In Pictures: Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Review

After plenty of speculation and spy shots, the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is here. The Guerrilla 450 is based on the same 452cc platform as its ADV cousin the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. While it shares the same engine, the neo-retro roadster gets a few tweaks to make it a more road-focused bike, which many people will find more accessible. We got a chance to ride it and here’s what we think about the bike.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450’s Design

In the flesh, the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 looks like a serious roadster. It shares a couple of design elements and parts with the Himalayan 450 like the LED headlight without the windshield, which is positioned lower on the roadster. The Guerrilla 450 features a sleek front end, a smaller and flatter 11-litre fuel tank, and the absence of luggage racks, which adds to its aesthetic appeal. It also borrows the centre and side panels from its ADV cousin but this one comes in more eye-catching bright colours. It comes in 5 attractive colours, Smoke Silver, Gold Dip, Playa Black, Yellow Ribbon and Brava Blue. Overall, the bike looks really good with a proper neo-retro aesthetic that makes it stand out from the crowd.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450’s Engine, Performance and Mileage

The Guerrilla 450 is powered by the same liquid-cooled single-cylinder 452cc Sherpa engine as seen in the Himalayan 450. It makes the same power and torque figures i.e. 40.02 PS @ 8000rpm and 40 Nm @ 5500rpm. However, the roadster gets a different throttle mapping from the ADV. It starts off linear and gets aggressive as you open up the throttle. This makes it a lot more fun and encourages you to keep the bike in the higher rpm range. With the Guerrilla 450 weighing 11kg lighter than the Himalayan 450, we believe it will be quicker in doing 0 to 100kmph. The Himalayan 450 already feels pretty punchy and quick doing 0-100kmph in 6.9 seconds in our road test. 

The Guerrilla 450 gets a 6-speed gearbox which is paired with a smaller 45-tooth sprocket which gives a better performance in the higher rpm range. The engine feels refined even while cruising on 100kmph @ around 5000rpm. While the motor is mostly smooth, vibrations can be felt in the initial rpm range and some buzz on the higher side. The bike delivers a claimed fuel economy of 29.5kmpl in the World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC). 

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450’s Handling, Braking and Ride Quality

In terms of handling the Guerrilla 450 feels nimble to ride and tips into corners fairly easily, thanks to its shorter wheelbase compared to the Himalayan 450 and its wide 120/70 R17 front and 160/60 R17 rear tyres. Overall, the bike offers a confidence-inspiring ride. The braking department does a decent job and provides sufficient stopping power when the brakes are fully applied. The bike is equipped with a 43mm telescopic fork and a linked preload-adjustable monoshock, giving sporty feedback but it isn’t too hard. Considering it is a roadster the 169mm of ground clearance on offer is enough too.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450’s Comfort

The Guerrilla isn’t a lightweight bike, it has a kerb weight of 184kg. Having said that, the bike can still be managed easily. Its impressively low seat height of 780mm along with the bike’s narrow profile will even let shorter riders that aren’t confident on taller bikes feel at home and ride comfortably.

Being a roadster-style bike, it gets rear-set footpegs and a lower-positioned handlebar. This lets the rider sit in an aggressive position and push hard while sitting upright for daily commuting. The single-piece seat is well-designed and can easily accommodate large or tall riders. 

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450’s Features

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is packed with plenty of features. The Flash and Dash-top variants are equipped with a 4-inch TFT console with smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth for calls/SMS alerts and Google Maps Navigation. The Analogue-base variant gets a simpler semi-digital instrument cluster with no smartphone connectivity features. However, if you want turn-by-turn navigation, you can opt for the Tripper Pod from Royal Enfield. The bike gets two riding modes: Performance and Eco, across all variants which change the throttle response. Along with that the bike also gets a USB Type-C charger under the handlebar.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450’s Variants

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is available in three variants. The base variant, Analogue is available in Smoke Silver and Playa Black Analogue colours and is priced at Rs 2,39,000 (all prices ex-showroom). The mid-variant, Dash is available in Gold Dip and Playa Black Dash colours and is priced at Rs 2,49,000. The top variant, Flash is available in Brava Blue and Yellow Ribbon colours coming at a price tag of Rs 2,54,000.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450’s Verdict

The Guerrilla 450 is priced between Rs 2,39,000 and Rs 2,54,000, which makes it a very well-packaged neo-retro roadster. The bike feels very approachable with a low seat height and a smooth engine with linear power delivery. It is friendly to novice riders while being fun for experienced ones. It rivals the likes of the Harley-Davidson X440 and the Triumph Speed 400. Overall, it is a practical buy for someone looking for a retro-styled bike with modern attributes making for highway riding and daily commuting fun.