Bajaj Dominar 400 Completes World’s Toughest Journey

Bajaj Auto’s Dominar 400 recently created history by becoming the first Indian motorcycle to conquer the world’s toughest journey, the Trans-Siberian Odyssey. The gruelling journey spanned over 53 days and saw three riders traverse about 15,600km across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia. Throughout the ride, the three riders - Deepak Kamath, Dilip Bhat and Sudhir Prasad - had to negotiate different kinds of terrains such as high altitude passes, grasslands, river beds, dirt trails, loose gravel and extreme temperatures. To make it even more challenging, they had to do all this without any service support or backup! 

This crazy adventure was divided into 6 legs and saw the Dominar 400 cross 3000-odd kilometres of the Kolyma Highway, which is also known as the Road of Bones for the skeletons of forced labourers who died during its construction. Interestingly, these were used in many of its foundations! During the journey, the Dominar 400 also became the only Indian bike to cross the Charyn Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon’s little brother. The riders also got a chance to cross the Pamir Highway, the second-highest international highway in the world that is sometimes referred to as ‘The Road From Hell’. Any mistake on part of the rider could easily have deadly consequences on this stretch of the road since there are no barriers between the road and the cliff! If that wasn’t daring enough, the riders had to ride through the Old Summer Route, a 420km stretch of completely abandoned tarmac that is a torture test for both the riders and bikes alike.

In order to create history, Bajaj didn’t just rely on any experienced rider. Instead, they selected the best of the best. First among them was Deepak Kamath, a man who has been riding for over 21 years and was also one of the first Indians to complete the Continental Raid by circumnavigating the globe on two wheels in a mere 119 days! Dilip Bhat, on the other hand, is a hardcore petrolhead who started riding at the age of 20 and has completed multiple rallies across the country. The third rider, Sudhir Prasad, is one of India’s upcoming adventure riders who has participated in multiple national riding competitions since 2009.

Speaking about the milestone, Eric Vas, president of motorcycle business at Bajaj Auto, said, “The Dominar 400 has redefined long-distance riding. While riding to Leh and Ladakh during the three months of summer is considered to be a touring benchmark in the country, the Dominar 400 allows motorcyclists to raise the bar to another level altogether.” He added, “Covering an average of 390km every day is a commendable motorcycling feat that speaks volumes about the grit, determination and toughness of both the hyper-riders and their Dominars.”

The riders and their motorcycles will now embark on a victory tour across the country and stop at 10 key metro cities where fellow Dominar owners can meet them, learn from their experiences and even get a chance to ride with them.

The Dominar 400 comes with a perimeter frame and a pressed-steel swingarm and is powered by a 373.2cc DTS-i engine which produces 35PS of power and 35Nm of torque. It is priced at Rs 1.41 lakh for the standard version and Rs 1.56 lakh for the ABS-equipped version. It competes against other cruisers such as the Royal Enfield Classic 500 and the RE Thunderbird.