Design
Like always, design is a subjective matter and what one prefers may not be your favourite. When Bajaj Dominar was launched in India, many were comparing its design to the Ducati Diavel due to its 'power-cruiser' stance. Moreover, the Bajaj Dominar 250 design consists of a more muscular fuel tank and a chunkier-looking tail section.
On the other hand, the newly launched TVS Ronin features a very unique styling that blends retro motorcycles, power cruisers, scramblers and more. Though a disaster on paper, it comes out pretty neat and attractive in person and in pictures.
Features
The fully digital negative LCD instrument cluster of the Bajaj Dominar 250 sports features such as a tachometer, speedometer, trip meter, fuel efficiency indicator, service reminder, gear-position indicator, distance-to-empty fuel gauge, clock, and many more.
In addition to that, the Bajaj Dominar 250 sports a very powerful LED headlamp unit, and also sports features such as LED turn signals and LED taillamps.
On the other hand, being a newer motorcycle, the TVS Ronin comes slightly better equipped with additional features such as trip stats, adjustable levers, voice assistant, ride mode indicator, and TVS' SmartXonnect connected vehicle system with features such as turn-by-turn navigation, calls and SMS alerts.
Powertrain
The Bajaj Dominar 250 is powered by a 250cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that pumps out 26.6bhp of peak power and 23.5Nm of peak torque. On the other hand, the newly launched TVS Ronin puts out 20.12bhp of peak power and 19.93Nm of peak torque from its smaller 225.9cc engine.
On paper, it may seem like the Bajaj Dominar 250 has outgunned the newly launched TVS Ronin by quite some margin. However, weighing in at 180kg, the Bajaj Dominar 250 weighs almost 20kg more than the TVS Ronin. So, the difference in practical situations might not be as big of a gap as one might expect.
Apart from that, the TVS Ronin offers an urban-friendly 5-speed gearbox, whereas the Bajaj Dominar 250 uses a 6-speed gearbox. Moreover, both bikes offer a slipper clutch as standard.
Suspension & Brakes
The Bajaj Dominar 250 sports USD forks at the front and mono rear suspension. Moreover, the motorcycle uses a large 300mm disc at the front and a smaller 230mm disc at the rear for braking duties. In addition to that, the motorcycle also sports a dual-channel ABS set-up.
Being a newer motorcycle, TVS sports a more advanced dual-channel ABS unit with switchable modes- Rain and Urban. Other than this, the TVS Ronin comes with a larger 240mm disc brake at the rear.
Price
The Bajaj Dominar 250 is priced at Rs 1.75 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), whereas the TVS Ronin pricing starts from Rs 1.49 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base variant with the single-tone colour paint scheme and single-channel ABS. However, the dual-channel ABS variant is priced from Rs 1.68 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Thoughts About Bajaj Dominar 250 & TVS Ronin
The TVS Ronin is positioned as an easy-riding, everyday motorcycle with plenty of features and a reasonably powerful engine that is capable of occasional long rides. Though Bajaj Dominar 250 is also designed with almost similar priorities, the specification sheet claims that the Bajaj Dominar 250 leans a bit more towards long rides.