Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Road Test Review: The Crazy Horse

Royal Enfield bikes are often associated with retro and classic designs, offering a relaxed and laid-back riding experience. Now the brand is attempting to move away from this set pattern to try something new. The recently-launched Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450, which is unlike any other Royal Enfield bike made till now, seems like the first step in this journey.

When I got the chance to review the Guerrilla 450, there were two things going on in my mind. First, the pure excitement of being able to review a 450cc bike. Second, a bit of doubt about what it could offer and whether or not Royal Enfield could manage to pull off something which they have never attempted before. Now after consistent daily use and a long trip later, I was thoroughly surprised by the Guerrilla 450 and what it had to offer. Here’s everything I learnt about the bike’s real world performance.

Design

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 has a unique neo-retro inspired design, which manages to make it stand out quite a bit when compared to its competitors. The bike is sort of like a combination of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 and the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450. It gets a retro-style roadster like front, inspired from the Hunter 350 with its round headlight and gaitered telescopic fork. The middle and rear section is taken from the Himalayan, with the side panel being the same. The tail section features the same iconic taillight and integrated turn indicators taken from the ADV. 

Getting such a unique design combination right isn't easy, as the design bits used on a roadster and ADV are worlds apart. But Royal Enfield has somehow managed to pull it off quite well. Now, it has to be stated that design and looks are quite subjective. But no other bike manages to embody this fact like the Guerrilla does. 

At BikeDekho, the team is divided into two camps, with one side really liking the Guerrilla’s looks and the other not being a big fan of what Royal Enfield has done. I tend to lean towards the former side, and the design of this bike is one of the things I really appreciate. There are two reasons why. The first is obviously because I think the bike really does look good and second is because of how much attention it manages to draw from people.

During my time riding this bike, I’ve had people coming up to me and asking about the bike with a genuine sense of curiosity, wanting to know more about it and what it has to offer. This is true for people who are motorcycle enthusiasts and even the regular public. The bike does have that big bike look and feel, which customers who are looking to buy a 400cc bike will want. So overall, in terms of looks and styling the Guerrilla manages to stand out greatly and attracts attention in ways which its competitors like the Triumph Speed 400, Hero Mavrick 440 or even the more expensive KTM 390 Duke cannot.

Engine, Mileage And Performance

The Guerrilla 450 is powered by the same engine as the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, which is a 452cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder motor that outputs 40PS and 40Nm. To suit the roadster character of the engine, Royal Enfield has made a few changes such as giving this bike a 45-tooth sprocket, compared to the Himalayan 450’s 47-tooth one. 

In the real world, the engine offers exciting performance with an instant gush of power and torque once you cross 4k rpm. This high amount of power and torque can come off as a bit intimidating to newer riders, but with a few days of riding you’ll be able to get an understanding of the power and performance. Now before moving forward I have to say, this engine is one which invokes a lot of strong emotions in my experience. To explain its character, I’ll be going over the good, the bad and the ugly. 

Starting off with the good. What I absolutely love about the engine is the amazing performance it has to offer. On the highways, the bike is easily able to hold triple digit speeds with the engine feeling relaxed and no visible signs of stress. When I first got the bike, my biggest concern was whether or not the engine would turn out to be as vibey as on the Himalayan. But to my surprise, Royal Enfield has managed to do a really good job at keeping the vibrations in check. 

Overall, there is very little vibration present on the bike and the vibes that you will really feel only come after you’ve pushed the bike really hard. At 6k rpm you’ll notice a minor buzz on the fuel tank and footpegs, but only when you pay close attention. The vibrations are only clearly noticeable once you cross the 8k rpm mark, which in 6th gear would put you around 140-150kmph (We do not recommend riding at such speeds in any case).

Now moving on to the bad. An issue which we had struggled with on the Himalayan 450 was the lack of bottom-end torque and this has been carried over to the Guerrilla as well. So in the real world, the bike has very little torque to offer under 3k rpm and in higher gears the engine starts juddering once you dip below 2.5k to 2k rpm.

This makes riding in the city an uncomfortable experience at times due to the need for constant gear changes when slowing down to tackle small speed breakers or potholes, and also in slow-moving traffic. Add in the heavy clutch action, even though the Guerrilla gets a slipper clutch, and you’ll start feeling a bit of pain in your left hand if you’re stuck in traffic for a while.

The heat management is also not the best and I’ve had experiences where the engine heated up quite a bit during small commutes of 4-5km in slow-moving traffic. During commutes where I’ve been stuck in traffic, I could feel the heat around the engine crankcase. The heating is a bit annoying and you have to be careful not to accidentally touch the crankcase if you’re not wearing boots while riding.

Overall, this engine gives the bike a unique character, one of a very enthusiastic horse that just wants to be unleashed. This is in sharp contrast to the other bikes in its segment like the Speed 400 and the Mavrick 440, both of which are comfortable at slower speeds and come off as more easy going. Here’s a detailed comparison of the 0-100kmph acceleration timings of the 3 bikes from our tests, just to give you an idea of how fast the Guerrilla 450 actually is:

The last bit that I believe is important to note here is the small tank capacity. Royal Enfield has given this bike a really small tank with a capacity of 11-litres. This is not adequate and reduces the bike’s overall range significantly and takes away from its touring capabilities. Its rival, the Triumph Speed 400 for example, has a slightly bigger tank, with a capacity of 13-litres. 

We had tested the mileage figures of both the bikes. The Guerrilla returned an average mileage of 29.08kmpl in mixed riding conditions (city, highway and twisties), whereas the Speed 400 returned an average mileage of 26.25kmpl. Coming to tank range, the Guerrilla is able to offer 319.88km tank range, whereas the Speed 400 offers a tank range of 341.25km. This range difference of 21.37km in the real world does make a bit of difference.

Handling & Ride Quality

The Guerrilla 450 is a unique bike in the segment and one of the things that make it stand apart are the long wheelbase and fatter than average tyres used. To give you perspective, here’s a comparison between the Guerrilla 450, Triumph Speed 400 and the Hero Mavrick 440:

The long wheelbase and wider tyres have influenced the handling character of the Guerrilla greatly. When compared to its rivals, the Guerrilla feels a lot more stable at higher speeds in straight line runs, but also comes off a bit more heavier to manoeuvre when in the twisties. The bike doesn’t have any issue tipping into corners, but when comparing it with the Mavrick and Speed 400 it is clear that the bike isn’t as responsive.

Another thing that has to be noted is the wide turning radius. The long wheelbase and tighter steering angle i.e the extent to which you can turn the front wheel, makes the bike’s turning radius a bit longer than that of its rivals. So in the real world, taking tight U-turns on narrow roads won’t be easy and you’ll end up having to move the bike forward and backward a bit to get the turn right.

But overall, these minor inconveniences seem trivial and don't really affect the bike’s performance in city traffic that much. It is still relatively agile and nimble and doesn’t have any issue cutting through tight traffic here and there.

Speaking of ride quality, the Guerrilla 450 is a mixed bag in this case. The suspension setup is a bit towards the stiffer side, but can soak up minor undulations here and there. But slightly larger bumps will be felt. The stiff suspension is a bit annoying when you’re stuck with poor road conditions, but on the highways and twisties this helps keep the bike really stable.

Now, you might be wondering if the Guerrilla can handle light trails, which you will encounter when touring. The answer is a bit complicated, the short answer is yes it can. But I would not recommend taking this bike offroad, and even on slightly broken patches. 

This comes down to two factors, the first being the ground clearance of 169mm. Which seems reasonable for a roadster, but the long wheelbase makes it feel shorter than what it actually is. Second, the exposed nature of the engine and exhaust pipe. Royal Enfield has added an engine bash plate but it is a really small one and doesn't offer much coverage. 

The bike still feels a bit exposed and this doesn’t inspire confidence to go off the roads. I had once instance where I ended up scraping the bottom while going over a slightly rough patch which the Mavrick 440 and Speed 400 could have easily handled. So I wouldn’t recommend taking the Guerrilla 450 offroad.

Coming to the braking performance, the Guerrilla 450 runs a 310mm front and 270mm rear disc setup. The front brake has a strong initial bite followed by a steady progression, whereas the rear brake doesn’t offer much feedback, but still gets the job done. 

Overall, the brakes do inspire confidence and bring the bike to a stop relatively quickly, and in our tests the bike managed to return a 80-0kmph braking of 3.20s/29.55m. In certain emergency braking situations, the brakes have saved me. For a 400cc bike, the braking performance offered is what you would want and expect.

