Bajaj Dominar 250 vs rivals: Specifications comparison

A couple of days ago, Yamaha finally revealed prices for the BS6-compliant FZ 25 and newly-introduced FZS 25. The bike has witnessed a substantial Rs 15,000 hike in price with the transition to BS6, putting it on par with other quarter-litre nakeds like the Bajaj Dominar 250 and the Suzuki Gixxer 250. Here’s how the three stack up against each other on paper.

Powertrain

The Bajaj Dominar 250 is the most powerful bike here, but by an almost negligible margin over the Suzuki Gixxer 250. It borrows its 248.8cc engine from the 250 Duke but considering that the bike hasn’t been designed to be as performance-oriented as the KTM, it makes less peak power and torque – 27hp at 8,500rpm and 23.5Nm at 6,500rpm. The higher-revving Gixxer 250, meanwhile, makes 26.5hp at 9,300rpm and 22.2Nm at 7,300rpm. However, with a kerb weight of 184kg, the Dominar 250 is a substantial 24kg heavier than the Gixxer 250 and you can take a look at how the power-to-weight ratios differ in the table below.

On the other hand, the FZ 25 is the least powerful motorcycle here and it uses an air-cooled engine. It also happens to be the lightest bike here, but only by a small margin. And so, its power-to-weight ratio is considerably lower than its competition. 

The Yamaha is also the only motorcycle here to use a 5-speed gearbox - the Suzuki and Bajaj use a 6-speed unit.

Underpinnings

Here’s where the most dissimilarities lie. The Dominar 250 is the only bike here that uses a USD fork, while the other two come with conventional telescopic units. All three, meanwhile, feature a monoshock. Interestingly, the Dominar uses the slimmest tyres of the lot. The front tyre is the same spec as that of the FZ 25’s, but the latter has a wider rear tyre. The tyres on the Gixxer 250 are the widest and it’s also the only bike here to come equipped with radial tyres. Meanwhile, the Dominar has the longest wheelbase, which will aid its stability. 

With regards to the brakes, all three bikes use discs at either end, but the Dominar has the largest brake discs, which will be helpful considering that it is also the heaviest bike.

Design and features

Buyers of the Dominar 250 will benefit from the fact that the little Dominar shares nearly all its design aspects with the ‘larger’ Dominar 400, which has always boasted of a strong on-road presence. The body panels are the same, and so is the powerful LED headlight. It also uses a similar split-instrument cluster setup with a primary handlebar mounted display and a secondary unit on the fuel tank. However, Bajaj has skimped on the amount of information it displays and it misses out on some basic information like a gear position indicator, average fuel consumption or a distance-to-empty readout. Nevertheless, it is the most feature-packed offering in this lot. Despite its more relaxed, touring-focused intentions, Bajaj hasn’t skimped on the bike’s features and it gets a slipper clutch, which is unique in this company. All three bikes feature dual-channel ABS as well.

The Gixxer 250 is Suzuki’s first quarter-litre platform in our country after a long time and its design is based on the smaller Gixxer 155. It’s a rather simple yet sharp design and the two matte finish colour schemes that the bike is available in are a lot more subtle than that of the previous-gen Gixxers. The bike also gets a quirky looking headlight, an interesting wheel design and a bronze-coloured mid-section, all of which make it stand out. Overall, the Gixxer 250 is a muscular, good-looking motorcycle and the fact that the handlebar, tank and tail lie on the same plane gives it a great stance.

Along with the BS6 FZ 25, Yamaha also introduced a new FZS 25. The biggest change in comparison to the outgoing model is the addition of a new headlight that we hope offers better performance than the one on the BS4 bike. Yamaha is also offering it with a few new colour schemes (two of which feature golden-coloured alloy wheels), a new side-stand-down engine inhibitor, redesigned instrument cluster and a belly pan. Additionally, the FZS 25 gets a taller windscreen, knuckle guards and gold wheels, although this takes the price to just Rs 3,000 less than the Bajaj. 

Summing it up

Of the lot, the new Dominar 250 is the only one we’ve had the opportunity to ride, and you can click here to read our review. We’ll know which bike comes out on top in the real world, once we’ve gotten our hands on the other two.