The Bajaj Dominar 250 made its way into the Indian market recently, taking the fight directly to the Royal Enfield Classic 350. We take a look at how both bikes fare against each other on paper.
Styling
The Royal Enfield Classic 350, like its name suggests, borrows a design reminiscent of classic motorcycles. The round headlamp, teardrop-shaped fuel tank, and rounded fenders are a nod to Royal Enfield’s earlier motorcycles.
Nevertheless, this styling remains one of the Classic’s strongest selling points. On the other hand, the Dominar 250 incorporates a more futuristic approach. The Dominar 250 gets sharper lines all through its bodywork along with the full-LED headlamp that adds to its appeal.
Features
Apart from the LED lighting, Bajaj has equipped the Dominar 250 with an LCD instrument cluster along with a display unit on the fuel tank as well. It also gets a dual-channel ABS as standard and utility features like luggage straps under the pillion seat. As for the Classic 350, the motorcycle comes with an option of alloy wheels and single-channel or dual-channel ABS. Furthermore, the Classic 350 gets an old-school style analogue instrument cluster.
Engine
The Dominar 250 comes powered by a 248cc, single-cylinder, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled engine derived from the KTM 250 Duke’s powerplant. It produces 26.6bhp and 23.5Nm of torque and is mated to a six-speed gearbox. Meanwhile, the Classic 350 uses a 346cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled motor which puts out 19.1bhp of power and 28Nm of torque. The fuel-injected motor is mated to a five-speed gearbox.
Cycle Parts
Royal Enfield has fitted the Classic 350 with telescopic forks up front and a twin-shock setup at the rear. Braking is done by a 280mm disc for the front and a 240mm rear wheel. As for the Dominar 250, it rides on 37mm inverted forks up front and a mono-shock at the rear. Stopping power on the motorcycle is offered by a 300mm front disc and 230mm rear disc.
Pricing
Bajaj has pegged the Dominar 250 at Rs 1.60 lakhs (ex-showroom). However, Royal Enfield is offering the Classic 350 in five variants. The single-channel ABS version is the most affordable at Rs 1.57 lakhs. The dual-channel variants start from Rs 1.65 lakhs and go up to Rs 1.81 lakhs for the Chrome paint option. (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi).