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 has a neo-retro design, which can be best described as a combination of bits from the Hunter 350 and the Himalayan 450. The sculpted tank gives the bike a muscular appearance. 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 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’s engine is quite powerful and offers an exciting experience overall. The power delivery will be a bit intimidating for newer riders. Compared to the Himalayan 450, the Guerrilla feels a lot more refined. Slight vibrations are noticeable once you push the bike to about 7,000 to 8,000rpm. The good performance and refined nature of the engine makes it perfect for highway riding. The lack of low end torque though, under 3,000rpm, requires you to make constant gear changes when riding the bike in the city. Also, the 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. The roadster posted 0-60kmph and 0-100kmph times of 2.87 seconds and 6.57 seconds during our real world tests. It does offer exciting performance, but lacks the versatility needed to be the one bike that can handle both quick riding and slow city commuting.

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. 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. During our real world tests, the Guerrilla took 3.20 seconds to stop 80-0 kmph while travelling 29.55m in the process.

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 it prevents the butt from sinking in. 

The Guerrilla 450’s Dash and Flash variants get the same 5-inch TFT console as the Himalayan 450. The Analogue variant gets the round semi-digital instrument console from the Meteor 350 and the Super Meteor 650. One feature that we really liked about the console is the fact that it changes between the light and dark display modes automatically depending on the lighting conditions present. 

The console isn’t easy to read under harsh sunlight, though, 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. 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, good handling characteristics and an extensive features list. If you want a Royal Enfield bike whose performance and handling is mainly good for city riding and some occasional highway rides, then the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is a good option to consider.