KTM Duke 390 OUTSELLS the Bajaj Dominar 400: Here’s why

In November 2018, bang in the middle of the festive season, the Bajaj Dominar 400 sold just 170 units, which is about 69 units lesser than the KTM Duke 390. The KTM Duke 390 is priced much higher than the Bajaj Dominar 400, and the Duke outdoing the Dominar may come as a surprise for many. However, it’s on expected lines.

Bajaj Auto is prepping a 2019 version of the Dominar for the Indian market, and this is perhaps why so few units of  the motorcycle were shipped to Bajaj dealers across India. The 2019 version of the Bajaj Dominar 400 will come with  many new improvements.

It’s expected to get a new twin canister exhaust, and perhaps higher ground clearance thanks to the new exhaust.  Also, upside down front forks will replace the telescopic units that are found on the outgoing version of the  Dominar. The suspension is likely to get additional travel to help the new bike cope better on rough roads.

Other mechanical changes to make the motorcycle more refined could also be rolled out in the 2019 edition of the  Bajaj Dominar. Dual channel ABS is also likely to be become standard, with the non-ABS variant getting discontinued  given the fact that government regulations will make ABS mandatory on all motorcycles with engines displacing over 125cc.

Currently, the Bajaj Dominar 400 uses a 373cc, four stroke single cylinder petrol engine that produces 35 Bhp of peak  power and 35 Nm of peak torque. This motor gets liquid cooling, a triple spark plug head with four valves and a single overhead camshaft, and fuel injection. The engine is paired to a 6 speed manual gearbox that gets a slipper  clutch as standard. These mechanicals could be carried over to the 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400.

Coming to the KTM Duke 390, it’s the flagship motorcycle sold by the Austrian brand in India. The KTM Duke 390 is  powered by a 373cc, four stroke-single cylinder engine that’s similar to the one on the Dominar in terms of cubic  capacity. However, the motor on the KTM Duke 390 makes 44 Bhp-37 Nm, and is a more powerful unit than the one on the Dominar. It gets twin overhead camshafts as a key performance enhancement. The 6 speed manual gearbox with a slipper clutch is similar to the one on the Dominar but with revised gear ratios.

While KTM exports the Duke 390 to countries around the world, Bajaj Auto manufactures the motorcycle at its Chakan factory, in an assembly line closely situated to that of the Dominar 400. Both the Dominar 400 and Duke 390 are exported to countries around the world. While there’s a full faired version of the Duke 390 that goes by the name RC 390, the Dominar 400 is yet to get a full faired, racier version.

Bajaj Auto is expected to come up with touring accessories for the 2019 Dominar 400. The touring accessories will make the motorcycle better suited for long distance riding, and an aftermarket supplier from Pune is expected to build the various accessories. Customers will have the option of buying the kit as a whole, or individual bits, depending on their preferences.