Royal Enfield Classic 350 ABS vs Bajaj Dominar 400 vs Jawa Forty Two – Competition Check

Royal Enfield has introduced dual-channel ABS in its highly popular offering, the Classic 350. This brought along a price hike of Rs 5,800 and now the motorcycle costs Rs 1.53 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). Looking at its pricing and purpose, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 ABS locks horns with the Bajaj Dominar 400 and the Jawa Forty Two. Let’s check which one is better on paper.

Design and Features:

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 and the Jawa Forty Two are modern classic bikes with round headlamp, spoke wheels and chrome finished components. However, the Forty Two is a tad more modern with blacked out handlebar, off-set instrument cluster and bar-end mirrors. The Bajaj Dominar 400 is entirely different as it boasts of a modern street bike styling with muscular body panels, blacked-out engine and exhaust and stylish alloy wheels. 

Talking about features, the Dominar 400 is way ahead than its competitors as it comes equipped with fully-digital instrument cluster, LED headlamps and tail lamps and slipper clutch. The Jawa Forty Two gets a small digital display for odometer and trip meter, housed in a single pod analogue instrument cluster. Meanwhile, the RE profoundly maintains its classic theme and misses out on the aforementioned features.

Engine:

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 ABS is powered by a 346cc, air-cooled, carburetor motor that churns out 19.8bhp of power and 28Nm of torque. Now, the Jawa Forty Two gets a smaller 293cc mill but it is liquid-cooled and fuel-injected. The power figures stand at 27bhp and 28Nm. Moreover, it gets a six-speed gearbox as opposed to the Classic 350’s five-speed unit. The Dominar 400 leads the lot in this section as well. Its 373.3cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected powerplant pumps out a healthy a 34.5bhp and 35Nm and, the six-speed gearbox is assisted by slipper clutch.

Cycle Parts:

The Classic 350 rides on 19-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel which is suspended by telescopic forks on the front and twin, gas-charged shock absorbers at the rear. Braking is handled by disc brake on both the ends which now work with dual-channel ABS. The Jawa Forty Two rides on 18-inch front and 17-inch rear wheel while the suspension remains same as the RE. The braking, however, is handled by disc brake only on the front wheel and it features single-channel ABS.

Coming to the Bajaj Dominar 400, both the wheels measure 17-inch which use telescopic front forks and rear monoshock for absorbing bumps. Disc brakes handle braking on both the ends while dual-channel ABS comes as standard. The fuel tank capacity of the Dominar 400, Forty Two and Classic 350 remain similar at 13, 14 and 13.5-litres, respectively.

Pricing: 

With its modern features and styling along with a powerful motor, the Bajaj Dominar 400 is the most expensive of the three as it costs Rs 1.63 lakhs. It is due for an update soon which will bring a mild price hike. Meanwhile, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and Jawa Forty Two are similarly priced at Rs 1.53 lakhs and Rs 1.55 lakhs, respectively. While the RE has quintessential classic aesthetics, the Jawa takes a slightly modern approach in terms of styling.

(all prices are ex-showroom)