After owning a low-cube Bajaj Boxer 150 (Street-enduro Custom) and a Geon 150 pitbike, I wanted to keep that low-cube urban versatility, but with a little more power.
Since the quality of Bajaj motorcycles pleasantly impressed me (unlike the Chinese), I could not refuse the unexpected offer of a comrade to buy his Bajaj Dominar 400, 2019 model year with a mileage of 12 thousand kilometers.

Based on past motorcycle ownership experience, the usage profile consists of:
60% – big city rides with traffic jams;
20% – evening/night rides;
10% – trips outside the city in small trips up to 200 km one way;
10% – trips to nature, forest, beach, etc.
Thus the ideal would be a scrambler (for example, Ducati, which I wrote about in the comparative review) but it is very expensive or turanduro, but they are quite large and in the city are not very nimble (and I do not like large motorcycles).
From the limited budget nothing better for the price of Dominar’a simply did not find. So – single-barrel, 379cc, 35 hp and 35N.m.

Seating and ergonomics
I’ve ridden many different bikes, but I consider the Dominar’s seating position to be one of the best. Let me specify – I have average height and average weight (173/75). You sit like an inline – your knees harmoniously rest in the leg niches on the tank, a slight tilt of the body forward, but not allowing the load of hands on the handlebars. Just perfect! The footrests are right under you, because of which when you put your foot on the stop at the first time constantly clinging to your calves and if not in long motoboots, then constant bruising is assured. But it is very comfortable to stand on them on bumps and lying policemen.
The seat is comfortable, but a little sharp edges in two hours squeeze the normal circulation of blood in the legs. It is solved by installation of 3D-mesh, which smooths out the sharp shape of the seat and adds comfort in the hot season. By the way, there is a lot of free space under the seat, you can put a lock, a multitool, and a net and still remain.
Remote controls with backlighting of buttons, which is really convenient at night, but the dashboard is readable, but in the direct sun pale and nothing is visible.

There is one sore spot – it is a fastening of a windshield. The factory windshield is low (consider it absent), but if you put any more or less effective windshield, it is attached to the headlight, and the headlight is attached to a couple of bolts through the plastic to the frame. That is why this windshield constantly vibrates and shakes on bumps and from the wind flow at speed. Many people make duplicate mounts from the glass to the handlebars – only in this way you can be safe for the integrity of the design. But in this case, the appearance suffers greatly.

Engine.
This engine is essentially the same as the KTM 390 Duke (they are made at the same factory) except for some parts (like engine covers, camshafts and something else there).
Very disruptive engine, especially in first gears. At speeds above 80 km.h. dynamics deflates, and after 130 km.h. speed and at all grows by a couple of km.h. per second.
There was an opportunity to compare with the 2019 KTM 390 Duke more than once. On paper, the graphs of power and torque characteristics of both engines are very similar. In life they are also similar, but here is the cutoff (not blinker, it is the cutoff) at Dominar is at 8.3 thousand revolutions (tachometer is drawn to 13 thousand revolutions), and at its richer sibling 390 Duke – cutoff in the area of 11-12 thousand revolutions. Hence additional horses at KTM and more cheerful engine. It feels that marketers just in Dominar’s brain limited revs for good sales of KTM. Also, the shorter base of the KTM gives you the ability to take the wheel off the throttle, the Dominar doesn’t do that. And I didn’t feel any special advantages of the Duke 390. It is a little bit more cheerful, by 25 percent, however, as well as the difference in price.

Maximum speed on Dominar is about 157 km.h (according to speedometer or 151 km.h according to GPS), KTM has + 10 km.h. Comfortable long speed for Dominar is 120-130 km/h. Anything higher is possible, but not for a long time, as the engine breaks. In the city, short-term maximum speed I spin up several times a day.
Measurements of acceleration dynamics showed 8,2-8,5 sec to 100 km/h. But this is on a larger wheel profile (profile 70 instead of 60) and with a star on 42 teeth (to the detriment of dynamics, but in favor of speed).
Appetite of the engine is very pleasing. At pensioner driving it was 3.5 liters per hundredth, at aggressive driving – 4.3 liters. At the same time it is interesting fact – the more you have an average speed, the higher the consumption. For example, in the city, in a standing traffic jam, it will be more economical to drive at 40-50 km.h. than to drive stable 120 km.h. on the highway. So I even liked traffic jams.
The gears are short and in fact the start from each traffic light looks like a quick 1-2-3-4-4-5-6. Because of this, the character is quite twitchy.

On the move
Rigid frame + rigid suspension give excellent handling by class standards. The motorcycle falls into slow turns very willingly, maneuvers so confidently between standing in a traffic jam that you start to feel like in a computer game – everything is so fantastically easy. By the power of thought and a slight movement of the hand for a fraction of seconds the motorcycle jumps into any free space within ten meters thanks to the traction from the bottom. The only remark is that the angle of handlebar eversion is not very large, so this motorcycle does not show phenomenal results at jimkhana trainings and does not deserve popularity among jimkhanists.
On the other hand, all positive qualities end where bad road surface begins. The suspension travel is stated as 135/110 mm (front/rear), but given the budgetary nature of the whole motorcycle and suspensions in particular, the real thing that this suspension can give by feel is 80-90 mm of travel. The stiffest bike I’ve ever ridden. Moreover, pits on the road give just tinnyakovyh blows in the hands and back. My girlfriend after the first hour ride said she would never sit as a passenger again because of the shaking. My back also said several times that it was uncomfortable. A couple of times I even felt the shock going to my kidneys… And the suspension has no adjustments. And the one that adjusts the preload of the shock absorber does not change anything.
After a trip to the Carpathians, where we hit a mountain pass with large stones, which we rode for 2 hours, finally convinced of the imminent change of the motorcycle just because of the suspension.

