After numerous spy shots and speculations, the Dominar 250 is finally here. Bajaj has priced the bike aggressively at Rs 1.60 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which is almost Rs 30,000 less than the Dominar 400 UG. The bike has already started reaching dealerships across the country and bookings are already underway.
Stating the obvious, the Bajaj Dominar 250 uses the 249cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine from the KTM 250 Duke. Unlike the SOHC setup on the original Dominar 400 that was launched in December 2016, the DOminar 250 gets a DOHC setup. However, the engine makes slightly less power than the Austrian cousin owing to its tour-friendly intent. While the 250 Duke makes 30bhp and 24Nm, the Dominar makes 26.6bhp and 23.5Nm. The Dominar can sprint from nought to 100kmph in 10.5 seconds, which is a whole second slower than the KTM 200 Duke. The 250 Duke is capable of doing the same in under nine seconds.
There are few updates on the hardware front as well. The Dominar 250 gets 37mm USD forks instead of the 43mm units seen on the 400 UG. Braking duties are handled by 300mm disc at the front and a 230mm disc at the rear. The 250 also gets a slimmer, 130/70 section rear tyre instead of the 150/60 section unit seen on the Dominar 400.
Overall, the styling on the Dominar 250 remains close the Dominar 400 UG, with a couple of minor differences like the body colour panel above the headlight and the lack of silver accents on the rims. With most of the components straight off the 400, the 250 tips the scales at a whopping 180kg which is a mere 4kg less than the Dominar 400.
Once a nascent segment, the premium 250cc segment has been seeing a lot of action recently. Once ruled by the Yamaha FZ25, the segment now has the Suzuki Gixxer 250 and even the recently launched Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250. Now, with the Dominar 250 in the game, things are about to get even more interesting, given that the brand now has a tourer, two lifestyle products and a performance naked in the same segment.