Comfort

The Guerrilla with its long single-piece seat, wide handlebars and mid-set footpegs offer a neutral and comfortable riding posture. The long seat also makes it possible to scoot back a bit and take a more committed riding posture as well, which is quite convenient when you’re going at higher speeds and want to tuck in a little bit.

Coming to the seat cushioning, this is something I really liked about the Guerrilla. The cushioning is really well done, with a bit of firmness that prevents your butt from sinking in after a long ride. Usually with most bikes, the seat cushioning comes off as a bit too soft which is fine for short commutes in the city. But when going on longer rides, you will start sinking into it and experience pain in the butt.

So in terms of overall comfort, Royal Enfield has done a pretty good job with the Guerrilla and the bike can handle both short trips and longer journeys down the highway without the rider feeling uncomfortable.

The bike is slightly towards the heavier side, with the kerb weight of 180 kg (wet), which makes moving it around the parking lot a bit difficult. Once the bike is on the move, the weight is easy to manage and you won’t have any issues moving it around.

Features

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is not the most feature packed bike out there when compared to its rivals, but it has all the necessary bits you would expect from a 400cc. The bike gets full LED lighting and a 5-inch TFT instrument console, on the mid-spec Dash and top-end Flash variant.

The console is the same one as the Himalayan 450’s and it has two modes, digital and analogue. I personally prefer the analogue mode as it is easier to read and goes well with the roadster aesthetics overall. The visibility is decent under most riding conditions, and the console changes the theme from light to dark depending on the lighting conditions. This is quite a nice feature and is very convenient.

When it comes to visibility under harsh sunlight, the console isn’t that easy to read. The light from the sun tends to reflect off the screen. The angle at which the console is placed makes the reflected light hit you directly in the face, which can get a bit annoying when riding during the day.

Coming to the console features, the console offers smartphone connectivity via the Royal Enfield app. This brings full-fledged navigation via GoogleMaps and music controls to the table, but to get the navigation to work you have to keep the phone on and unlocked at all times. This defeats the purpose a little, and makes it feel like getting a phone mount would be better if you want navigation.

The bike doesn’t get any electronic riding aids like traction control. The Guerrilla 450 gets a ride-by-wire throttle and features 2 riding modes: Performance and Eco. The performance mode offers a much quicker throttle response and Eco mode dials down the throttle response slightly. The difference between the two is very little in terms of actual performance, and you’ll only notice a slight difference in how quickly the engine responds to your throttle inputs.. 

Royal Enfield has added 2 dedicated switches and a 5-way joystick to navigate the console. But overall, the switchgear used on the bike is the same rotary style ones. They look good, but are not intuitive and getting used to them takes a lot of time. And the 5-way joystick is a bit fidgety to use, especially when you need to click it inwards to make a selection in the menus.

Should You Buy The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450?

The Guerrilla 450 has been quite an interesting experience for me. The bike manages to offer a real ‘big bike’ feel, both in terms of looks and also in terms of performance. Over the past few weeks that I have been riding it, the bike has given me a glimpse into what owning a big bike feels like. Well truth be told, my heart loved it, but my pocket didn’t. 

The exciting performance it had to offer, and the thrills that were part of this journey are something that really made this bike feel like a massive upgrade for me. As someone who rides a 155cc Yamaha MT-15, the Guerrilla really showed me what a 400cc bike is really like. The bike’s overall look and feel and the attention it drew from people were quite enjoyable.

That said, the bike isn’t without its shortcomings. There are certain issues which prevent it from being the perfect bike, such as the lack of bottom end torque, the heat you’ll feel from the engine when in stop-and-go traffic and the small tank capacity. Even with these issues, I personally find the Guerrilla 450 to be a good bike, and if you are someone like me who values exciting performance over everything else then getting a Guerrilla 450 is one decision that you won’t regret.

Coming to the prices, the Guerrilla 450 is offered in 3 variants. Here’s a breakdown of the variant wise prices:

The prices for the Guerrilla 450 are reasonable given what it has to offer. Now, there might be some of you who are looking for a bike that is a bit more easy-going, with similar levels of performance then the Triumph Speed 400 would be a better choice. The Speed 400 for perspective now comes at an ex-showroom price of Rs 2,40,000.