Here’s everything you need to know about the new Bajaj Dominar 250
The new scooter Bajaj Dominar 250, priced at Rs 1.60 lakh, competes against the likes of Suzuki Gixxer 250 and Yamaha FZ 25.
The Dominar 250 is Bajaj’s attempt to get more volumes from its flagship Dominar brand name, which was introduced in 2016. Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, initially expected the Dominar 400 to sell over 10,000 units a month by March 2018.
However, the actual sales figures are far from that. In fact, the volume is lower than 10 percent of the target.
Here’s all you need to know about the new Bajaj Dominar 250.
Origins
The Bajaj Dominar was originally showcased as the Pulsar CS 400 at Auto Expo 2014. Since then, the company dropped the CS badging and changed the motorcycle’s name to the Dominar brand. The Dominar 400, which was consequently launched in December 2016, missed out on the upside-down front fork and produced 35 PS of power.
To give a boost to the brand, the company launched an updated version of the Dominar 400 in 2019. This version had an increased power output (up by five PS), dual overhead cams (DOHC) for moving the intake and exhaust valves, and an upside-down front fork.
The move to a quarter-litre product may be seen as a dilution of the Dominar brand by many. Especially, since Rajiv Bajaj and his team decided against using the Pulsar name for the Dominar 400 as he believed they needed a new name for a premium product.
However, the experiment with a smaller capacity Pulsar (with the Pulsar 125) has paid a rich dividend to the company. Looks like 2020 too will be about reviving the dying quarter-litre segment, first with the Husqvarna Vitpilen 250 and Svartpilen 250, and now the Dominar 250.
Just like the bigger sibling, the Dominar 250 shares its powertrain with the KTM 250 Duke. Bajaj has also this time not played around with affordability and offered a DOHC setup instead of SOHC (single overhead cam).
Engine
The Bajaj Dominar 250 is powered by a 248.77cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled mill. The twin-spark engine is capable of producing 27 PS of power and 23.5 Nm of torque. While these numbers are lower than the Duke 250, the peak power and torque are reached at lower engine speeds.
Also, these numbers are either similarly placed or higher than the competition. The Yamaha FZ 25 produces 20.5 PS of power and 20.1 Nm of torque. Besides, the Suzuki Gixxer 250 produces 26.5 PS and 22.2 Nm.
Bajaj uses a lightweight, forged crankshaft, which are stronger than the standard billet styled crankshafts. The latter also lacks the flexibility a forged unit offers.
With the Dominar 250, Bajaj aims to offer its consumers a typical cruiser-styled performance. It is positioning the motorcycle as one, which has enough grunt for pulling ahead of the crowd at a traffic light but also allows leisure cruising on occasional highway rides. The assist and slipper clutch helps in further making it a relaxing ride.
The Bajaj Dominar 250 has a claimed top speed of 132 kmph. Also, the engine is BS-VI compliant since day 1.
Cycle parts
The Dominar 250 is suspended over a 37 mm upside-down-fork in the front and an adjustable monoshock in the rear. However, the bigger Dominar 400 boasts of a bigger 43 mm upside-down fork – though with the same 135 mm of wheel travel.
Also, the quarter-litre Dominar is sold with 17-inch rim sized allow wheels, same as that of the Dominar 400 but are of not machined units as the latter.
Bajaj has shod the Dominar 250 with a thinner profile 100/80 front tyre and a 130/70 section rear tyre. In comparison, the Dominar 400 gets a 110/70 front and 150/60 section rear tyre. A thinner profile tyre helps Bajaj reduce its manufacturing costs.
The company has further saved costs by offering a box-styled swingarm, which does not offer the same level of flex at high speeds.
Braking department includes a 300 disc up front and a 230 mm unit in the rear. In comparison, the Dominar 400 has a 320 mm front disc and a similar-sized rear disc. However, Bajaj has not skipped on the safety net and offers the Dominar 250 with a dual-channel ABS.
Dimensions
The Bajaj Dominar 250 measures 2,156 mm in length, 836 mm in width, and 1,112 mm in height, same as that of the Dominar 400. The wheelbase and ground clearance too are the same at 1,453 mm and 157 mm respectively.
Thinner front fork and a smaller displacement engine have helped Bajaj reduce the weight of the motorcycle by 4 kilos. The 2020 Bajaj Dominar 250 weighs 180 kg (wet).
Features
Bajaj Auto has not skipped on goodies in the Dominar 250. The motorcycle is fitted with an LED headlamp, which is fairly effective while riding in the night. Besides, it gets reverse backlit instrumentation, twin-barrel exhaust, split seats, and LED indicators.
The motorcycle will be offered only in two colour options – Canyon Red and Vine Black. In comparison, the Dominar 400 is also available in an Aurora Green shade.
The rest of the quarter-litre competition though misses out on the slipper clutch, which is on offer in the Dominar 250.
Price
The Bajaj Dominar 250 is priced at Rs 1.60 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), Rs 30,000 less than that of the Dominar 400. In comparison, the Suzuki Gixxer 250 and Yamaha FZ 25 (BS-IV version) are priced at Rs 1.65 lakh and Rs 1.37 lakh respectively (both prices ex-showroom, Delhi).
Bajaj Auto has shipped the Dominar 250 across all dealerships in the country and bookings for the motorcycle are now being accepted.
(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)