Bajaj Dominar 250
We swing a leg over the newest Dominar
On the other side of this pandemic, Bajaj wagers there will be a massive influx of new riders, all of whom are going to want to reclaim their lives with a little bit of touring. They say that the Dominar 400 is a motorcycle for the experienced tourer. Their studies show that riders who want to start touring basis an upgrade from a 100-150cc motorcycle will look at a 250cc motorcycle before dabbling in bigger bikes. To that end they’ve created the motorcycle that you see splashed here, the brand new Dominar 250!
At a glance the Dominar 250 is almost identical to its bigger sibling except it doesn’t have the beating heart acquired from the KTM 390 Duke. Instead it’s got a 250cc motor that they got from, well, KTM. Dimensionally, it’s exactly the same right down to the wheelbase. The same goes for all the panels and the seats. There is this new red shade that’s exclusive to the 250 but to really tell them apart you’ll have to look a little closer.
Starting at the front, the tyre and wheel are slimmer down to a 100 section in place of a 110 section. Then of course there’s this 37mm fork that’s a downsize from the 43mm USDs on the 400. At the back, you have a 130 section wheel and tyre down from 150 and finally there is this new box type rear swingarm that replaces the aluminium set on the 400. On the 250 the devil is in the details and Bajaj has cornered costs by using the same frame and most of the cycle parts that they used before. Apart from the swingarm, Bajaj has also deployed the instrument panel and console from the 2017 Dominar 400. This means there are more analogue bits and lesser warning lights. The best bit? You still get a massive 13 litre fuel tank which when paired with the smaller motor should mean more range.
Speaking of the new motor, Bajaj has adapted
the KTM 250cc engine for the Dominar 250. While the bottom end is almost the same, Bajaj has reworked the head and changed the fuelling to match with the Dominar’s persona as opposed to the Duke. Less peaky and more accessible power is the name of the game. As a result the Dominar 250 makes 27bhp instead of the 30bhp on the Duke but achieves peak at about 500rpm less as well. It is the same story on the torque front. 23.5Nm is what the Dominar’s 250cc engine achieves which is .5Nm less than the Duke and all of that kicks in 500rpm lower. One saving grace is gearing which is also borrowed from the 250 Duke with the first three gears being short, ideal for the city, and the next three being tall, for the highway. In the Dominar it helps take away
THREE TALL AND THREE SHORT GEARS ON THE DOMINAR 250 HELPS TAKE AWAY THE FEELING OF BULK IN THE CITY, WITHOUT REALLY TAKING AWAY FROM ITS HIGHWAY STABILITY
the feeling of bulk in the city, without really taking away from its highway stability. A win-win for sure. In sixth gear, the Dominar 250 will happily cruise at 120kmph with rev counter under the 5,000rpm mark and very little to report in terms of vibrations. The duality of the Dominar’s nature is one of its best qualities.
In the twisties though, the Dominar is predictably relaxed, courtesy the long wheelbase. Direction changes require some premeditation. The slimmer tyres do their fair bit in making up for it with marginally quicker steering. Traffic is the Dominar 250s Achilles heel though; its bland bottom end and longish wheelbase then come into play. As does the 180kg kerb weight. Although it’s far from a deal breaker this does put a damper on things. Another slight problem is the smaller brakes, which get dual channel ABS. Since they are smaller by a considerable margin without a massive change in weight on the motorcycle you do find yourself wishing for a little more bite.