The Pulsar CS400 prototype generated a lot of excitement in the two-wheeler industry when it was first showcased at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo. A long wait and a few tweaks later, Bajaj has finally launched the motorcycle as the Dominar 400. It has a starting price tag of Rs 1.36 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi), making it the most expensive offering from Bajaj till now. Belonging to the power cruiser segment, it doesn't have a direct competitor. However, it will grab some of the market share of the Mahindra Mojo and the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350. Let's see how these motorcycles fare against each other.

Dimensions and Cycle Parts:

Categorised as a power cruiser by Bajaj, the Dominar 400 stands quite close to the Mahindra Mojo and RE Thunderbird 350 in terms of size. The Dominar 400 is apparently the longest and shortest amongst the lot mainly due to its low slung overall design. The RE Thunderbird 350 has the shortest wheelbase of 1205mm and a width of 790mm making it more manoeuvrable in tight spaces amongst the others. On the weighing scale, the Thunderbird 350 stands at 192kgs while the Dominar 400 and Mojo share the same weight of 182kg. Due to its low slung design, the Dominar 400 has a saddle height of 800mm followed by the Mojo at 814.5mm and the Thunderbird 350 at 195mm. As far as the range is concerned, the Dominar 400 surprisingly comes with a fuel tank of just 13-litre as opposed to 21-litre and 20-litre on the Mojo and Thunderbird 350 respectively.

On the mechanical front, the Dominar 400 and Thunderbird 350 make use of telescopic forks at the front while the Mojo features more premium upside down forks. At the back, while the Dominar 400 gets a dual mono shock setup, the Mojo does with a single mono shock. The Thunderbird 350 continues to use the typical dual shock absorber at the back.

The Dominar 400 and Mojo share a similar setup as far as the brakes and tyres are concerned. At the front, both bikes feature a 320mm disc with radially mounted calipers. At the rear, the Dominar 400 comes with a 230mm disc while the Mojo comes with a slightly bigger 240mm disc. The Thunderbird 350, on the other hand, utilises a 280mm disc at the front and a 240mm disc at the back. The Dominar 400 and Mojo share the same tyre profile but are of different make (MRF’s for Dominar 400 and Pirelli’s for the Mojo). The Thunderbird 350 features the typical RE wheel size configuration and comes with a 90/90-R19 section tyre at the front and a 120/80-R18 section tyre at the back.

Engine and Transmission:

All the three bikes feature 4-stroke, single-cylinder motors with different displacements. The Dominar 400 and Mojo are liquid-cooled and fuel injected, while the Thunderbird is air-cooled and carburetted. With its engine borrowed from the KTM 390 Duke, the Dominar 400 develops 35PS and 35Nm from the 373.3cc mill equipped with Triple Spark Technology; the Mahindra Mojo makes 27PS and 30Nm from its 295cc engine and the Thunderbird 350 produces 20PS and 28Nm from its 346cc powerplant. The Dominar 400 leads the other two both in terms of power output and torque.

Belonging to the cruiser segment and having a 6-speed gearbox is a big boon as it helps to keep the revs and vibrations low during long journeys. The Thunderbird 350 sadly features a 5-speed gearbox as opposed to a 6-speed on the other two bikes. 

Fuel efficiency is one of the most crucial factors when it comes to choosing a vehicle. In this case, the Dominar 400 is the newest of the lot and is claimed to return a mileage of 30-35kmpl while the Mojo and the Thunderbird 350 are claimed by respective manufacturers to return a mileage of 35 kmpl. Given the fact that the Dominar 400 comes with a small fuel tank, the bike will require more frequent fuel stops as compared to the other two bikes.

Features:

The RE Thunderbird 350 comes with a selective feature list that consists of a projector headlamp with LED halo DRL ring, digital LCD instrument display, LED brake lamp, removable rear seat to double up as a luggage carrier and rear disc brake for improved stopping power.

The Mahindra Mojo is decently equipped with features such as twin-pod 70W headlamps with LED DRLs, LED tail lamps, twin-exhaust units, backlit switches, Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres and a semi-digital instrument cluster with shift light and peak rpm indicator.

The Dominar 400 is no doubt the most feature-packed bike in comparison to the other two. It comes with a long list of features such as full-LED headlights (AHO), backlit switches, split reverse LCD instrument unit, radially mounted front brake calliper and slipper clutch. It offers dual-channel ABS as an optional extra which is not available even as an option on the other two bikes. The Dominar 400 is also the only BS-IV compliant motorcycle in the competition.

Price:

Bajaj Auto has surely surprised us all with the price of the Dominar 400. The bike has undercut its competition by a hefty margin which will be very tough for other manufacturers to meet. The base version of the Dominar 400 has been priced at Rs 1.36 lakh while the dual-channel ABS version carries a sticker price of Rs 1.5 lakh making it a value for money proposition. The Mahindra Mojo and RE Thunderbird 350 are priced at Rs 1.69 lakh and 1.42 lakh respectively. (All prices are ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Source: Zigwheels.com