Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is a unique offering from the Chennai-based manufacturer. The bike is a departure from the retro styling and laid-back performance the brand has been known for.

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 offers a neo-retro design, which can be best described as a combination of bits from the Hunter 350 and the Himalayan 450. The front section features a retro-style round headlight and gaitered forks, whereas the middle and rear sections offer a more modern look with the bits from the Himalayan 450. 

The tank is a sculpted unit which gives the bike a muscular appearance overall, and the rear section with the unique integrated taillight and turn indicator setup adds a modern touch. Overall, the design has been executed quite well and the bike manages to stand out when compared to its competitors. What makes the design really good is the amount of attention it manages to draw from people, giving a proper big bike look and feel.

The Guerrilla 450 is powered by the same Sherpa engine as the Himalayan 450, which is a 452cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder motor producing 40PS and 40Nm. Royal Enfield has gone with a smaller 45-tooth sprocket on the Guerrilla, instead of the 47-tooth one that we had seen on the Himalayan. 

The engine is quite powerful and offers an exciting experience overall. The power delivery will be a bit intimidating for newer riders, with the engine really giving a punch of power after 4k rpm. Compared to the Himalayan 450, the Guerrilla feels a lot more refined. There are very little vibration present and they’re only noticeable once you push the bike to the higher rev ranges of 7k to 8k rpm. The good performance and refined nature of the engine makes it perfect for highway riding.

But coming to city performance, the Guerrilla is not the best and this is because of 3 reasons. The first being, the lack of low end torque under 3k rpm, which makes it necessary to keep working the gearbox when you’re riding in slow moving traffic. The second issue is that this engine runs hot. 

During our tests there were times when the area around the crankcase got really hot in stop and go traffic, even  during short commutes of just 5km. The heat is especially noticeable if you aren’t wearing boots. Lastly, heavy clutch action, even with the slip-and-assist clutch, makes riding in the city a bit tiresome. 

Overall, the Guerrilla 450’s engine is one which wants to be pushed hard and doesn’t like being stuck in slower speeds for long durations. It does offer exciting performance, but lacks the versatility needed to be the one bike that can handle it all.

The bike rolls on a 120-section front and 160-section rear tyre and has a wheelbase of 1440mm, all of which are larger than other bikes in this class. This translates into better straight line stability with the bike feeling relaxed at higher speeds down the highway. But when it comes to the twisties, the bike requires a slightly higher amount of steering input when compared to its rivals like the Triumph Speed 400 or Hero Mavrick 440.

The suspension setup is set towards the stiffer side, but can soak up most bumps and potholes on the road without much trouble but sharper ones will be felt. The brakes offer good performance, with the front disc brake giving a strong initial bite and progressive feedback. The rear brake on the other hand doesn’t give much feedback, but manages to get the job done.

Overall, the Guerrilla 450 can come across as a bit heavy to maneuver but can handle city riding without major issues, cutting through traffic easily.

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is able to offer a comfortable riding experience thanks to the relatively upright riding posture and well padded seat. The seat is also quite long, making it easy for riders to take a more committed riding posture by scooting back a bit. This makes it easier to handle the bike at higher speeds, something which most riders will appreciate.

The cushioning is a bit firm and this helps make it easier to handle longer rides, as the firmness of the seat prevents the butt from sinking in. Overall, the Guerrilla is able to offer a comfortable riding experience.

The Guerrilla 450’s Dash and Flash variants get the same 5-inch TFT console as the Himalayan 450. The console offers two themes, digital and analogue. The analogue theme comes off as easier to read and offers more information. The console offers two modes, light and dark. One feature that we really liked about the console is the fact that it changes between the modes automatically depending on the lighting conditions present. 

The console overall isn’t easy to read under harsh sunlight and the angle at which the console is placed makes the sunlight reflect directly into your face. This is quite annoying when you’re riding without a dark visor. In terms of features, the console offers smartphone connectivity and full-fledged navigation via GoogleMaps. But to take advantage of this, the phone has to be kept unlocked at all times, which does drain the phone battery quite rapidly. 

The Guerrilla 450 is an interesting motorcycle, and one which is unlike any Royal Enfield we have ridden so far. The bike offers good looks and exciting performance, but is far from perfect for everybody. It does run hot in traffic, and newer riders might get intimidated by the weight of the bike.. 

Also, for beginner riders, the performance might come off as a bit intimidating. We think such riders would be happier with something that’s a bit more easy going, like the Triumph Speed 400. But if you’re someone who values performance more than anything then the Guerrilla 450 will be the right choice for you.