The Bajaj Dominar 250 is set to be launched towards the end of March 2020. Bajaj Auto will be launching the smaller variant of its flagship motorcycle in the third week of March and has already sent out invites to media houses to go and experience the motorcycle before it is made available to the public.
The Bajaj Dominar 250 has been in the making for a long time now. It was around two years ago that the first rumours regarding a smaller Dominar started going about. It was rumoured that Bajaj would produce a 200cc version of the Dominar, presumably powered by the engine from the Pulsar NS 200, to target entry-level buyers.
However, some of us knew that it could cannibalise the NS200 and Bajaj knew better than to do that. However, the idea of a smaller Dominar didn’t really fade away. In January 2020, spy shots of the smaller Dominar surfaced on the internet and there were a few visible differences that distinguished it from the flagship Dominar 400.
For starters, it rode on thinner tyres. It also appeared to feature smaller disc brakes than the flagship 320mm rotor up front and it also sported a basic box-section swingarm. The alloy wheels too were redesigned and did not feature the diamond-cut treatment.
Other than these differences, there were no major design changes. The body panels are the same, muscular ones as seen on the Dominar 400. We also expect a few other changes to be incorporated in the honour of cost-cutting.
2019 Dominar 400The split digital instrument cluster for instance might not make its way to the 250. We can expect it to have the single digital instrument cluster from the previous-gen Bajaj Dominar 400 and tell-tale lights on the fuel tank.
The Bajaj Dominar 250 will be powered by the same 250cc engine as the KTM 250 Duke, Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250. Bajaj Auto owns a controlling stake in KTM, and KTM owns Husqvarna. Hence, parts-sharing becomes extremely easy to implement in the group.
The Dominar 400 for instance is powered by the same 373cc engine as the KTM 390 Duke, albeit with a few changes like the Bajaj patented triple-spark engine head and a lower state of tune resulting in lower power output. We expect the same strategy to be followed here too.
The liquid-cooled, 250cc single cylinder engine has a maximum power output of 30bhp and a peak torque output of 24Nm in the KTM 250 Duke. We can expect the torque figures to remain the same while the power output will definitely see a drop, in the Dominar 250. Performance figures are also expected to drop since the Dominar 250 will be a lot heavier than the KTM 250 Duke.
We will have to wait a little over a couple of weeks to know the final specs of the motorcycle. It is also expected to be priced lower than all the current 250cc offerings, including the new Suzuki Gixxer 250. This motorcycle is further expected to strengthen Bajaj’s position as a premium bike manufacturer.
