Comparison Review: Bajaj Dominar vs Mahindra Mojo

 

The Bajaj Dominar dominates in styling

 

The Mahindra Mojo looks quirky and will grown on you

 

The Mojo's console may not look great but packs in lots of information

 

The motor restricts you to 9500 rpm, so the 13,000 rpm tacho feels redundant

 

The soft cushioning restricts your hours on the saddle of the Mojo

 

The seats more comfortable on the Dominar

On the Bajaj Dominar too, the seat cushioning isn’t the best, but the seat is a lot wider for both the rider and pillion. You have ample room to make adjustments and the neatly contoured seats provide thigh support as well. That said, if you aren’t vertically gifted, the Dominar with its 800 mm seat height makes for a more appealing proposition as compared to the Mojo’s 814 mm seat height.

 

The Dominar makes more power, the Mojo gets a better engine

Engine and Performance
 
On paper, the Bajaj Dominar feels like the outright winner. It has the bigger engine, more power and better performance figures to boast off when pitted against the Mahindra Mojo. However, ride both bikes back to back and there is a sizeable difference. The Dominar shares its engine with the KTM 390 Duke, but has been tuned for different kind of performance. It has also been watered down, if you can call it that, to be easier to live with on a day-to-day basis. So you get the same 373 cc single-cylinder engine that now gets a single overhead camshaft with four valves and Bajaj Auto’s triple-spark technology. The motor makes fairly less power than the KTMs churning out 34.5 bhp at 8000 rpm and 35 Nm of torque at 6500 rpm. But that’s a whole lot more power than the Mojo’s 295 cc single-cylinder engine makes, belting out 26.5 bhp at 8000 rpm and 30 Nm at 5500 rpm.

 

The Dominar gets an enthusiastic engine and sounds good too

 

The Mojo can cruise at triple digit speeds without breaking a sweat

 

The Mojo offers a better touring range with a 21 litre fuel tank

 

The perimeter frame on the Dominar makes it comfortable around corners

Handling and Braking
 
The Bajaj Dominar benefits from the perimeter frame shared with the Pulsar RS and NS 200. Now, it may not be as sophisticated as the Trellis unit on the KTMs, but the perimeter frame does a good job in handling the bigger engine and additional power. Despite weighing the same as the Mojo at 182 kg, the Dominar feels lighter and is also friendlier around corners. The balanced chassis knows a thing or two on how to deal with sweeping turns and impresses with its dynamics. The Mojo uses a double-cradle frame and that shows its age once you plan to dive into a corner. As stable the Mojo is on open highways, give it a winding road and it’s immediately out of its comfort zone. In city limits too, the Mahindra Mojo feels harder to maneuver compared to the Bajaj Dominar, and the former’s weight really makes itself apparent here. The Dominar feels built for the city and highways and that makes it the easier bike to live with.

Both bikes offer excellent straightline stability

 

The Bajaj Dominar benefits from ABS

 

The Mojo's brakes lack the sharp bite, but are progressive

 

It is hard to ignore the Dominar's extensive feature list for the price tag

Verdict

As much as we thought the Bajaj Dominar would be hard to compete with, this comparison has turned out to be a revelation. The Mahindra Mojo comes capably close to the Dominar and is even better than the former in several ways. It only goes on to show that Mahindra definitely knows a thing or two about building bikes and that five year hardwork did pay off well, with a few niggles of course. However, when you consider the complete package, the Dominar is definitely hard to beat. Sure, it may not be as supple to ride as the Mojo, but the extensive feature list is hard to ignore. Then, there is the biggest factor differentiating both and that is pricing. The ABS equipped Dominar is attainable at Rs. 1.50 lakh, which makes it a good Rs. 19,000 cheaper than the Mojo. And difference only increases, if you factor in the non-ABS variant that is priced at Rs. 1.36 lakh (all-prices, ex-showroom Delhi). While both bikes have their respective shortfalls, the Dominar manages to take a stronger stand and a more value for money offering. Then, there is Bajaj Auto's far better sales and service network compared to that of Mahindra 2Wheelers, and that will certainly get more takers for the Dominar. However, if you are looking at a sturdy and very focused touring machine, the Mojo still makes a compelling case, even if not worth the extra money.