The upgraded Bajaj Dominar 400 was recently caught by the motoring paparazzi somewhere in India. The test mule of the flagship Bajaj motorcycle was seen with an upside down telescopic front suspension and a new design for the exhaust canister. The test mule is most likely the BS-VI compliant 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 that’s undergoing pre-launch tests.
Also read: Rajiv Bajaj confirms a new motorcycle brand for the 125cc segment - Report
When can we expect it to arrive? The motorcycle did not feature any camouflage which hints that it is ready for showrooms. In a recent interview to Forbes India, Bajaj Auto’s Managing Director, Rajiv Bajaj confirmed that the company is "now going to market new Dominars."
So, can we expect to see the new Dominar motorcycles before the end of 2018? While Rajiv Bajaj did not mention a timeline, his statement hints that we may hear an announcement during the festive season.
The new Dominar is expected to carry more upgrades than those that were visible in the spy images. Thus, apart from the upside down telescopic front forks and new exhaust design, we may see changes to the instrument console and the colour palette.
The dual-tone paint scheme, as seen in the spy images, has been revised with more blacked out real estate on the fuel tank. While the headlight is not visible, we expect it to continue to be a full LED unit.
The current 373 cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine sooner or later will have received changes to comply with the new emission standards. The performance numbers would most likely vary from the current model’s 35 PS of maximum power and 35 Nm of peak torque. The current generation features a six-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch, and that setup is not likely to change on the new Dominar 400.
Safety norms would make ABS mandatory on all motorcycles above 125cc, and thus, the new Dominar 400 would have to drop the base variant altogether.
Also read: All-new Bajaj Pulsar range arriving in 2020, confirms Rajiv Bajaj - Report
At launch, the Bajaj Dominar 400 was expected to clock sales of up to 10,000 units a month. The upgrade is much needed, as Bajaj's flagship product averaged just 1,576 units in the first six months of the calendar year 2018.
[Source: ForbesIndia.com]
