With the launch of the Dominar 400, Bajaj has shown a new example of dominating Indian roads by offering absolute bang for the buck performance.
How often does it happen that you are on the way to work and a Royal Enfield passes by with that traditional thumping exhaust note? I can wager, there’s not even a single day when this didn’t happen. Well, it’s quite obvious for the reason that RE had made its position so concrete in the market that roads are filled with it. The other option in this segment, which has also proved a great package, is the Mahindra Mojo. The giant front section and tiny tail have quite an appeal and aggression on the looks front. But wait, we have a competitor who has jumped into the battle ground and claims to be better than both Royal Enfield and Mahindra and it couldn’t be any other than Bajaj.
The Bajaj Dominar 400 (D400) has arrived finally and stands in with muscularity to emulate Royal Enfield and Mahindra with a host of much needed modern technology and features. But is it really proficient enough to beat its competitors? To get an idea, we do a little measurement by comparing their specifications.
Design – Starting with the champ, shrouding the classic looks, the Royal Enfield Classic 500 has a stance to dominate a majority of motorcycles plying on Indian roads. Being wrapped with gleaming chrome on almost every body part makes it look much beefier than its rivals. The neatly designed metallic body panels such as the tank, mudguards, headlamp housing, gun pipes like exhaust and bulky engine, a perfect thing to please the retro eyes.
Meanwhile, the Bajaj Dominar 400 holds the macho and muscular looks as well, but in a sharp and edgy pattern. It has followed the crucial futuristic design cues with beautiful LED headlamps and tiny visor, sharply chiselled tank and cowl, clearly visible silver frame, fancy looking exhaust and two strip tail lamps. Overall, a manly toy for proudly going out for a spin with. Quite a similar cosmetics are carried by the Mahindra Mojo. Though it looks short in length due to the shrunk rear section, the front overcomes the drawback efficiently. The pair of small exhaust canisters look unique in its own way.
Dimensions – Talking about the dimensions, wheelbase is a term that actually matters as it decides the stability of the motorcycle. In our listed competitors, the Mahindra Mojo has the longest wheelbase with the figure of 1465 mm. The Bajaj Dominar 400, on the other hand, consist of 1453 mm which is not much different from the Mojo and both of them would prove equally stable. The Classic 500 has considerably short wheelbase which, as compared to both the other motorcycles, make it comparatively less stable.
Ground clearance is where the Classic 500 comes forward with 173.5 mm resulting in a comfortable ride even off the tarmac. The Mahindra Mojo demands low speed over the bumps having the lowest ground clearance which may affect the bottom parts of the motorcycle.
Features – The Bajaj Dominar 400, being the latest entrant among all three, does not fail anywhere in the competition. With dual-channel ABS and slipper clutch, it clearly leads the Mojo and Classic 500 in terms of safety as well as rideability. Moreover, the all-digital instrument cluster with blue backlight on the Dominar 400 gives a clear vision of the figures even at furious speeds. The Mahindra Mojo has a small digital display showing speed, clock and trip metres. The tachometer is a round analogue unit with a cool follow function. The Classic 500 completely signifies its type by carrying an all-analogue unit which is bare bones, it doesn’t even get a fuel meter. When it comes to own a feature filled product, it has to be the Dominar 400 in many aspects.
Powertrain – No-fuss overtakes is a job that would be efficiently executed by the Bajaj Dominar 400 with that 34.5 BHP motor. It is capable of wooing you with the punch in almost every gear. The Royal Enfield Classic 500 also consists of a decent power of 27.2 BHP but the sprint is not actually felt due to the highest kerb weight. While the Mojo stands last in power delivery, the low weight and large wheelbase somewhere manages the task. The highest torque delivery, lower down the rev range of the Classic 500 is the one that makes your city rides a pleasant experience. Not to forget the highest number of Royal Enfields taken to Ladakh.
Verdict – Classic lovers will stick to the Royal Enfield Classic 500, as the lack of technology and features does not matter when you get a old school retro machine. The Mahindra Mojo and Dominar 400 are somewhere close to each other in terms of features, but safety and convenience are gifted to the D400 consisting of ABS and slipper clutch. Also, the power delivery is not enough from the Mojo to compete the Dominar 400. In terms of styling, the Mahindra Mojo may seem attractive to a lot of people with its unique design and tourer positioning but when you factor in everything, the Bajaj Dominar 400 seems the best bet with its attractive price and supreme performance.
Mahindra Mojo vs Dominar 400 vs RE Classic 500
