The Dominar 250 looks to fill the gap between the NS 200 and the Dominar 400, just like how it is with the KTM Dukes. The Dominar 250 then, tries to do so with strong hints from its bigger brother and rightly so. On first look,  identical muscular proportions are evidently from the 400, but there’s more than just what’s on the outside.

The Dominar 250 is very similar, in fact, the chassis, bodywork and even the dimensions are identical to the bigger Dominar. However, the Dominar 250 gets smaller wheels (100/80 17 front and 130/70 17 rear) which frankly, look sort of skinny and disproportionate. Also smaller are the 37 mm front upside down forks and a 300 mm front disc brake.

The Dominar 250 is powered by a 248.8 cc fuel injected, liquid cooled, four valve single which produces 27 PS max power and 23.5 Nm max torque. Now the engine is based on the KTM Duke 250’s, but has been tuned to produce the torque and power figures much lower in the rev band for a more smooth, relaxed riding experience than a high revving, performance oriented one. Which means riding in the traffic is much easier with better bottom/mid range. On the highways, the engine is refined enough to cruise happily at around 90-100 kmph.

But the biggest downside of the Dominar is the kerb weight which at 180kg for a 250 cc bike is like putting on a sandbag on oneself for no reason. You will feel the weight of the bike at lower speeds and that will hinder its handling as well. But the perimeter beam frame offers good stability, even at higher speeds and the relaxed riding stance will allow for effortless cruising, something the Dominar 250 aims to do.

The baby Dominar too gets all the modern equipment like a full digital dash, LED headlamp and tail lamp, dual disc brakes with dual channel ABS and a slip/assist clutch as well. A double barrel exhaust, stylish mirrors and muscular silhouette of the bike adds to the allure of the Dominar 250 cc. And may we say, the throaty exhaust note sounds awesome. While the Dominar faces some tough competition in the segment, it fares pretty well with its road presence and features.

The Honda CBR 250R is one of the first small capacity sports bike and frankly, the most recognizable sports bike here. It has been around with no mechanical changes for a long time but still continues to be popular amongst bikers.

One of the obvious reasons for that is the silky smooth engine with proven reliability on the CBR250 R that puts out a max power of 26.5 PS and a max torque of 22.9 Nm. This makes the bike capable enough to comfortably cruise at triple digit speeds. And as expected, the build quality as well as the fit and finish levels of the CBR 250R is top notch.

The CBR 250R’s steel twin spar diamond chassis is set on conventional telescopic front forks and a rear monoshock. The chassis offers good amount of stability but the suspension setup is towards the softer side. The power delivery from the engine is linear and offers good midrange but doesn’t have much grunt at higher rpms. So if you are looking for something to carve the corners, the CBR 250R might feel a little out of its depth.

But in essence, the CBR 250R is oriented more towards sports touring and comes more into its own while on long rides on the highways. The tall windscreen along with the full fairings give a lot of wind protection and Combined with a tank capacity of 13 litres, it makes for a perfect sports touring motorcycle. Further, a relatively relaxed riding position reduces fatigue. Even on city traffic, the riding posture isn’t much of an issue and the bike is easily manageable. Also with a relatively short ride height of 785 mm, it is accessible to riders of various stature.

However, since the bike is without major updates for a long time, the competition has moved on. The design of the bike feels familiar but dated. The CBR 250R also lacks a lot in terms of equipment. It misses out on most modern features like upside down forks, a fully digital dash, a slipper clutch to name a few, which other bikes in this list have. The bike does get a dual disc setup with a dual channel ABS system, so the CBR 250R has you covered on the safety front.

While the CBR 250R may not confirm to modern standards, it is still a good buy in terms of comfort and versatility in riding dynamics for a perfect sports tourer.

CFMOTO with the intention of expanding their lineup have introduces the 250SR. Based on CFMOTO’s naked the 250NK, the 250SR is a fully faired version for the sports bike enthusiasts. And it looks to take on the 250cc segment with its interesting styling and features.

One look and you will notice the impressive design aspect of the 250SR. The front end with dual LED headlamps with LED DRLs flows perfectly with the side fairings and gives a proper big bike feel. The sharp tail end with LED tail lamps look menacing. Especially, the blue/neon paint scheme compliments the overall design and the bike is easily the best looking sports bike here.

The 250SR’s liquid cooled, fuel injected four valve single produces 27.4 bhp of max power and 22 Nm of max torque. There is good power from the bike in the low-mid range but the engine feels strained as it gets to the higher rpms, leaving you wanting for more. The engine also feels buzzy and refinement levels are certainly not the best.

