Royal Enfield Himalayan OUTSELLS Bajaj Dominar

The Dominar 400 was introduced in 2016 as Bajaj tried to take on the might of the Royal Enfield’s cruiser motorcycles. However, if September’s sales are anything to go by, the Dominar is failing to take on even the problematic Himalayan in the Indian motorcycle market.

According to sales numbers from September, the Royal Enfield sold 45 more units of the Himalayan compared to the Dominar 400. As per the sales numbers from SIAM published by Bike Advice, Royal Enfield sold 1,140 units of the Himalayan compared to 1,095 units sold by Bajaj of the Dominar 400.

The Himalayan and Dominar are not made by their respective manufacturers for the same audiences with the Bajaj motorcycle targetting Royal Enfield’s 350cc cruisers. The Himalayan, on the other hand, is targeted at the adventure motorcycle crowd, which is quite a niche market. With all the complaints it got from customers regarding poor build quality the bike now manages some steady numbers in the Indian market, though nothing as impressive as its other brethren in the Royal Enfield range.

When Bajaj launched the Dominar 400 at the end of 2016, the motorcycle manufacturer was hoping for sales of at around 10,000 units every month. Unfortunately, despite a very targetted ad campaign mocking the reliability and performance of Royal Enfield’s 350 cruisers, Bajaj’s Dominar sales have been on a downward spiral and the latest figures suggest that the problems for the cruiser motorcycle are more than just skin deep.

However, this could just be a small aberration in the Dominar’s sales numbers considering that the facelifted version of the bike is set to get updated really soon. The facelifted Dominar 400 will bring a host of features to the bike that customers have wanted including upside down front forks and dual-channel ABS when it arrives. The facelifted Dominar will also feature a double-barrel exhaust system, which should improve its sound while on the go.

The facelifted Dominar 400 is expected to retain its 373 cc single-cylinder engine borrowed from the KTM 390 Duke. The 373 cc engine delivers 34 Bhp and 35 Nm of torque to the Dominar’s rear tyre and comes mated to a 6-speed gearbox. With Bajaj gearing up for a launch in the very near future, the present numbers look to be more of an aberration rather than a sign of things to come.

Here is our first ride review of the Himalayan ABS