[fz_rider]

Bajaj is taking that Duke 250 engine, and placing it wherever they can. First it was the Husqvarna twins, now the Dominor.
We'll, it gives more market reach, but Bajaj shouldn't turn it into another Pulsar.

[fhdowntheline]

I enquired about the Dominar 250 at a dealer in Pune. He had no idea about its launch. In relation to my current search for a decent bike, he was pushing for the Pulsar NS 200.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

155kgs dry weight (as claimed by the Youtuber).

Source: Nitish Neo's channel

Originally Posted by NoSugarNoSpice

I dont suppose that figure is kerb weight, unless the 400's machined swingarm and tyres are made of lead.

Originally Posted by payeng

From 184 Kgs Kerb Weight (D400) to 155 Kgs Kerb Weight??

Ride review from the same guy and now he states the weight as 180kgs. So it's better to wait for official Bajaj numbers. Everyone is going ga-ga about the exhaust note.

https://youtu.be/qNCI2xtKCMw

As per Autocar the expected on road price in Pune is ~1.9L, that's just 30k lesser than the D400. Would be tough to sell , if true.

Link

[payeng]

Originally Posted by bf1983

Good move by Bajaj. Don't know why people are complaining about diluting the Dominar brand as we get Dukes from 125cc till 790cc in India.

Agree with you... also as if there already were millions of Dominar 400's aready on our Roads that could be "Diluted" now.

[TusharK]

Bajaj Dominar 250 launched at Rs. 1.60 lakh

The Bajaj Dominar is now available with a 250cc engine. It is priced at Rs. 1.60 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).



The Dominar 250 measures 2,156 mm in length, 836 mm in width, 1,112 mm in height and its wheelbase is 1,453 mm. The bike weighs 180 kg and comes with a 13-litre fuel tank.



The Dominar 250 looks similar to the 400cc version. It has an LED headlamp, digital instrument cluster and a twin-barrel exhaust. The bike rides on 17-inch alloy wheels.



The Dominar 250 is powered by a 248.8cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that produces 27 BHP @ 8,500 rpm and 23.5 Nm @ 6,500 rpm. It features upside down fork suspension at the front and a monoshock at the rear. The bike comes equipped with 300 mm and 230 mm disc brakes at the front and rear respectively. It has a dual-channel ABS.



The Dominar 250 is available in two colour options - Canyon Red and Vine Black.

Link to Team-BHP News

[bf1983]

Looks like the rumours of pricing were spot on. Not so much on the weight though. Its definitely the most heavy quarter litre bike in India unless Royal Enfield decides to one up Bajaj.

To be fair for cruising a heavy bike makes a lot of sense. My current bike is 189 kg and today I was riding it in fairly windy conditions and it was very well planted. My earlier Fz16 used to feel unsettled riding on open wide highways at speeds of 70+.

The ex showroom matches the Suzuki gixxer 250 perfectly so I don't think it's overpriced. But with the detuned engine and the heavy weight I fear people looking at this bike category will probably be happier getting either the D400 for a bit more or save money and get a similar performing NS 200.

[RD150]

I know a lot of people, who went to check the Duke 250, liked it but booked the 390 as the price difference is tempting. This Dominar 250 has the same top speed of the duke200, I don't know how is that extra bhp going to help. They did it to pulsar, they have done it for dominar too. Next up Dominar 160 UG

[sukiwa]

Apart from obvious engine size difference, what else is different? I could spot one difference in front fork size, 37mm on Dominar 250 Vs 43mm on Dominar 400.
My initial reaction was why expand dominar range, however Bajaj hasn't been selling that many Dominars anyways so this downsized variant would appeal more to city dwellers who can use it more for commutes than hyper rides.

Only time will tell if this works for Bajaj or not.

[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by bf1983

To be fair for cruising a heavy bike makes a lot of sense. My current bike is 189 kg and today I was riding it in fairly windy conditions and it was very well planted. My earlier Fz16 used to feel unsettled riding on open wide highways at speeds of 70+.

I don't think weight has got anything to do with how stable a bike is on highways at high speeds, i say this because on a long highway ride, we had these bikes R.E classic 500, my r15 v3, Himalayan, Fz v3, Duke 390.
I drove all one by one and although i don't have a lot of experience with bikes but Himalayan and Duke 390 straight away felt nervous post 100 KM/h and the wind was affecting their composure for sure whereas my r15 v3 stayed firmly planted to the ground no matter the speed or wind, it is very well sorted out at high speed stability.

R.E was not in its top mechanical shape but felt quite stable, FZ v3 was also in line with the other 2 in feeling nervous at high speed.
R15 is clearly not the heaviest of all those bikes, neither am i very heavy myself.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Apart from obvious engine size difference, what else is different? I could spot one difference in front fork size, 37mm on Dominar 250 Vs 43mm on Dominar 400.

