Royal Enfield’s Beguiling New Street Motorcycle Is a Different Breed of Entry-Level Beast

Helluva party. That was all I could think as I took in the amped-up music and food and drink at Barcelona’s Llotja de Mar last July. 

Dating back to the 14th century, this majestic structure boasts loads of history. And yet, a massive crowd had gathered not to reflect but to look forward, into the (two-wheeled) future. 

Royal Enfield

See, the grand occasion was the global unveiling of Royal Enfield’s latest motorcycle, which, the brand promised in a pulse-pounding promo video, marked a welcome departure from lookalike “clone” bikes and “the return of the real roadster.”

But is the much-ballyhooed Guerrilla 450 really all that different? Spoiler alert: Sort of. 

As it (finally) rolls out in the US, here’s the backstory, highlights, caveats and more I picked up on a sunny day in Spain last summer.

Backstory

Let’s start with a bit of background before diving into my first-hand impressions of the bike. 

While Royal Enfield probably isn’t the first or second or third brand most American moto fans think of, it is actually quite huge. According to Cycle World, it sold more than a million midsize (250cc to 750cc) motorcycles last year.

The brand and bike are betting that a better, hipper yet still affordable midsize bike is just what the market has been craving.

However, something like 85% of those sales happened in the Chennai, India-based brand’s home market. Which makes sense because while 75% of the motorcycles sold in the US are 750cc or larger, in much of the developing world, midsize bikes are the dream.

However, if I’ve learned anything writing about approachable, affordable small-displacement bikes — many of which you can’t even get in the US — it’s that there’s actually a ton of interest in them. (Even big bike king Harley-Davidson seems to get it.)

Royal Enfield

That’s something Royal Enfield is hoping to capitalize on with the Guerrilla 450. The second bike built on its K platform engine (after the Himalayan 450), it represents a big step outside of the brand’s charming retro-styled comfort zone.  

With a fresh look, a compact but modern power plant and notable tech upgrades, the brand and bike are betting on the idea that a better, hipper yet still affordable ($5,299) midsize bike is just what much of the market has been craving.

Highlights

Easy rider

Having swung a leg over such Royal Enfield stalwarts as the Himalayan Scram 411, Continental GT 650 and Super Meteor 650, I can confidently state that the brand consistently nails rider-friendliness.

Royal Enfield

The Guerrilla 450 is no exception, thanks to dimensions that are pretty approachable for newer and smaller riders, including a wet weight of 406 pounds and a seat height of 30.7 inches. 

Throw in a narrow waist, upright riding position and nicely padded seat, and from the jump I found this bike not only easy to ride, but a pleasure — and one that does not leave you feeling cramped or exhausted after a full day in the saddle.

Urban warrior

For the Barcelona test ride, I joined a small group of US- and UK-based motorcycle media members. (We were just one group out of several over three days, a total of at least a hundred riding writers, just to give an idea of how massive this launch was.)

Such an arrangement makes for pretty conservative riding in populated areas, so as we pulled out of our beach side hotel and made our way through the city, we weren’t splitting lanes or making any other aggressive moves. 

Royal Enfield

However, I was able to make enough moves to sense that this bike could absolutely crush a daily commute. A major factor here is the aforementioned power plant, a big breakthrough in that it’s the first Royal Enfield single to boast such modern qualities as liquid-cooling, dual overhead camshafts, a forged piston, a plated cylinder liner, a six-speed gearbox and ride-by-wire.

The 452cc engine makes 39.5 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 29.5 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,550 rpm. Paired with the bike’s compact size, that’s enough juice to bob and weave through gridlock, darting between cars and trucks, zipping to the front of the line at traffic lights and reaching your destination much faster than Google Maps predicts.

Twisty equipped

We got a much better feel for what this bike can do once we had escaped to the two-lane roads of the Spanish countryside, where we spent the majority of the day.

In that environment, the six-speed gearbox really shone for me. Neutral is easy to find and shifting is generally super smooth, with just a gentle pull on the clutch lever needed to disengage the engine and click up or down. 