The 250SR doesn’t lack on the equipment front though. For starters, it gets a fully functional TFT display with mobile phone connetcivity. The bike also offers two riding modes, Eco and Sport, something other bikes in the list don’t.

The 250SR’s steel trellis frame is accompanied by 37 mm upside down front forks and a rear monoshock providing ample amount of rigidity and stability to the bike through corners. In the braking department, the bike gets slot drilled disc brakes front and rear along with dual channel ABS, providing adequate stopping power.

The after sales service and availability of spare parts of the bike might be a concern in the case of the 250SR which is otherwise a very capable motorcycle. If standing out from the crowd or unique looking bike is what you want, you will surely love the CFMOTO 250SR.

Suzuki have upped their game lately, with the introduction of the larger displacement Gixxer. The Gixxer 150 was already an impressive bike and the prospect of a more powerful and capable bike from Suzuki is enticing. And the Gixxer 250 lives upto the excitement.

Powering the bike is a unique 249 cc , Oil Cooled engine producing 26.5 PS and 22.6 Nm of torque. Suzuki have pioneered what they call the SOCS (Suzuki Oil Cooling System) which as the name suggests, uses the engine oil to cool the engine, a cooling system which we haven’t seen before. The system works perfectly and manages heat proficiently in rush hour traffic as well as in the highways.

On the design aspect, the Gixxer 250 doesn’t look much different than it’s smaller sibling, the Gixxer 150 which might be an issue for some. The only real differences are the bigger tyres and the 10 spoke diamond cut alloys . The muscular tank accompanied by the mini fairings and an engine cover along with the bronze finish side panels give the bike a sporty, naked look.

The engine on the Gixxer 250 is properly refined with vibrations creeping in at the higher rpms only. The story is similar with the gearbox which is really smooth and precise. The motor has a broad power band and torque all over the rev range. This eliminates the need for frequent gear shifts, making the bike easy to ride in the urban/city while overtakes on the highways are a breeze. The efficiency figures are also the best in class for the Gixxer.

The handling of the bike is also reminiscent of the smaller Gixxer 150 SF, it’s agile and precise and happily takes on the corners. The suspension setup with telescopic front forks and rear monoshock is on the firmer side and helps with the handling but isn’t a dealbreaker over slightly broken roads. What could do with a bit of improvement are the brakes. The dual disc setup, especially the front brake lack bite and stopping power you’d want to feel confident when riding the bike hard or make an emergency stop. You do get the helping of dual channel ABS but that’s about it for the braking.

The Suzuki Gixxer 250 gets a digital instrument that includes a gear position indicator. An all LED headlamp provides excellent illumination at night time and are accompanied by LED tail lamps and indicators. However, the bike misses a slip/assist clutch which would have rounded out the equipment list nicely. All in all, the Gixxer 250 is a really fun, well rounded and capable motorcycle while being one of the most affordable bike on this list.

Husqvarna teased the Vitpilen/Svartpilen concept back in 2017 and the production models soon followed. The Svartpilen and Vitpilen share the same platform, the differences lying in terms of styling and a few equipment. Since the KTM group owns Husqvarna, the Huskys are based on the all familiar KTM Duke 250, borrowing it’s powertrain, the chassis, the suspension and the braking setup as well.

The styling however is vastly different from the sharp and aggressively designed Duke. The aesthetics of the Huskys is quite unique, they wear a minimalist body work with slim panels that extend from the tank all way to the rear as one. A stubby tail section, narrow seat along with the round LED headlamps as well as LED indicators complete the neo/retro look.

The Svartpilen is a street scrambler with higher set handlebars, chunkier tires as well as a tank rack. The Vitpilen on the other hand, is more of a modern take on cafe racers with low slung clipon handlebars. There are neat details present all over, like the round digital instrument cluster, LED indicators and Husqvarna badging all over the bike. All in all, both the bikes look very futuristic and premium, grabbing a lot of attention whilst on the move.

The power figures from the known, liquid cooled 248.7 cc single are 30 PS of peak power and 24 Nm of torque. And similar to the Duke, the motor is punchy and has loads of top end grunt. Now, the seating position is a bit higher in the Svartpilen/Vitpilen, it makes for a slightly different rider ergonomics.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that the wheels are lighter and have a different design to the Duke’s.

The Svartpilen/Vitpilen get all the standard equipment like ABS with a supermoto mode and a slipper clutch. Also, they are priced lower than the Duke so the Huskys make for a very interesting prospect. With an interesting take on the neo/retro styling the Svartpilen/Vitpilen look really cool, are very fun to ride and tempting.