display on the KTM 390 Duke – the only bike here to feature one. The 390’s console is also the only one of the lot which is Bluetooth compatible. The RR 310 and G 310 R feature more conventional LCD displays, with the RR providing more information than the GS, including a lap timer.

SUMMING IT UP

There’s a lot that these motorcycles have in common. Essentially, there’s only two engines being used but the different states of tune (aside from the obvious ergonomics) result in four different motorcycle variants. At Rs 1.74 lakh, the 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 is the most affordable motorcycle of this lot and it undercuts the rest of the group by a massive margin. Despite the hike of Rs 11,000 over the older generation, the Dominar is still excellent value for money – in fact, even more so, this time around.

The KTM 390 Duke priced at Rs 2.44 lakh uses the same engine as on the Dominar, but is a lot more manic in its power delivery. Meanwhile, the TVS Apache RR 310 (Rs 2.23 lakh) is the only fully-faired motorcycle of the lot; and despite its visual stance, it is a motorcycle that performs just as well on the streets, as it does on the track. The BMW G 310 R is well-built, but the 2.99 lakh price tag is a considerable premium over other motorcycles seen in this comparison.

For the full story on how the bike rides, we encourage you to read our comprehensive review, first ride of the 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400.

All prices, ex-showroom, Delhi.