2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 to get a power and torque boost, bookings open

Bajaj Auto is just weeks away from launching the 2019 Dominar 400 in India. Bajaj dealers across India have already begun taking bookings for the updated sports cruiser. Sales dispatches of last month also reveal a steep decline in Dominar 400 shipments, which is the clearest indication that the new model is indeed ready for launch. A report on ZigWheels suggests that the 2019 Dominar will get a power and torque boost thanks to a DOHC engine head.

Currently, the Bajaj Dominar 400 uses a single overhead camshaft operating the four valves. The new head is said to be larger in order to accommodate the triple spark design of the Dominar, along with the twin overhead camshafts. If you’ve been following the Dominar’s development closely, you’ll know that the motorcycle essentially uses the 373.2cc engine of the Duke 390, but with a revised engine head that has a single overhead camshaft instead of twin cams of the KTM, and three spark plugs instead of one on the KTM’s motor.

By now giving the 2019 Dominar 400 a twin cam head, Bajaj Auto is going closer to the KTM Duke 390’s engine. This is perhaps the reason why the power and torque figures of the 2019 Bajaj Dominar have gone up. The KTM Duke 390’s motor makes 44 Bhp-37 Nm while the pre-facelift Dominar 400 made 35 Bhp-35 Nm. The new, 2019 Dominar is expected to get at least a couple of horses extra thanks to the new engine head. We also expect an increase in refinement levels as twin cam engines are generally more refined at higher rpms than single cam engines.

The 2019 Dominar wil have many other changes. It will get upside down front forks, a twin barrel exhaust design, new rear view mirrors, updated instrument cluster, a larger radiator and also a revised belly pan. Many other improvements to overall refinement are likely to be made on the 2019 Dominar. A price increase is also very likely, and the non-ABS version of the bike is expected to be discontinued. The current Dominar with dual channel ABS is priced at Rs. 1.63 lakhs.

The new version could command a premium of as much as Rs. 10,000 to account for the various changes it comes with. The Dominar is Bajaj Auto’s flagship motorcycle, and is a sports tourer that’s been trying to break into the market dominated by Royal Enfield. So far, the Dominar has had limited success in terms of sales, and Bajaj Auto has just about managed to sell 1,000-1,500 Dominars each month. The motorcycle is also exported from India. The updated version may give the Dominar a big boost in terms of sales, and this is what Bajaj Auto will be hoping for.