Dominar 400 is the flagship brand for Bajaj Auto with loads of performance at aggressive price while BMW G310R could be the obvious game-changer for the German company
In last few years, Indian two wheeler market has been experiencing a new trend. The focus is slowly being shifted toward the premium motorcycles. The two-wheeler manufacturers already present in the market for quite long time are focussing on the premium segment. Alongside, several other two wheeler makers are investing in the Indian market to grab the booming performance and sports bike spaces.
BMW Motorrad has been trying for sometime to enter the budding domestic market for premium and sporty bikes and when the opportunity came the jackpot was hit. Partnership with a well-settled local producer like TVS Motors wouldn’t come that easy and when it did the legendary German marque welcomed it with both hands. The ideology behind the alliance is simple: TVS will be responsible for the manufacturing of BMW-badged motorcycles locally and thus the cost of production will get significantly low.
Due to the affordability, BMW will be seen as an attractive brand over the rest of overseas compatriots. Most importantly, the decades of engineering expertise and manufacturing techniques from the German brand will be utilised by TVS which would help its own growth technical wise as components and technical preferences can be shared.
While Bajaj has been one of the most popular two wheeler brands in India for very long time, BMW Motorrad is eyeing the premium space in the domestic market with a potent product. While Bajaj has introduced its brand known as Dominar 400, BMW Motorrad is also gearing up to launch the G310R naked motorcycle by March or April 2017.
Both the sporty motorcycles sit in the premium motorcycle segment. The Bajaj Dominar 400 was first showcased as the CS400 concept at 2014 New Delhi Auto Expo. On the other hand, the BMW G310R was displayed at the 2016 New Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year. Here’s how the naked motorcycles compare:
Bajaj Dominar 400 vs BMW G310R Design:
Bajaj Dominar 400 dons a pretty sharp and aggressive design. Honestly, on the design front it looks cool and very masculine. The production spec model comes retaining the similar design cues from the concept model. The motorcycle comes sharing the design elements with the smaller sibling Pulsar 200 NS. Up front, the large LED headlamp has been designed sharply. The Dominar 400 gets a flat handle bar, which helps the rider with better control and position resulting in convenient cruising.
The motorcycle features a fully digital instrument cluster, which sits on the top of the headlamp cowl. There is a sleek LCD display on the top of the fuel tank as well. No wonder, these twin digital displays enhance the premium appeal of the model. The fuel tank comes very masculine and sculpted. Apart from these, the motorcycle gets stepped up saddle seat and sporty body cowls. The taillight looks like two strips running vertically while the tail section of the Dominar 400 ends abruptly.
The BMW G310R brings a sporty and aggressive street fighter feel as well. The V shaped headlamp appears smaller than the Dominar 400, but the cowl gives it an elongated look. The fully digital instrument clusters sits just on top of the headlamp cowl. The high rising and sculpted fuel tank gives the motorcycle a sporty and very masculine appearance. The headlamp cowl and the sharp side cowls sport R badging.
The golden coloured USD forks delivers a stylish look to the model. The exhaust also looks beefy. The motorcycle sports stepped up saddle seat with a low riding position. No wonder, this helps the rider to get a better control of the G310R. Apart from that, the flat handle bar also should give the rider better control of the motorcycle.
Bajaj Dominar 400 vs BMW G310R Performance:
Bajaj Dominar 400 gets power from a 373.3 cc single-cylinder DTS-i four-valve four-stroke liquid-cooled closed fuel injected engine with slipper clutch. The engine is mated to a 6 speed transmission and churns out 35 PS of peak power at 8,000 rpm and 35 Nm at 6,500 rpm. The same engine delivers 25 kmpl of fuel economy in the KTM Duke 390 but it’s been improved to an impressive 30 kmpl in the Dominar. The top speed for the motorcycle is claimed at 148 kmph and it can do 0-100 kmph in 8.23 seconds.
The BMW G310R draws power from a 313 cc single cylinder water cooled and fuel injected engine. The engine is paired with a 6 speed transmission and kicks out 34 PS of peak power at 9,500 rpm and 28 Nm of peak torque at 7,500 rpm. BMW Motorrad claims, the G310R will deliver a 30.3 kmpl of fuel economy. While the top speed of the motorcycle is expected to be around 145 kmph only.
Bajaj Dominar 400 vs BMW G310R Dynamics:
Bajaj Dominar 400 gets large alloy wheels, drilled disc brakes at both the front and rear wheels. The front wheel gets 320 mm disc and the rear gets 230 mm disc brakes. It comes equipped with 43 mm telescopic front forks and rear adjustable monoshock suspension. The Bajaj Dominar 400 also gets dual channel ABS, which efficiently helps in braking and runs on alloy wheels wrapped with tubeless tyres.
The BMW G310R gets a 300 mm disc at the front wheel, while the rear comes with a 240 mm disc. The international version of the G310R gets ABS. Expect the India spec model to come with an ABS as option. On the suspension front the G310R comes with USD forks at the front and aluminum swing arm at the rear. The motorcycle runs on 17 inch alloy wheels.
Bajaj Dominar 400 vs BMW G310R Spec Comparison Verdict:
Both the Bajaj Dominar 400 and the BMW G310R comes with aggressive and stylish design. The Bajaj Dominar 400 is a cruiser with heavy sporty design as the home-grown manufacturer tries to play a different game to its competitors as it did with the RS200. On the other hand, the BMW G310R looks like a pure performance oriented motorcycle.
On the paper, Dominar 400 gets a much larger engine compared to the BMW G310R. Therefore, the performance outputs are higher compared to the BMW Motorrad’s model. Another advantage for the Bajaj Dominar 400 is the pricing. While its German rival is expected to be priced at around Rs. 1.80 lakh, the Dominar 400 gets an aggressive price tag of Rs. 1.36 lakh (ex-showroom).
The brand value will emphasise the sales numbers here as the renowned BMW goes head to head against a potent Indian brand in the hotly contested performance bike segment. It is sort of a well-known battle between Bajaj and TVS but in a whole new level. Both products have different brand values and images which would be key in customers choosing them. Who will come out on top? We don’t have much time pondering as they are going head-to-head very soon out on the roads.