1. The console is from the old Dominar.
2. I have heard some videos quoting a smaller size for the front disk.
3. Colors..I guess only in red and some black shade for now.
4. Box section swingarm instead of the it's elder sibling aluminium swingarm.
5. Cross ply tyres from MRF Revz S instead of radials. The profile is also different.

I am afraid these are the only ones I can think of now.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Apart from obvious engine size difference, what else is different? I could spot one difference in front fork size, 37mm on Dominar 250 Vs 43mm on Dominar 400.
My initial reaction was why expand dominar range, however Bajaj hasn't been selling that many Dominars anyways so this downsized variant would appeal more to city dwellers who can use it more for commutes than hyper rides.

Only time will tell if this works for Bajaj or not.

At 180kg kerb weight, I don't see any significant weight reduction! Need to ride and feel the actual weight. Are the 250s known for exceptional fuel efficiency?

So Bajaj-KTM-Husqvarna stable has a bunch of 250s on offer now:

Dom250 - 1.6L

Svartpilen (white arrow) 1.8L (introductory)
Vitpilen (black arrow)

Duke250 1.96L

The executive commuter will still get the FZ25. Those worried about weight will get the Gixxer250. The enthusiast will get the Husq(s).

Who will buy the Dom250? A tourer, who doesn't want the Dom400! I see this as an option to the folks who have been riding the CBR 250R but can it match its reliability is what needs to be seen.

If I was looking at this quarter litre segment then I would be looking only at the Svartpilen, it looks so good!

--surjaonwheelz

[Venkatesh]

Bajaj Dominar 250 Top Speed, Braking Test and First Ride Review.

https://youtu.be/lNW4cTflpQM

[Venkatesh]

Dominar 250 official reviews are out

https://youtu.be/CTwGK-UYQiY

https://youtu.be/GPbsz6A1GRo

https://youtu.be/KybwI5ou3tM

https://youtu.be/Nr9QlvvUKqs

https://youtu.be/8uU_XYP-wXw

https://youtu.be/_lgO3D7X748

https://youtu.be/xgYwRm_VpiI

https://youtu.be/tE3738a9UPs

https://youtu.be/KiYYvQtNvFE

[darkLightning]

So basically as per reviewers -

Before Dominar 250 launch : Dominar 400 is the ideal all round tourer it is lighter than R.E, more stable than Duke, more powerful than other offerings in it's price bracket and two price brackets above etc.

After Dominar 250 launch : Dominar 400 is a confused motorbike, Dominar 250 makes more sense, yes it's weight makes no sense but the bike makes most sense in it's class and it is cheaper than overpriced Suzuki.

In my opinion, it's Bajaj who got confused, what they needed to do was launch an ADV version of Dominar, and what they did is launched something that will either eat some of their own offerings or get eaten by their other offerings. Almost all the people I had discussed about Dominar 400 said the best part about it was pure power in it's price range and the VFM factor. So Bajaj decide to chuck those two things out of the window and give us a Dominar that appears more friendly.

I personally feel Dominar 250 will outsell Dominar 400, reason being that 400 was a product for enthusiasts which in our country are in minority while 250 has more mass market feel and people who just looked at 400 before and said it's too much will now feel 250 is within their range. The only question I can see coming from a not as enthusiast buyer is why Dominar 250 and why not Pulsar NS 200 ?

Honda if you are listening, your CBR250R would have still beaten/eaten up the competition we are getting in that price/cc bracket, please bring it back in BS6.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by darkLightning

So basically as per reviewers -

Before Dominar 250 launch : Dominar 400 is the ideal all round tourer it is lighter than R.E, more stable than Duke, more powerful than other offerings in it's price bracket and two price brackets above etc.

After Dominar 250 launch : Dominar 400 is a confused motorbike, Dominar 250 makes more sense, yes it's weight makes no sense but the bike makes most sense in it's class and it is cheaper than overpriced Suzuki.

Good observation, this is sometimes visible in the international automotive media as well where they sing high praises of bikes at the launch. Then when it's successor / version 2 comes out, they point out the flaws in the first one

Originally Posted by darkLightning

I personally feel Dominar 250 will outsell Dominar 400, reason being that 400 was a product for enthusiasts which in our country are in minority while 250 has more mass market feel and people who just looked at 400 before and said it's too much will now feel 250 is within their range. The only question I can see coming from a not as enthusiast buyer is why Dominar 250 and why not Pulsar NS 200 ?

Agree, Dominar 250 will easily outsell the 400 since it is more affordable (important in today's economy!) and builds on the reasonably good reputation of the Dominar 400. The Dominar was almost a default choice for tourers, so much so that people who had mainly city commuting to do, were overlooking it for other options. The Dominar 250 will cater to that segment very well.

I only hope it doesnt succeed too well because one of the smart product managers at Bajaj will tout it's success as the reason to lauch the Dominar 200, Dominar 180, Dominar 150 and finally the Dominar 125.