Specification comparison: Jawa Perak vs Bajaj Dominar 400 vs Royal Enfield Classic 350 vs Benelli Imperiale 400

Classic Legends has recently announced the date on which it will start deliveries of its flagship offering, the Perak bobber. The modern classic in its BSVI form has been priced at Rs 1.94 lakh, ex-showroom. What works to its favour is that it is the only factory custom Bobber on sale in India at that price. However, if it is a modern classic, then how can we not consider the Royal Enfield Classic 350, a motorcycle that often finds itself among the highest selling two-wheelers in most of the months. The timeless design, characteristic engine sound and the legacy of Royal Enfield, is what we believe, makes it tick and hold its dominating position in the market. Then there is the Benelli Imperiale 400, one of the new additions to the entry-level modern classic range of motorcycles in the country. Lastly, there is the Bajaj Dominar 400 that uses a contrasting approach with its Diavel-esque design, modern equipment and a tech-savvy engine. Here's how these motorcycles fair against each other on paper.

Engine 

Leading the pack is the Bajaj Dominar 400 with its 40PS and 35Nm output from the triple-spark 374cc liquid-cooled single cylinder motor, clearly the choice if power and torque figures are high up in your preference list. Following the Bajaj is the Jawa Perak that uses a 334cc single-cylinder unit to churn 30.64PS and 32.74Nm of torque, which has seen a hike of close to 2Nm compared to the one showcased at the launch. Jawa, in its launch release, mentions this was done during the lockdown. While on paper this might not seem much different, real world test conditions could bring in more clarity. Following the Perak is the Italian, the Benelli Imperiale 400, a motorcycle that had put out an impressive performance in the our roadtest review in its BSIV form. The single-cylinder air-cooled 374cc engine churns out 21PS at 6,000rpm and make a torque output of 29Nm at 3,500rpm. And then at the last is the Royal Enfield with the lowest power output of 19.36PS, whereas the torque rating is similar to that of the Benelli Imperiale 400 at 28Nm produced at 4,000rpm.

Underpinnings

Heaviest of the lot is the Benelli Imperiale 400 at 205kg. For reference a parallel-twin large displacement Kawasaki Versys 650 tips the scale at 196kg. This Benelli comes with a double cradle frame. The second offering with a strong heft is the Royal Enfield Classic 350 at 195kg, which is 10kg lighter than the Benelli. The Classic 350 comes with a single downtube frame. Following the Royal Enfield is the Bajaj Dominar 400 with its perimeter frame weighing 187kg. And happily at the last is the Jawa Perak with its double cradle tubular frame weighing 175kg. In terms of suspension setup, the Jawa is offered with telescopic front and a 7-step adjustable mono shock in the rear, whereas the Imperiale 400 comes with a 41mm telescopic front and a pre-load adjustable rear. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 comes with a telescopic, 35 mm front fork and  gas charged shock absorbers with 5-step adjustable preload in the rear. The Dominar 400 comes with 43mm USD forks and multi-stage adjustable mono shock in the rear.

Features

The Jawa Perak's features list is largely identical to that of the Jawa 42 and the Jawa Jawa, which includes a retro styled analogue design with a speedo and fuel tank info along with a digital odo reading. The Benelli Imperiale too has a similar retro theme with a twin-pod analogue cluster again showing the basic info. And the story is similar in the Royal Enfield Classic 350 as well. On these three motorcycles, features list takes a back as that is not the talking point that these manufacturers want to push. It is their retro design and attention to detail that plays a big role. On the other hand, the is the Bajaj Dominar 400 that boasts of an digital split instrumentation that looks much modern and new-age.

Pricing

And this is where things get interesting. The Jawa Perak, Bajaj Dominar 400 are priced at a near identical Rs 1.94 lakh, ex-showroom. Charging a premium of Rs 5,000 over these too is the Benelli Imperiale 400 that is priced at Rs 1.99 lakh, ex-showroom. However, the most accessible in this range is the Royal Enfield Classic 350 that starts at Rs. 1.58 lakh, ex-showroom for the single-channel ABS and Rs. 1.84 lakh for the dual-channel ABS model, making it Rs 10k lower than the Perak and the Dominar 400, and close to 15k lesser than the Benelli Imperiale 400.