Jawa Forty Two vs Bajaj Dominar 400 vs Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X – Competition check

Jawa brand has been finally reincarnated in India and three new motorcycles have been introduced under this iconic name. The Jawa Forty Two is a modern iteration of the standard Jawa and looking at its purpose and pricing, it rivals the Bajaj Dominar 400 and Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X. All three bikes are majorly suitable for cruising and comfortable street riding. Let’s dig a bit deeper on how they stack up against each other.

Design

Starting with the newest entrant, the Jawa Forty Two carries a classic aura but with several blacked-out elements which lend it a modern appeal. The bar end mirrors and the off-set single pod instrument console are the party pieces though. The same is the case with the Thunderbird 350X which is basically the standard Thunderbird but looks trendy with the blacked out engine, exhaust, alloy wheels and handlebar. As for the Bajaj Dominar 400, its design has a bit of streetfighter aggression due to the muscular and angular body panels.

Engine

Powering the Jawa Forty Two is a 293cc, single-cylinder, liquid cooled motor that produces 27bhp of power and 28Nm of torque. The Bajaj Dominar 400 borrows its 373.2cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder mill from the KTM 390 Duke. It churns out 34.5bhp at 8,000rpm and 35Nm at 6,500rpm which is the highest of the lot. Both the bikes consist of a six-speed gearbox.

The Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X gets a 346cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled motor that generates 19.8bhp at 5,250rpm and 28Nm at 4,000rpm. It is mated to a five-speed gearbox.

Cycle parts

Based on a perimeter frame, the Bajaj Dominar 400 is suspended on telescopic forks on the front and a modern adjustable monoshock at the rear. Braking is handled by disc brakes on both ends while dual-channel ABS is available as an option. It rides on 17-inch alloy wheels. 

The Thunderbird 350X rides on 19-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels that are suspended on telescopic front forks and dual gas-charged rear shock absorbers. Anchorage comes from disc brakes on both the ends and dual-channel ABS is optional here as well. The Jawa Forty Two is on the lower side in these terms as it gets disc brake only on the front and the rear gets drum brake. Single-channel ABS is standard. Suspension duties are handled by telescopic front forks and twin hydraulic rear shock absorbers.

Features

The Bajaj Dominar 400 is the most feature-rich motorcycle among the lot as it gets an LCD instrument cluster with a host of information along with a tiny display on the tank consisting of tell-tale lights. Moreover, it also comes with LED headlamps. 

The Thunderbird 350X gets projector headlamp and the Jawa Forty Two houses a conventional bulb for illumination. Information display on both bikes is via a twin pod analogue instrument cluster with a tiny digital display. 

Pricing

The Jawa Forty Two has been priced at Rs 1.55 lakhs. The Dominar 400, on the hand, starts at Rs 1.49 lakhs while the ABS variant comes for Rs 1.63 lakhs. The Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X is also available in non-ABS and ABS variants priced at Rs 1.56 lakhs and 1.62 lakhs, respectively. (all prices are ex-showroom, Mumbai)