There were ideas to change the rear amort – to order a tuning amort from India ($250 + shipping), but I am not sure that it will be better than the stock one. And there are no other alternatives at all.
Lack of normal suspension and strange weight distribution with an emphasis on the front wheel does not make it an enduro, and even off-road rubber does not help. I have not once ridden it on dirt tracks, traveled on them for 5-10 km and know its capabilities.
But it is worth saying that in its native element, on good asphalt it goes very predictable and it is possible to lay almost to the footrests.
There are no claims on brakes. ABS works correctly, but I will not say that they are powerful and they are enough, however there were several cases, where it was necessary to brake off urgently and everything was good.
There is no exhaust sound – in motion you can hear the engine running, but not the exhaust. I had to remove the muffler can, resonator and install a straight pipe left over from a previous bike. The native exhaust system pulled 9.5 kg of weight. The new can is 500 grams.

The sound became very bassy, at the lows loud, but in motion evenly rumbling and not so prominent. After 90 km/h the sound of wind is louder than the sound of exhaust. By the way, I noticed that because of the small cubic capacity, the sound of the exhaust is heard only at 50-100 meters from the bike, further on it is almost inaudible. Even driving around the corner of the house, the sound is almost gone and does not bother the inhabitants of the yard. It is not comparable with rectotokami four-cylinder Japanese 600-k, which on the rectotok heard for a couple of kilometers and many blocks.

What I love this bike for is its light. There are 2 blocks of factory LED diodes in the headlight – they shine just lute – during the day the DHO mode essentially beams with high beam and you are very well noticed in the mirrors, and at night this light shines better than some cars. I have not seen any motorcycle with such a standard light. Additional light is not needed there a priori. When you turn the handlebars at night you can see a clearly defined beam of light in the shape of an inverted trapezoid. The other lamps are also LED, which is very modern looking.

As for me – in a traffic jam, a motorcycle with such an exhaust and powerful light is twice as visible as a normal motorcycle.

Reliability and maintenance.
All joints of the first owner, according to his words and history at the dealer, came out in the first couple of months of driving and were eliminated under warranty – ABS error, and a problem with the fork.
I once on the road stalled, as it turned out oxidized terminal on the battery. All the rest of the time the bike did not require unscheduled service from the word at all.
Bearings of a steering column require replacement and oil seals of a fork already approach, but it is characteristic for any motorcycle with a mileage of 20+ thousand km.

Prices for spare parts are quite cheap – 2 times more expensive than for small-cube Boxer 150, but 2-3 times cheaper than for 600-700-cube motorcycles. In general, in my head the word Bajaj is synonymous with the words “reliability, unpretentiousness, simplicity”. The whole history of service of each official motorcycle by VIN-code can be viewed on the official website of the representative office.

Additional accessories.
The motorcycle was quite well completed by the past owner and most of the tuning really improved the convenience of the motorcycle.
To the base configuration was installed:

• GP Composit windshield (+100 to wind comfort, but provided an optional spoiler, otherwise the flow goes into your neck and howls into your helmet)
• Engine cage (and protection, and there is a place to screw the anti-theft rope/chain, well, and put your feet on it in the distance can also be)
• Frames for coffers (although the motorcycle is a city bike, but in the city it is also sometimes needed).
• Mitas E-08 toothed rubber (standard plastic rubber should be thrown out right after leaving the cabin)
• Mirror extenders (mast hat to see not your shoulders, but the road situation)
• GSM-alarm (as needed, if you do not drive, it drains the battery in 4-5 days)
• usb-charging on the handlebars (useless thing, as power bank can do it no worse)
• Folding trigger (not comfortable, I don’t recommend it, I returned the original ones, which I was glad about)
• Star 42 teeth instead of 45 teeth (on the fan – did not like the excessive sluggishness, I do not see the advantages).

It was installed additionally by me.

• Handlebar heater (mast have for traveling and for spring and fall).
• Hand protection (saving on broken trigger + wind protection in the cold).
• Footrest extender (without it, the side footrest falls into the ground, and given the high profile of the wheel – the angle of the bike on the footrest is quite serious).
• Straight-through (if the soul of the sound requires it, it is necessary)

Conclusion
I consider the motorcycle to be very successful for its money. With it you get a new technique, with a modern look, diode optics and lighting around the circle, with good dynamics in urban conditions, economical and with a comfortable fit motorcycle. On the other hand, stiff suspension and no exhaust sound make it a good city dweller.
Good for the city, further 100 km. from the city to go on it is not worth it. It was a pity to part with the former Dominar.