Dominar
| Photo Credit:
Yash Gawde
In case you hadn’t noticed, the Bajaj Dominar is now a decade old. First launched in December 2016, the Dominar was meant to demolish the dominance of Royal Enfield’s 350s, a purpose it wore with pride. An infamous ad campaign cemented this objective into the minds of the Indian audience who, however, didn’t seem particularly enthused. Except, perhaps, on social media. In the real world, ten years later, the Dominar’s ambition remains a pipe dream.In its bid to remain relevant (to be fair, it does sell in modest numbers), the Dominar now features a 349cc engine, in line with Bajaj’s rather clever strategy to slot its sub-400cc range into a lower GST bracket. The slightly reduced displacement along with a few factory-fitted accessories such as the visor, hand guards, and luggage rack are what’s new about the Dominar 400 (yes, it continues to be called that) and that felt like enough of an excuse for me to revisit Bajaj’s erstwhile blue-eyed boy.CRUISE AND CONTROLAs a concept, the Dominar has always been about effortless cruising, engaging dynamics and long-haul comfort, all of which it delivers even today. I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover how roomy it is and especially how nice the seat is. The riding position is somewhat aggressive but configured for comfortable long-distance rides and it sure feels like a substantial motorcycle to grip with your knees. The bassy soundtrack that emerged once I’d fired it up promised even more substance.Good, because I was expecting its ‘new’ 349cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine to deliver strongly, especially considering it produces a respectable 40 bhp — in fact, 0.6bhp more than on the now-defunct 373cc version — and 3.38 kg-m of torque. That, along with its 6-speed gearbox, four ride modes (Road, Rain, Sport and Off-Road) and additional assistance from traction control and a dual-channel ABS means, on paper, the Dominar is as well-equipped as ever to make highway rides a breeze. Objectively speaking, it is.I first rode it in the city, toggling between Road and Sport modes, and it certainly didn’t feel short on speed. At low speeds, it’s vibe-free and its progressive responses to all inputs certainly lend it a strong degree of intuitivity. What doesn’t work is its combination of an 800mm seat height, a wide-ish tank aperture and its 190-kg kerb weight. If you can get past that, you’ll find the Dominar to be an easy, accessible fast-bike you can ride as briskly in the city as along the highway. While Bajaj claims a 146 kph top-speed for the Dominar (unchanged from earlier), the more realistic takeaways of its performance suite are the decent mid-range and its ability to cruise, unstressed, at 100 kph or slightly higher.At those speeds, you’ll find the Dominar to be admirably stable, too. Ride quality is pliant if not premium and braking is strong enough. The tyres, a 110/70-R17 (front) and a 150/60-R17 (rear), seemed to work fuss-free in dry conditions, at least. What I didn’t get to revisit was the headlight; if my memory serves me well, it is among the strongest in the business.While the Dominar does everything its brief suggests it must, where it lacks is in how it feels while it goes about its duties. Sure, at ₹2.04 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), it spells tremendous value for everything it promises and delivers, but a motorcycle, especially of a kind you’re meant to carve your touring dreams with, should feel interesting if not entirely enthralling. The Dominar simply doesn’t. It’s functional and well-suited to its purpose but, especially a decade into its existence, it’s hard to look past how dated and flavourless it feels. Time for a wake-up call, I suppose?@TheMotorGramPublished on July 17, 2026
