Bajaj Dominar vs Mojo Comparison Review

Bajaj Dominar aka Kratos VS400 vs Mahindra Mojo 300 Comparison Review


Pricing & Features:
The Bajaj Dominar aka Kratos VS400 has been launched at a price tag of 1.5-1.75 lakh Rs. On road Delhi, which is very much comparable to the Mojo's price of 1.77 lakh Rs. on road, Delhi. Both the bikes are of different breeds, compared to the other bikes available in the country. Both of them feature high rake angles, well cushioned upright seating position and longer wheelbase, which makes them members of the unique naked sports tourer segment. The Mahindra Mojo headlamps look weird and out of proportion to the overall motorcycle body size, on the other hand, as usual, Bajaj has designed the Dominar headlamp very well. The headlamp has three sections, the centre section consists of low beam whereas the sides comprises of the DRL's. The Mahindra Mojo is equipped with a hazard indicator switch which can be expected on the Bajaj VS400, as well.

Pros:
Bajaj Dominar: ABS, comfortable seat, large fuel tank, better fuel mileage, led headlamp, dealers network
Mahindra Mojo: Pirelli tires, USD forks, comfortable seat, radial mounted calipers, floating rear calipers

Cons:
Bajaj Dominar: MRF tires, telescopic forks, high kerb weight, low reliability
Mahindra Mojo: no ABS, gear shifting, low acceleration, spares and dealers network, built quality


Price, On Road, Delhi:
Bajaj Dominar:  1.5-1.75 lakhs Rs
Mojo:  1.77 lakhs Rs

Performance & Tractability:
The Bajaj Dominor aka VS400 borrows elements of the engine technology from the Duke 390, with addition of some cost cutting and superficial changes, even though the Dominar retains ample amount of power transmitted through the driveline. Bajaj Dominar would be able to perform 0-100 under 8 seconds which will be quite impressive than the 9+ seconds of the Mahindra Mojo. Bajaj Dominar has just 78cc more than the Mahindra Mojo, but the Bajaj Dominar is able to produce 30% more power than the Mojo's. Both the bikes are equipped with a perimeter frame, the Bajaj Dominar has an rectangular box sectional where as the Mahindra Mojo styles a circular tandem tube section. The Bajaj Dominar will possess better lateral stiffness due to the stamped steel tube swing arm compared to the tubular steel swing arm of the Mojo's. Negotiating long curves at high speeds can be done well on the Dominar.

Mojo Speedo cluster


300cc engine on the Mojo

Power to Weight Ratio (PS/ton): Bajaj Dominar - 230, Mojo - 147 (difference 56%)
Torque to Weight Ratio (Nm/ton): Bajaj Dominar - 197, Mojo - 164 (difference 20%)


Power (PS@rpm): Bajaj Dominar - 35@8000, Mojo - 26.82@8000


Torque (Nm@rpm): Bajaj Dominar - 35@6500, Mojo - 30@5000
Kerb Weight (kg): Bajaj Dominar- 182, Mojo – 182

Displacement (cc): Bajaj Dominar- 373.2, Mojo – 294.72

Handling & Ride Quality:
Practically speaking both bikes are not meant for rapid changing maneuvers. Both Dominar and the Mojo possess cruiser bike characters. But the Mojo has an upper hand due to the sticky compound rubber from Pirelli, whereas the Bajaj Dominar is fitted with MRF make tires. Bajaj VS400 rear suspension setup will be hard compared to that of the Mahindra Mojo, that is because Bajaj always tries to keep the handling as sharp as possible. Bajaj has never been able to market themselves as best comfort, which we will find out in our road test.
 
Mahindra Mojo Radial mounted calipers with 320 mm front disc


Twin exhaust on the Mojo


USD forks on the Mojo



Tyre Size:
Front: Bajaj VS400– 110/700 17 MRF, Mojo - 110/700 17 Pirelli Tubeless
Rear: Bajaj VS400– 150/60 17 MRF, Mojo - 150/60 17 Pirelli Tubeless

Wheelbase (mm): Bajaj VS400 – 1450+ approx, Mojo – 1465

Comfort & Ergonomics:
For a person to ride the Mahindra Mojo for the first time can be confusing, as the bike's foot pegs are quite forward and their is no heel shifter provided to up shift the gears. Both the bikes have single piece seat for rider and the pillion, but the Mojo seat cushion is brilliant as compared to that of VS400. Even the saddle of the Mojo is longer than the VS400. Both the bikes are meant to do long rides, but we do not find any attachments for adding luggage carriers or even panniers.

Seat Height (mm): Bajaj VS400 - 790 approx, Mojo - 815

Fuel Efficiency:
Mahindra Mojo has an Arai certified mileage of 33kmpl, we can expect the Bajaj VS400 to have the number at around 35kmpl. This is achievable for Bajaj as they always managed to score well on the mileage part.
21 litres fuel tank on the Mojo

ARAI Mileage: Bajaj VS400 - 35 approx, Mojo - 33 kmpl

Fuel Cost (for usage of 40,000 km):
Bajaj VS400- 1 Lakh.
Mojo - 1 Lakh.

Reliability & After Sales Service: 
Talking about the after sales, Mahindra two wheelers have about four hundred touch points across India against fourteen hundred plus of the Bajaj's. That really makes the difference at time of spares availability and issue rectifications. Mahindra is still a new player in the motorcycling business compared to Bajaj, hence Mahindra has to go long way to compete Bajaj on reliability part. Bajaj has technical backing from the Austrian giant, since then Bajaj has not looked back. Even the cost of most Bajaj spare are affordable whereas in case of Mahindra finding one would be a difficult.

Resale & Cost of Ownership:
Bajaj has been bringing in continuous changes in their products since launch of the Pulsar, it may be good for the company but bad for the customers. Though Bajaj has been able to convince customers through their styling and power pack performance. Where the Bajaj bikes really lack is in retaining the newness in the product and powertrain refinement, which leads to low resale value compared to companies like Honda, Hero, etc. But the resale price of the Mahindra products will drop still lower than that of Bajaj due to lack of service support, spares availability, lesser sold products, etc.

Resale Price (after 5 - 7 years & 40,000 km):
Bajaj VS400 - 87,500 Rs.
Mojo  - 71,000 Rs.

Total Cost of Ownership (Price + Fuel Cost - Resale Price):
Bajaj VS400 - 1.87 Lakh
Mojo - 2.06 Lakh


Always use a chain cleaner and lubricating agent with a brush, refer below link for the products


Verdict:

Mojo is a ambitious project from the Mahindra, till some extent it can be accepted, but in the long run it will not sustain with you for years, on the other hand the Bajaj Kratos VS400 has been developed with lots of lessons learnt from the NS200, Duke 390, hence we can expect the VS400 to survive till the end. For now Bajaj VS400 is our clear winner

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