Royal Enfield Himalayan BS6 vs Bajaj Dominar 400 BS6: Competition Check

The Royal Enfield Himalayan and Bajaj Dominar 400 seem like unlikely rivals. However, with touring characteristics and similar price tags, the two motorcycles indirectly compete against each other. While we will bring you a real-world test soon, here is an on-paper comparison of the Bajaj Dominar 400 BS6 and Royal Enfield Himalayan BS6.

Styling

The Dominar 400 is styled on the lines of power cruiser motorcycles. It sports a muscular fuel tank and the full-LED headlamp lends the Dominar its distinctive face. Meanwhile, the well-contoured rear section of the motorcycle holds the split-seat setup and a split tail lamp. And to complete its look, the Bajaj Dominar 400 gets machine-cut alloy wheels and a dual-barrel exhaust. It offers a slightly bent-forward riding position thanks to the mildly rear-set footpegs and straight handlebar.

On the other hand, the Himalayan offers an even more touring-friendly, upright riding position. And to make things comfortable at highway speeds, it comes with a tall windscreen as standard. In terms of styling, the Royal Enfield Himalayan’s minimal bodywork and tall stance suit its adventure-touring character well. However, unlike the full-LED lighting on the Dominar, the Himalayan makes do with conventional lighting all over.

Features 

The feature list on the Himalayan BS6 is an easy read. It consists of a switchable, dual-channel ABS and an instrument cluster that has an analogue speedometer, odometer, fuel-gauge as well as compass. The cluster sports a small, orange-backlit LCD that shows gear position, clock, odometer, trip meter, and ambient temperature.  

Meanwhile, Bajaj has equipped the Dominar 400 with not one, but two fully digital instrument clusters. While the conventionally mounted unit shows speed, rpm, and fuel level, the secondary cluster fitted on the fuel tank displays time, tripmeter, and gear position. Moreover, the Dominar also gets a dual-channel ABS and comes with a slipper clutch, something that the Himalayan misses out on.

Engine 

The Royal Enfield Himalayan is powered by a 411cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled and fuel-injected motor that produces 24.3bhp of power and 32Nm of torque, paired to a five-speed transmission. The Bajaj Dominar 400 gets a 373cc, single-cylinder engine that is liquid-cooled and fuel-injected. The motor, which is mated to a six-speed gearbox and slipper clutch puts out 39.4bhp and 35Nm.

Cycle Parts

Now, the Dominar 400 rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with road-biased tyres sourced from MRF. For suspension, it uses 43mm inverted forks and a mono-shock at the rear. Meanwhile, braking on the Dominar is done by a 320mm disc at the front and a 230mm disc at the rear.  

Nevertheless, apart from its touring capabilities, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is also off-road biased and sports dual-sport CEAT rubber wrapped on spoke wheels; 21-inch at the front and 17-inch at the rear.  The 41mm telescopic forks offer a massive 200mm of travel, compared to the Dominar’s 135mm travel. And the rear mono-shock offers 180mm of travel; 70mm more than the Dominar 400. Braking hardware includes a 300mm disc at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear.

Pricing

Bajaj offers the Dominar 400 in a single variant (Green and Black paint options) which is priced at Rs 1.91 lakh. On the other hand, the Royal Enfield Himalayan BS6’ pricing varies on the choice of colour. The dual-tone Rock Red and Lake Blue colours cost Rs 1.91 lakh whereas the Sleet Grey and Gravel Grey are priced at Rs 1.89 lakh. The most affordable colours, however, are the Snow White and Granite Black that were also available on the BS4 model. 

All prices ex-showroom