Bajaj recently expanded its product portfolio by launching a new touring machine, the Dominar 250. Besides the name, it also borrows the styling, features and a majority of components from the larger Dominar 400, while the engine is based on the KTM 250 Duke’s mill. Bajaj has priced the new Dominar 250 at Rs 1.60 lakhs (ex-showroom) and we tell you what else is worth considering around the similar price range.
Similar to the Dominar, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 is also a touring-oriented motorcycle. However, unlike the Dominar’s modern styling and equipment, the Classic is old-school in terms of design and components. The only BS6-compliant RE yet, the Classic 350 is available in various colour options prices of which start at Rs 1.57 lakhs and go up to Rs 1.82 lakhs.
Another modern-classic offering in this segment is the Jawa Forty Two. It is based on the profoundly retro-looking Standard model but gets a few vogue design elements such as an off-set instrument cluster, blacked-out handlebar, bar-end mirrors and funky colour options. Classic Legends has recently updated the Jawa Forty Two for BS6 emission norms and the prices now range from 1.65 lakhs to Rs 1.74 lakhs depending on the colour option and ABS configuration.
A new entrant in the old-school genre of bikes is the Benelli Imperiale 400. The motorcycle focuses to compete against the RE Classic 350 and Jawa models with a design inspired from bikes of the bygone era. Besides the impressive fit and finish, what impressed us about the bike during our road test is its 374cc engine which is vibe-free for the most part. As for its pricing, Benelli retails the Imperiale 400 at Rs 1.69 lakhs.
Moving on to the modern bikes in this ballpark, the Gixxer 250 is a quarter-litre naked street bike which boasts of Suzuki’s new-age design language, similar to its 155cc sibling. It also packs a decent list of features including full-LED headlamp and tail lamp along with fully-digital instrument cluster. One of the prime UPSs of the bike is its 249cc engine which stays buttery smooth even at triple digit speeds. On the pricing front, it is identical to the Dominar 250.
Shell out Rs 13,000 more over the Dominar 250 and you can your hands on the sporty and frenetic KTM 200 Duke. The BS6 update in the Duke brought along a major design makeover and now it looks identical to its 250cc sibling. Besides the sharp and angular body panels, now it shares its chassis too with the 250 Duke which is a split-type trellis unit. Also, the BS6 update hasn’t made any changes to its power figures which remain unchanged at 25bhp and 19.5Nm.
