Dominar 400, which was launched last month at shocking prices, was first showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo and Bajaj called it a ‘concept’ back then. When a manufacturer terms a product as a ‘concept’ it could mean they can take the liberty to display a lion and launch a mice.
We have had many such cases – in the recent times I can remember the XA-Alpha and Brezza or the Kwid concept and the Kwid production version (not that these look ‘bad’ but they are extremely different from each other).
But Bajaj, thankfully, did not change the overall looks of the motorcycle and the production Dominar is pretty close to the concept Pulsar CS400. However, there are still a few subtle changes which we thought of capturing and listing for you. Here they are…
- Upside Down Forks: This is probably the biggest change and quite clearly, now that we have the prices in front of us, it was done to achieve the very aggressive cost target.
- Disc Brakes: Pulsar CS400 had petal discs on both the wheels whereas Dominar 400 comes with regular rounded disc plates. Also, the front disc of the Pulsar was, for some reason bolted towards the left side of the tyre whereas on the Dominar it is at the right side.
Also Read: Why Dominar 400 is a Better Buy Than Duke 390 According to a Duke Owner [Opinion]
- Instrument Console: Both Dominar and Pulsar come with two instrument consoles – one over the fuel tank and the main unit over the headlamp. However, Pulsar CS400 had the sppedometer display on the tank unit whereas the production Dominar has it at its regular place on the main unit. Bajaj has taken some non-frequently required info to the secondary unit (on the Dominar).
- Seats: Pulsar CS400 featured a single unibody seat whereas Dominar comes with split seats.
- Exhaust Canister: The silencer, apart from carrying some minor cosmetic differences, is a little down on the Dominar. Pulsar CS400 had a slightly upswept canister.
- Swingarm: Pulsar CS400 came equipped with an aluminium swingarm whereas the Dominar comes equipped with a steal unit. (Thanks for reminding The dukeist)
Apart from these, there are minor differences like the ‘Bybre’ brake calipers are black coloured (golden on Pulsar), engine crank case cover (golden on Dominar and dark greyish on Pulsar), black handlebar on Dominar (silver on Pulsar), the rear monoshock is more visible on the Dominar and the grab rails are rear facing (Pulsar had front facing grab rails). Moreover, there are minor differences in the way the front bikini fairing is bolted on both the bikes.
Also Read: Six Things Nobody Told You About Dominar 400 Yet!
So, essentially if you ask me – the Pulsar CS400 looked a little better as it had a better colour coordination. But then these are very minor bits and expect Bajaj to launch these colour themes in future iterations. Anything else which I have missed..?
Next Read: Duke 390 Almost Runs Circles Around Dominar 400, But That is Good [Drag Video]
