RE Thunderbird 500X vs Bajaj Dominar 400 – Shootout

Ergonomics – In terms of ergonomics, the Dominar 400 as well as the Thunderbird 500X are quite similar. Both the bikes are made to go the distance and offer utmost comfort to the rider as well as pillion. The Dominar is positioned as a hyper-riding motorcycle while the Thunderbird is a bike that’s made for effortless long-distance touring. Anyways, it is the Thunderbird that is more comfortable among the two, thanks to its old-school ergonomics, forward-set footpegs, relaxed riding posture and spacious seats. The Dominar 400, on the other hand, gets centre-set footpegs and a slightly more attacking riding position which makes it slightly more demanding to ride.

Performance – The Bajaj Dominar 400’s 373.3cc motor is lesser in cubic capacity and torque when compared to the Thunderbird’s 499cc single-cylinder mill. However, the Dominar’s engine develops 35 PS of power which makes it more powerful than the Thunderbird. The 373.3cc single-cylinder and liquid-cooled powertrain produces 35 Nm of torque while the RE’s 499cc air-cooled powerplant in the Thunderbird 500X makes 27.2 BHP of power and 41.3 Nm of torque. In terms of low end performance, the Thunderbird 500X is simply brilliant but wring open the throttle and past the mid-range, the vibrations kick in from everywhere. The Dominar 400’s motor is considerably more refined which makes it more engaging to ride.

RE Thunderbird 500’s immense pulling power makes it effortless to drive around in the city

Without a doubt, it is the Dominar that has a higher top speed, better acceleration times and capability of sustaining triple digit speeds for longer hours without breaking a sweat. Because of strong low-end in the Thunderbird, you actually do not have to push it in the top end to extract the juice out. The bike redlines at 6000 RPM and becomes very uncomfortable in that range while the Dominar redlines all the way at 9500 RPM without feeling stressed. However, you have to get into the mid-range to extract more out of the KTM-derived motor and it doesn’t seem to have the tractability of the RE at low revs. This also happens to be the reason why the Thunderbird is more fuel-efficient than the Dominar. The former returns around 30-35 km/l while the latter does around 28-32 km/l. What puts the Dominar at an advantage is the 6-speed gearbox with slipper clutch. The extra gear, of course, comes as a boon on highways and the slipper clutch helps in faster downshifts. Meanwhile, the Thunderbird 500X makes do with a 5-speed gearbox.