Will Dominar Dominate

Defiance is somewhat built in the name Bajaj, both Rahul & Rajiv have been honest and straightforward in their words. And this was evident in the spec sheet of the just launched Bajaj Dominar. It said - Operable altitude - 18380 feet. Now thats the height of Khardungla Pass, and we all know how Royal Enfield has become synonymous with Ladakh and its passes. So when Bajaj says it goes there, it is clear who they are targeting.

November 2001, the Pulsar twins were launched and while they weren't the 1st in segment, with CBZ taking those honours, they were the ones who truly created the segment. Pulsars were an excellent combination of pricing, quality and performance. But a huge gap and absence of alternate for riders when the next replacement cycle came, saw other companies benefitting more when a Pulsar rider scanned the market to replace his existing 150/180 cc Pulsar.

While Bajaj bought a stake in KTM, still new higher capacity motorcycles from Bajaj were not coming. This changes today as the Dominar is launched with a very sweet introductory price of 1.36 lakhs. It stands way above all other motorcycles in similar price bracket. Technology & Performance are almost double to what exists today. 35 bhp, 0-100 of 8.23 sec, slipper clutch, dual channel ABS, mono shock, all LED lights and more at just 136000! Introductory or not, it is a really sweet pricing. Its a INR 40000 difference with its own sibling, the Duke 390.

Indian roads and traffic conditions in the current state are not conducive to 600+ cc 60+ bhp motorcycles. Where are we going to use all that power, safely. With cruising speeds of 110-130 kmph being optimum in our country, a good 350-400 cc motorcycle with a 400 km range is good enough. And this is where the latest Bajaj launch slots itself. And with replacement demand from the existing category already strong and growing, the market is only going to grow.

Pulsar on its part ignited the spark in Indian Motorcyclists, lets hope Dominar lights the fire.