I was looking to upgrade the motorcycle for quite some time. However, for some reason or the other, the plan kept on postponing. After returning from the Spiti valley ride, I started to do some background research on the motorcycle to get. It was quite important before informing the family members about the plan to get a new bike.
I had a fair bit of an idea of what I was looking for. I had a budget of around 2 Lacs (+/- few thousand bucks). I had set up my eyes on 3 bikes out of which one was yet to be launched, KTM Adv 390. However, with KTM Adv there was a problem. First, it wasn’t launched and second, price point. I ran a rough calculation and that time Duke 390 was costing about 2.90 lacs (+/- 10K). I thought that KTM isn’t going to market the Adv 390 as a mass-market product and the pricing is going to be in the range of the then Duke 390. So, I wasn’t willing to invest that much on a motorcycle.
So, I was left with two options, Royal Enfield Himalayan and Bajaj Dominar. I went to the respective showrooms and got to test ride the motorcycles. And boy I was confused about which one to pick. Both are excellent motorcycles in their respective segments.
I then sought for help and gave a call to a friend who’s based in Lucknow. He suggested me to keep emotions aside and focus on which bike offers more value for the price I’ll be paying. He advised me to create a comparison chart between Himalayan and Dominar and then based on the preference, rate the features each bike offers. One that more ratings, I can opt that motorcycle. Based on the comparison chart, I then decided to go for Dominar. For the reason being that it offered ABS and had more power and fairly decent torque.
I then had a chat with my family members that I wish to get a new bike. Along with my father, we went to the showroom and I showed the motorcycle. We then discussed the financing options available with the company. The interest rates they were charging was simply impractical for me. I then thought to have a word with the bank. And, I was quite surprised to hear that there 2 wheeler loans were more expensive than the personal loan.
I returned home and thought that it’s a good idea to postpone the idea of getting Dominar. My mother then suggested that rather than financing the motorcycle, it’s a good idea to pay upfront. At first, I was not ready for that as our budget for that month might get affected. I then looked for all the available options. Purchasing the motorcycle without the hassle of financing offered few benefits, one, that I won’t be paying the interest cost that’s a saving. Second, there’s always a thought in the back of the mind about the EMI and in difficult times it can be stressful. I decided to buy the motorcycle by paying the onroad price upfront.
On 31st July 2018, I went to the Bajaj showroom along with my family members and was handed over the keys of Black mate colored Bajaj Dominar.