Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450
Royal Enfield came in with some big news with the full unveiling of their hotly anticipated Guerrilla 450 naked roadster.
So could this be the best new budget friendly bike for 2024?
The Engine: A Shared Powerhouse
Now, let’s talk about the engine.
It’s the same 450, liquid-cooled single-cylinder Sherpa engine that was first put to use in the Himalayan 450 that was announced last year.
And look, this was always going to be a platform that they rolled out plenty of bikes on.
So this is probably the first of a long line of 450 bikes from Royal Enfield over the next few years.
The tune is pretty much exactly the same, though. So it’s just shy of 40 horsepower peak on tap and 40 newton meters of peak torque.
Although they do say they’ve dropped a couple of teeth on the rear sprocket, and so it’s probably going to feel a little more lively under acceleration when it’s out on the road.
Now, those power figures put it roughly on a par with the other 400s on the market, like the Triumph Speed 400, the KTM 390 Duke, the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401.
also, it’s got to be said, it’s a massive step up from the other 350 single-cylinder naked in the Enfield lineup, which are air-cooled, not liquid-cooled, and so they make just over half the power and torque.
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I’ve always found those bikes a little bit too slow out on the open road, and so I’m expecting this bike to feel much more appropriate.
And having borrowed the Himalayan 450 earlier this year, I was really quite impressed with the engine, and it still has plenty of that Enfield single-cylinder sole that does suit the Himalayan.
But yeah, with the liquid cooling, it does allow them to rev it out a little bit more.
For things like quick overtakes or cruising at 60 or 70, it just feels a lot more comfortable.
The only downside, I will say, is it does vibe quite a lot at those motorway speeds, which can be a little bit off-putting.
If you’re thinking about doing a lot of touring or distance work, then maybe that It could be a significant drawback, especially if you’re fairly sensitive to vibes through the bars, the seat, the pegs.
But what I will say is for the Guerrilla, well, it’s more so designed to be like a town bike or a bit of weekend fun.
And so you’re much more likely to be riding it in the low revs or the middle of the rev range or maybe up and down the box, as opposed to sitting at a constant speed for hours on end on the motorway.
And so maybe it’ll be a bit less of a deal breaker on this particular bike.
Guerrilla 450 Chassis and Handling
On to the chassis, though, and like I said, this is much more road Focus.
So although it has a similar tubular steel frame construction as the Himalayan, the head angle has been changed, so it’s slightly more sporty in the handling.
It’s got a different subframe as well, which is said to be more appropriate for this style of bike.
also they’ve shortened up the swing arm, which has given it that shorter wheel base. And again, that should quicken up the turning.
Wheel’s a cast aluminum as well. So you’ve got a 17-inch up front and a 17 at the rear.
these are actually being shod with some semi-nobly, maybe flat track-inspired tires for a bit of a rugged look.
Now, there’s a 43 millimeter right way up fork up front, which is said to be developed in partnership with Showa.
That’s non-adjustable and then a monoshuck at the rear with preload adjustability only.
But that does mean you can get the bike set up with the right stance if you’re taking a passenger and/or luggage.
I will say as well, there’s also 140 millimeter of travel on the fork, 150 on the shock.
while that’s nowhere near as much as like an adventure bike like the Himalayan, it is still a little more than perhaps your average road bike, which typically come in around 120 millimeter.
And so maybe this will be a decent bike combined with those semi-nobly tires for slightly rougher than average roads.
Again, I think that makes it quite appealing as a versatile commuter.
Braking and Suspension
Braking comes from Brembo’s budget friendly sub brand, Bybre, which is really common on these Indian made mid-capacity roadsters. And you’ve got a single two piston caliper up front that’s actually mounted.
That’s on a 310 mill disk and a single pot caliper at the rear on a 270 mill disk. this bike does look a little more basic than the Triumph, the KTM, the Husqvarna.
Enfield tend to be really quite good on price, so there’s always going to be a little bit of a trade-off for that.
Comfort and Practicality
Now, this is going to a great commuter bike, given the ergonomics, a town bike, because that tubular steel frame really does dip down at the waist, and that gives it a very low accessible seat height of 780 millimeters.
Then combined with that, if it’s fully filled up at 90% of the tank and all the other liquids are on board, it tips the scale at just 185 kilograms, which I think is really quite decent.
So I’m going to expect this bike to feel really nice and easy to manage, easy for all but the shortest riders to get their feet down and also quite nimble and agile.
The only caveat is if you’re a taller rider, perhaps it’s going to feel a little too low or maybe a little bit cramped.
But I believe there is an accessory seat which raises it by another 20 millimeters, so that I make it 800. Or you could look at something a little more spacious like the Himalayan 450 or maybe even the Triumph Scrambler 400X.
But yeah, for its intended purposes as an accessible roadster, I do think it looks pretty good.
Tech Features in Guerrilla 450
Now, in terms of tech, I know some people will like all the latest gadgets and gizmos, while others like the simplest bike possible.
Perhaps you’ll be pleased to know that you can pretty much spec this bike up as you wish. In the most basic form, it gets an analog dash, much like the ones you’ll see on some of their 350 bikes.
You’ve got the speed around the outside and a small LCD display in the middle for some of the other riding info.
And then as an optional accessory, you can add their Tripper Navigation Pod for a little bit of modernity.
And that basically pairs with the Royal Enfield app so you can plot a route.
And the little Tripper Navigation Pod gives you simple turn-by-turn directions for that route right there in the cockpit.
The other option is to go for one of the more premium models, and these get the same full TFT display as the Himalayan 450.
I think for me, this has to be a worthwhile upgrade, not only because you get extra connectivity features and also a bit more screen space for stuff like the navigation, but also it’s just generally more pleasant to use.
I think they’ve done a great job of designing the layouts and graphics.
Guerrilla 450 Riding Modes
Now, lastly, on the tech front, you’ll also find two riding modes on this bike with either performance or eco.
while I fully expect most people are going to leave it in that performance mode the majority of the time, perhaps the eco is a good little handy fallback if you’re ever running super low on fuel.
Guerrilla 450 Color and Graphics
Now, one thing that I think Enfield always does really, really well is a wide range of vibrant color choices and graphics.
this bike is absolutely no different. You see, you’ve got Brava Blue, Yellow Ribbon, player black, Gold Dip, or Smoke Silver.
personally, while I do appreciate the wide range of options, I actually think I like the simplicity of the Smoke Silver on this bike.
But let me know your pick down in the comments below.
Overall, I think the looks are an interesting blend. It is part retro, but also part angular and modern.
it sits between something more traditional like the Triumph Speed 400 and something more edgy like the Husqvarna. Maybe it’s not my favorite of the bunch.
I think Triumph probably have the best styling of the bunch here, followed by the Husqvarna.
But still, I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly bad-looking bike. And again, I’d love to know your pick down in the comments below.
Price: Affordable Options for Every Rider
Now, luckily for me, in terms of price, that silver is the most affordable of the bunch at £4,850, but it climbs to £4,995 for the player black and gold-dip colors, and £5,050 for the yellow ribbon and brava blue.
But thing is, although I do like the visuals of that silver model,
I assume that’s the one that comes with the analog dash Actually,
if I was shopping for one of these bikes, I’d probably end up going for one of the more premium versions to get that full TFT display.