In the Performance ride mode (one of two, the other being Eco), the throttle response felt pretty smooth and lively (especially considering the engine). 

Royal Enfield

Together with the ease of shifting, that left me able to focus on the combination of leaning and braking needed to navigate the winding roads with the velocity required to keep up with my hard-charging compatriots.

Assisting in that mission was the best suspension and braking set-up I’ve ever encountered on a Royal Enfield bike. A 43mm Showa fork offers 5.5 inches of travel up front while an adjustable Showa monoshock provides 5.9 inches of travel in the back. Meanwhile the ByBre brakes boast a 310mm disc in front and 270mm in rear, as well as standard, non-switchable ABS.

The overall effect was a confidence-boosting sense of trust in the equipment that let me open up the throttle and let the bike be an extension of my body as the curves came hard and fast and the wind rushed past.

Caveats

Tech trouble

As inspiring as our jaunt through the countryside was, I would be remiss not to raise a couple issues with this bold new bike.

Because while I applaud RE for some big tech advancements it has introduced (as opposed to simply leaning on “retro charm”), I encountered some frustrating hiccups with them.  

First off, while the ride modes are handy, switching between them is not. To do so, you must select the mode, release the throttle, pull in the clutch and … hope? The 4-inch round TFT dash doesn’t clearly show the mode and even pressing the mode button doesn’t make it obvious what mode you are actually in. 

Royal Enfield

This speaks to a larger issue, which is that the dash in general does not feel intuitive. In fairness, with more time I’m sure I’d figure out how to operate the little left handlebar joystick like a pro, but on the press ride that certainly did not happen.

Second, the dash that’s compatible with Google Maps and iTunes, providing access to navigation and music right between the bars. However, actually using the former requires your phone to be unlocked, which makes for a huge battery drain. (You could charge it via the built-in USB port, but in that case, why not just mount it on the bars and forgo the dash altogether?)

Considering the price point on this bike, it’s super impressive to even be in a position to have these problems. I also would not be surprised if the kinks are worked out as soon as the next model year. But at the moment, as cool as these features are, they are works in progress.

Highway to hell?

Alright that subhead is a bit cheeky, and to be honest, this caveat is just about as speculative as my earlier note about this bike’s presumed urban prowess is. Because on our day-long test ride, we never tackled anything close to a massive and imposing six-lane highway.

That’s probably for good reason. As versatile as Royal Enfield is hyping this bike to be, I would believe it can comfortably and consistently tackle huge roadways at a steady 90 mph when I see it.

Royal Enfield

I could totally see this happening in RE’s home market of India; riding there last summer, I saw the brand’s 350cc bikes pulling even wilder stunts. 

But here in the US, I imagine most regular highway riders would employ a bigger bike for those long-distance endeavors and keep the Guerrilla 450 around as an auxiliary option for urban and rural missions.

Alternatives

While RE’s overall scale enables it to produce pretty damn good, reliable bikes at surprisingly affordable prices, it’s not without stiff competition. Worthy rivals include the $5,295 Triumph Speed 400, $5,899 KTM 390 Duke and the $5,149 Honda CB300R. Those all have smaller engines, however. Closer to the Guerrilla’s 452cc would be something like the Honda’s 471cc SCL500, a pretty big jump in performance but also price: $6,799.

Verdict

When I first encountered the Guerrilla 450 last summer in Barcelona, I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it. However, with further reflection — and the research it took to assemble this review — I’ve gained much more of an appreciation for the big swing Royal Enfield is taking here.

Royal Enfield

While there’s obviously room for improvement (that I am sure will come with future editions), there’s also a whole lot to celebrate. That’s especially true when I throw out all the facts and figures and simply recall the joy I felt ripping around on the bike, not to mention admiring its unique looks, which tend to speak for themselves.

For me, it all adds up to a strong recommendation that you sign up for a test ride and try this bad boy out for yourself. I’m kind of itching to do that myself right now, which just might tell you all you really need to know.

Availability and pricing

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is available now Brava Blue, Playa Black and Smoke Silver at a starting price of $5,299.

Royal Enfield

2025 Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450

• Starts at $5,299

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