Yesterday, images of a Bajaj Dominar 400 with a broken rear suspension had gone viral over the internet. The incident took place at 10:30 PM on a National Highway on the outskirts of Mumbai.
According to the rider – Mayank Sharma, he was at a speed of about 40 kmph when the incident happened. He road ahead from a red signal, and was travelling straight. Due to rains, a pothole was filled with water. Being dark, Mayank failed to notice the pothole, and did not apply brakes.
All Mayank felt at that time was a thud. Like his bike just sat in that pothole. He did not fall off the bike, as he was not at a high speed he says. His back was hurt due to the sudden thud. The bike too had not fallen. Just that it had gone down. In that darkness, Mayank did not realize what had happened to his bike. It took some time. But when he got off the bike and saw what had happened, he was left perplexed. The rear monoshock of his Bajaj Dominar had buckled under pressure, it had broken.
Unable to move the bike, he called for help. Fellow bikers soon arrived at the spot. They managed to take the bike to a nearby friends place, and park it there for the night. It is here that the images you see in this post, were clicked.
Next morning, Mayank contacted Bajaj service, and explained what had happened. Bajaj service staff told him to get his Dominar to the service station. Mayank loaded the bike onto a tempo and took it to the service station, where he was told he will need to leave the bike as it needs to be inspected by a senior person. He was even told that the chassis of his bike might have been broken.
Job card from the service center.Mayank left the premises with his bike parked in the service station. In the evening, he got a call from Bajaj service, and was told the bike’s rear monoshock had broken, both alloys had cracks, and air filter was damaged. He was a bit taken aback cause when he had left the bike at the service station, both alloys were fine, and so was the air filter.
The dealer further mentioned that the cost to repair / replace parts will be INR 13,000 and as he had zero-dep insurance, he will not have to pay anything. The young biker insists that when he left the bike at the service station, alloys as well as the air filter were not damaged. Secondly, it is not his fault that the bike’s rear monoshock had broken. Mayank does not want to claim insurance, and asked them to fix the bike under warranty as he is of the opinion that this is a manufacturing defect.
The service manager told Mayank that his bike cannot be fixed under warranty and he will have to claim insurance. After the disagreement, he left the service center, leaving his bike parked there. Perplexed at what to do next, Mayank discussed the matter with his biker friends.
In the Dominar 400 riding club he is part of, a fellow member/blogger posted about the incident online. The story went LIVE yesterday, and was well circulated in the biking community. The story was shared in the morning, and by afternoon Mayank received a call from Bajaj.
The person who called enquired why he wasn’t getting his bike fixed under insurance. Mayank repeated he does not want to use his insurance as it is not his fault that the bike is broken. Mayank told the person that he wants to get the bike fixed under warranty. The caller replied that it is not possible to fix the bike under warranty. Mayank asked him to give the same in writing. The caller refused. He ended the call saying he will get back to him. Mayank says that the person has not gotten back to him yet.
The other side of the story
The reason Bajaj does not want to fix the bike under warranty is that they believe that the bike is abused by the owner. Mayank wants to get an abused and damaged bike fixed under warranty is what the official we spoke to said. Bought in April 2017, the bike’s condition reveals that it is abused consistently. Also, it was being ridden at high speed, and not at 40 kmph when the accident took place. The kind of damage the bike has sustained, can only happen under such circumstances.
What happens now?
It is not clear as to what will happen next as Mayank is not ready to get the bike fixed under insurance, and Bajaj will not fix the bike under warranty. Mayank’s Dominar is still parked at the service station.
Note – Rushlane apologizes to its readers for any confusion over this story in its previous drafts. Hat tip to our readers in helping us present the incident as it happened.
