Bajaj Dominar 250 First Ride: Affordable Dominar!

After months of anticipation, Bajaj Dominar 250 is finally here!

HH Bajaj, the authorized distributor of Bajaj bikes in Nepal, has launched the all-new Bajaj Dominar 250.

With the debut of Dominar 250, Bajaj is now a part of the highly competitive 250cc segment. The 250cc Dominar is expected to bring its A-game against its fierce rivals.

Bajaj Dominar 250 comes with an introductory offer of Rs. 4,94,900.

For the price, it carries the aesthetics of its bigger 400cc sibling along with many segment-leading features.

We had an opportunity to test out the Bajaj Dominar 250 for a few hours. While we are still in the middle of our review process, we have gathered enough experience for the first ride article.

For our initial experience, we tried to find out the key differences between the two siblings. With that in mind, this is the first test ride of the all-new Bajaj Dominar 250.

Bajaj Dominar 250 First Ride

400 Inspired Muscular Design

Bajaj Dominar 250 follows in its big brother’s footsteps. It comes with the same design featured in the 2019 Dominar 400.

Twin-Barrel Exhaust, New Mirrors, USD Forks, and Secondary Display are some of the previously seen features making another entry into the 250cc segment.

On the front, Bajaj Dominar 250 continues its dominating styling with its massive multi-LED headlamp alongside chunkier front forks and blacked-out visor.

Moving to the side profile, it gets the same muscular design. It has a sense of an aggressive stance, complete with its massive sculpted tank and multiple body cladding design.

However, there is a key difference.

Dominar 250 comes with smaller tyres, which helps set it apart from the 400cc mammoth. Other than that, the overall design is pretty much the same.

Bajaj Dominar 250 comes in two different colors: Canyon Red and Charcoal Black.

Even you might confuse the brothers if it weren’t for the Canyon Red and smaller 250 badging.

ALSO READ: Jawa 42 First Ride: Feels Different in a Good Way

New 250cc FI Engine

Bajaj Dominar 250 is powered by a 248.77cc, Single-Cylinder, Liquid-Cooled, 4-Valve, DOHC Engine. It can generate a max-power of 27PS at 8500rpm and a max-torque of 23.5Nm at 6500rpm.

Moreover, it is mated to a 6-speed gearbox featuring an assist and slipper clutch.

Instead of triple-spark ignition, Dominar 250 will feature a traditional twin-spark configuration.

If you think you have seen the performance numbers before, you are not wrong.

We have seen the same iteration of this engine in KTM Duke 250 and Husqvarna 250. However, it has been re-tuned and tweaked to match its sports tourer appeal.

Ultimately, it gets a performance reduction of 2.6PS power and 0.5Nm torque along with a reduced rpm limit.

Dominar 250 should provide excellent performance in low and mid RPMs, similar to other bikes in Bajaj’s portfolio.

It will be interesting to see how Bajaj managed to tame the raw performance from the KTM engine into the Dominar.

Segment-Leading Features

While the Bajaj Dominar 250 is a completely new motorcycle in the 250cc segment, it comes with familiar features, as seen in Dominar 400.

Bajaj Dominar 250 Feature Highlights

• New 250cc Twin Spark Engine
• EURO 3 with Liquid-Cooling
• Dominar 400 Inspired Design
• Spacecraft Inspired Tank Pad Decals
• Beam Type Perimeter Frame
• Up-Side Down Front Forks
• Dual Disc Braking
• Dual-Channel ABS
• Assist & Slipper Clutch
• Dual Exhaust
• Stylish New Mirrors
• Reverse LCD Dual Console
• Full LED Headlamps

First Ride Experience

The moment I sat on the Bajaj Dominar 250, it instantly took me back to the review days of the Dominar 400.

Even though Bajaj has replaced its monstrous 400cc engine, the Dominar DNA still persists.

ALSO READ: Bajaj Pulsar NS 160 ABS First Ride: Surprising Experience

As it was true with its bigger brother, the kerb weight of 180Kg will take some ‘getting-used-to’. Moreover, the body and riding stance feels so much like the Dominar 400.

Unfortunately, the illusion breaks after you hit the road.

Initially, the experience feels like a Dominar with its superb low-end grunt. The vibrations are at a minimum, emulating the classic Bajaj vibration feel.

After opening the throttle, it struggles to keep up with the performance demand.

Interestingly, the Dominar-level pickup seems to be missing on the 250cc sibling. However, the power can be felt regardless.

I will surely test this out further!

Moving to the suspension setup, it is a sort of mixture between soft and stiff feel. On an open road, it does a great job keeping the bike stable.

Nonetheless, I will try to test in a few different scenarios.

Before we end our first impression of the Bajaj Dominar 250, I will put most of my focus testing out the sports tourer mostly in city streets.

Unlike its bigger brother, Dominar 250 is now capable of being a commuter. Theoretically, it should excel on standard scenarios.

Until then, this has been the first ride experience of the new Bajaj Dominar 250 in Nepal.

Also, watch our 2019 Bajaj Dominar 400 review in Nepali.