Bajaj Dominar 400 vs KTM RC 390 in a ‘Tug of War’: Who wins [Video]

The Bajaj Dominar 400 and KTM RC 390  are two famous motorcycles in the Indian market. The Dominar 400 is a power tourer while the KTM RC 390 is a track-spec bike. However, both of them are powered by the same 373.3-cc engine block developed by Bajaj and KTM. But which one is likely to win in a tug of war? Let’s find out.

Bajaj Dominar 400 Vs KTM RC 390

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c4yVQI2FQY

Bajaj Dominar 400 is the flagship bike of the Indian manufacturer in India. Bajaj promotes the bike as a power cruiser to take on the Royal Enfield bikes. The KTM RC 390 is an entry-level track bike for people who want to learn track skills professionally. Both the bikes are from different segments and are built in a different way but they are powered by the same 373-cc engine block.

Both the bikes get the same 373.3-cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine. However, both the manufacturers have tweaked the bikes according to their usage. The engine in the Bajaj Dominar churns out a maximum of 35 Bhp power and 35 Nm at 8,000 rpm of peak torque at 6,500 rpm. The Bajaj engine gets triple-spark plug technology too. On the other hand, the KTM RC squeezes out a maximum of 43.5 PS at 9,000 rpm and 36 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. Both the bikes get a slipper clutch and 6-speed transmission.

However, the difference arises in other parts. The Bajaj Dominar 400 weighs a whopping 182 kg, while the RC 390 being a track bike weighs only 160 kg. This affects the power-to-weight ratio massively. However, the video says that the weight of the riders almost even out the weight factor, and both the bikes weigh almost the same.

The video shows 5 rounds of tug of war, in which the KTM RC 390 wins each one of them easily. Even when the riders changed their bikes for the last two rounds, the result was the same. The RC 390 easily pulls the Dominar 400 in all the five rounds.

Why does this happen?

The engine of the KTM seems to be reaching the higher RPM quicker than the Bajaj Dominar. A higher RPM means that the engine reaches the power band earlier than the Dominar, thereby overpowering it. One more important reason is the tyres. The KTM RC 390 gets Metzeler tyres that are extremely sticky, soft-compound rubbers meant for track use. The Bajaj Dominar gets MRF Revvz tyres that are highway-spec tyres, which are meant to be long-lasting. In the last two rounds, we could see the Dominar’s rear tyre losing grip and spinning. It could have been a different outcome if the Dominar had more stickier tyres.

The Bajaj Dominar is priced at Rs. 1.42 lakh for the non-ABS version, and Rs. 1.6 lakh for the ABS version. The KTM RC 390 is priced at Rs. 2.25 lakh for the non-ABS version and Rs. 2.37 lakh for the ABS version. Both the bikes are manufactured at the same plant in Chakan.