Bajaj has launched the Dominar 250 to widen the appeal of the Dominar family. Find out all the similarities and differences with its bigger sibling here.
Bajaj recently launched the younger sibling of the Dominar 400, the Dominar 250 to widen the appeal of the Dominar family. While the smaller Dominar 250 looks very similar to its elder cousin, there are certain differences that set them apart. There almost share the same skin but are quite different underneath. So here’s everything you need to know about the Dominar 250 and how it fits in the Dominar family.
Design and Looks
At frist glance, you wouldn’t be able to tell the 250 from the 400. If you also liked the styling of the Dominar 400, then you’d be glad to know that Bajaj has kept the styling almost unchanged. All the body panels are just the same including the honeycomb structure LED headlight.
However, to still differentiate the two motorcycles, Bajaj has introduced a new Canyon Red paint scheme for the Dominar 250. Bajaj still offers the Vine Black colour on the Dominar 250 which also comes on the 400 and that somehow again beats the purpose of differentiating the two motorcycles with a different paint scheme.
There has been some cost cutting
This quarter-liter cruiser shares a lot of its parts with the 400 like the LED lighting all around, a twin-barrel exhaust, perimeter frame and bungee straps tucked under the seat. However, there has been some areas where Bajaj has cut costs quite evidently. For example, the tank-mounted screen is from the previous-gen Dominar which misses out on features like instantaneous fuel consumption and a gear position indicator. Also, the dual-tone alloy wheels on the 400 have been replaced by simple matte black alloy wheels.
Powertrain
The Bajaj Dominar 250 is powered by a 248.8cc, fuel-injected, single-cylinder engine that it has borrowed from KTM Duke 250. Although the company has not revealed the bore and stroke figures of the engine, we believe it will be the same as the one on the KTM. However, the Dominar 250 is not meant to be as performance oriented as the Duke 250. It thus has lower power and torque outputs from the same engine as it is more intended for touring.
The Bajaj Dominar produces 27hp at 8,500rpm and 23.5Nm at 6,500rpm, compared to the 30hp and 24Nm of the KTM Duke 250. But Bajaj has not skimmed on the features as the motorcycle still gets a slipper clutch and dual-channel ABS. It also retains the 13.5 liter fuel tank and Bajaj claims the Dominar 250 can dart from 0-100kmph in 10.5 seconds and achieve a claimed top speed of 132kmph.
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The underpinnings are slightly different
There are certain differences in the hardware. The Dominar 250 uses slimmer tyres which are 100/80-17 section at the front and a 130/70-17 section at the rear. In comparison, the Dominar 400 is equipped with wider radial tyres – a 110/70-17 section at the front and a 150/60-17 at the rear. The Dominar 250 also uses slimmer USD forks at the front which are 37mm units as compared to the Dominar 400’s 43mm units. The rear monoshock now sits on a box-section swingarm as opposed to the stamped metal swingarm on the Dominar 400.
The front brakes too are smaller with 300mm discs while the Dominar 400 gets 320mm discs. The rear brakes remain identical 230mm. However, inspite of the smaller displacement, the Dominar 250 is just 4kgs lighter than its bigger sibling, tipping the scales at 180kg. This gives the bigger bike significantly better power to weight ratio.
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Undercuts the price of its elder sibling by Rs 30,000
With its smaller displacement, a little lesser sophisticated hardware and some other cost cutting from here and there, Bajaj has managed to shave off Rs 30,000 of the bigger bike. The Dominar 250 has been launched in the country for a price of Rs 1.60 lakhs, ex-showroom. The motorcycle has already started reaching dealerships across India. In this 250cc segment and at its price point, the Dominar 250 competes against the KTM Duke 250, and the Husqvarna Svartpilen and Vitpilen 250s. All of these bikes however cater to different audiences.
