Royal Enfield’s Guerrilla 450 lives up to its name as a fun streetfighter that packs quite a punch.
It was developed alongside the new Himalayan 450, so shares Royal Enfield’s debut liquid-cooled engine, but is aimed at a totally different market.
The street-focussed Guerrilla is lighter and more compact which makes it ideal as a commuter capable of taking on longer trips, especially if you can stick to A and B-roads.
That 452cc, single-cylinder engine produces maximum power of 40PS at 8,000rpm but the key to its punchy performance is peak torque of 40Nm at 5,500rpm.
Much of this low-down pulling power is available across a wide rev range so the Guerrilla pulls smoothly and strongly from 2,500rpm in the lower gears to make good progress without having to keep going up and down the slick-shifting six-speed gearbox. Let it rev and it zips up easily to the legal limit.
The Himalayan and Guerrilla also benefit from Royal Enfield’s first ride-by-wire electronic throttle with performance and eco modes. It’s not vital with only 40PS on tap but eco mode helps fuel economy.
The Showa suspension is simple, as is the Royal Enfield way, with non-adjustable 43mm front forks with 140mm of front wheel travel and a rear shock that adjusts purely for preload and allows 150mm of rear wheel travel.
The suspension is soft enough to cope with urban bumps and lumps and roadworks scars but the ride is not so settled at speed on poor roads. That said, the Guerrilla handles well enough with good grip and a confident feel through corners, entertaining rather than exciting.
Braking is adequate with the 310mm front disc backed up by a 270mm rear disc, which responds sharply to prodding the brake pedal, when more stopping power is needed. That is how we rode half a century ago before modern motorbikes gained powerful twin front discs!
ABS is standard but there are no fancy electronic rider aids. We used to live without them too! Royal Enfield keeps it pure and simple and this back-to-basics approach was what helped attract me to the brand.
The Guerrilla does not feel like a compact bike and hides its 184kg kerb weight well.
Good news for shorter riders is that the 780mm seat height means you can get both feet on the ground.
The instrument cluster is also simple with a needle speedometer around a central TFT display for gear, time, fuel level and trip meters above a panel of warning lights. It works well and is easy to take in information at a glance.
There is also a separate TFT display so you can access Google Maps and other services via your smartphone.
Starting from £4,850 in Smoke Silver, rising to £4,995 in Playa Black and Gold Dip and topping out at £5,050 in Brava Blue and Yellow Ribbon make the Guerrilla attractively priced too.
The Guerrilla brings something different to the Royal Enfield stable. It looks stylish and more modern and will help bring younger riders to the brand.
This little streetfighter is certainly up for taking on the big boys.
Find our more about the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450.
