Bajaj Dominar 250: The Bajaj Dominar 250 is a natural progression to what Bajaj Auto was offering in its premium motorcycle space in India and it widens that Dominar experience for motorcycles enthusiasts seeking more for less.
Positioned as a younger sibling to the mighty Dominar 400, this quarter-litre sports tourer carries forward the legacy of the Dominar family with its muscular looks and touring focused engineering making it an apt bike for those who want to enter premium motorcycling in a small way.
Bajaj Dominar 250: Philosophy of Design- Minimalist Muscle
The Dominar 250 continues to share the signature design DNA as its elder sibling with a muscular fuel tank that gets heavy shrouds, a short tail with a stubby exhaust and a very unique looking LED headlamp assembly.
All of this results in a visually heavy motorcycle (at least for mid-sized displacement) and a form factor that seems capable much more than average 250cc motorcycles.
The split seat setup, sculpted tank shrouds and perimeter frame put together a radical stance which distinguishes the Dominar from other bikes in its class.
The brushed metal twin-barrel exhaust makes a premium addition to the bike and the short tail with a LED tail lamp end the bike on an attention grabbing note-like the rest of the Dominar series, the Dominar 250 comes across as a very cleanly styled purposeful motorcycle.
Colour schemes are usually muted and classy in keeping with the bike’s urban sports touring billing, no bright graphics typical of smaller capacity machines for the S because this is an upmarket machine.
Engine Characteristics
Dominar 250 is powered by 248.8cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder DOHC engine borrowed from KTM’s 250 Duke, but, lower power and torque figures are achieved on the Dominar due to the motorcycle’s sports touring character.
This engine makes around 27 hp and 23.5 Nm or torque – nothing impressive on the spec sheet, but this powertrain is so smooth and linear that you don’t really care about what it says on paper, and that is key.
The engine is tuned with a focus on mid-range torque in order to supply easy middleweight power perfect for both highway cruising and city prowess while dampening vibrations to ensure long-range comfort. Feeding the rear wheel is a six-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch for nice, smooth shifts and less rear wheel hop during hard downshifts.
Chassis and Dynamics
The Dominar 250 uses a perimeter frame‘design that offers agility and space to make ideal manoeuvres and at the same time provide excellent ride quality across all terrains.
Suspension work is taken care by 37mm upside-down forks up front (albeit a tad smaller than the Dominar 400’s 43mm) and a multi-step adjustable monoshock at the rear, both adjusted for a mix of cornering confidence and long-distance comfort.
Braking hardware includes a 300mm disc with a radial caliper on the front and 230mm disc at the rear end, both of which come linked to the dual-channel ABS unit ensuring effective stopping at different conditions.
Tubeless tires on 17-inch alloy wheels ensure stability and acceptable grip in various riding conditions.
The heftier kerb weight of about 180 kg means that it’s quite beefy for a 250 as well—a trait which not only offers good highway confidence and a planted feel, but also demands more circumspect dealing with in cramped urban environs as compared to lighter options.
Feature Integration
Although offered at a price point that would come out affordable and accessible, the Dominar 250 does have certain sophisticated features such as full LED lighting, digital display that indicates travel-relevant information and dual channel ABS with the rear equipped with the option to turn it off.
The divided instrument cluster houses key information at the eye-line level and secondary readouts on the fuel tank.
USEFUL ACCOUTREMENTS A 13-liter fuel tank (plush tow points) and comfortable-seating geometry (race-ready, but also endurable for long hauls) make the motorcycle a viable touring rig.
The handlebar’s position gives you leverage to flick the bike around in the city and keeps you in a moderately forward-leaning, active stance that doesn’t feel aggressive or tires your shoulders on medium-length rides.
Market Positioning
The Dominar 250 finds itself in a slightly different space in India’s 250cc category, it’s a different approach compared to track-oriented naked sports bikes such as the KTM 250 Duke or the traditional American cruiser style take such as the Suzuki Gixxer 250.
Its sport-touring ergonomics offer all-day comfort and the sporty feel on your favourite twisties but also the comfort for single or two-up riding with bike luggage for a longer road trip.
Bajaj Dominar 250
The Bajaj Pulsar 250 NS successfully adapted the larger Bajaj Pulsar 400 NC concept into a smaller, more affordable package while retaining the core attributes that the range is known for.
Internationally, they’ve managed to straddle the stiff worlds of sportsbikes and tourers, urban mobility to ADVs and racers with the same success; and that success came from focusing on customers who wanted a bit more from their 250cc bike – and found it in the Pulsar Jaws and DTS.