Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Review

It’s a good time to be alive if you’re in the market for a budget-friendly motorcycle. Small displacement two-wheelers have been going through something of a renaissance over the last few years, and manufacturers are fighting tooth and nail to deliver top-quality bikes for bottom-dollar prices.

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is the latest entry in this fast-growing segment, and while exact pricing has yet to be confirmed, all signs point to it hitting showroom floors at well under the $6,000 mark. That puts it in direct competition with bikes like our beginner-favorite Triumph Speed 400 as well as others in the “small-engine, big-thrills” space like Husqvarna’s Svarpilen 401 or Kawasaki’s Z400.

Royal Enfield designed the new Guerrilla as a bona fide all-rounder, a general-purpose street bike that performs well on any paved surface. It’s a jack-of-all-trades with a wide handlebar, low seat, and sublimely neutral riding position that’s just as well suited for the morning commute as a weekend romp through the canyons.

Can Royal Enfield build a truly competitive street bike, or should they stick to the vintage charm they’ve become known for? We saddled up for a ride through the Barcelona countryside to see for ourselves.

Below we’ll go over what Royal Enfield got right with the new Guerrilla 450 as well as a few of the shortcomings we found after spending a 10-hour day behind the bars. The price may be low, but the stakes couldn’t be much higher for the brand’s first truly modern roadster.

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Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Highlights

Spoiler alert: There’s a lot to love about Royal Enfield’s first foray into modernity. Here are our favorite parts of riding the new Guerrilla 450.

The Sherpa 450 Engine

Royal Enfield has been pushing the limits of “bang for your buck” motorcycles for years, but up until recently, the brand has stuck to old-school, air-cooled singles and twins to keep costs down. That’s all changed with the introduction of its new “Sherpa 450” engine, which powers both the Guerrilla 450 and the new Himalayan 450, designed alongside it.

The Sherpa 450 is Enfield's first-ever liquid-cooled engine, and it's a massive step forward in terms of power and usability compared to the company's current 411cc mill. Power is increased to 39.5 horses, a whopping 63 percent improvement, while torque is up 25 percent to 29.5 lb-ft.

Those are mighty respectable numbers for a single-cylinder engine. But it’s how the Guerrilla delivers this power that really makes the bike shine. Royal Enfield says it made a point not to chase big numbers on a spec sheet, instead focusing on an engine that’s as fun and responsive as possible across the rev range.

The result is truly impressive, especially for such a comparatively small engine. Around town, the Guerrilla’s fat spread of torque comes on immediately, and makes zipping from light to light quick and painless. The Guerrilla also benefits from the same extra-low first gear as its Himalayan stablemate, which makes the tight, low-speed maneuvers of a city center as drama-free as you could ask.

On the open road, the little single has enough muscle to deliver a comfortable 75mph cruise in 6th gear with some extra grunt left over for passing. The lack of wind protection doesn’t make it ideal for long trips, but the engine itself is fully capable of interstate travel.

Most of our test ride took place on the pristine mountain roads surrounding Barcelona, and the new Sherpa motor feels tailor-made for blasting between corners. Unlike many small-bore singles, the Guerrilla doesn’t require constant shifting to stay inside its powerband, which pulls smoothly and steadily anywhere and everywhere between 3,000-8,000 rpm.

Chassis & Handling

Good suspension is often the first casualty of a budget-friendly bike, but it proved to be a major highlight on the Guerrilla 450. The non-adjustable telescopic fork and preload-only rear shock may not be much to look at, but they’re both exceptionally well sorted considering the asking price.

I was genuinely shocked at how well the Guerrilla handled itself through the corners. Royal Enfield says they worked closely with the folks at Showa to squeeze every ounce of performance possible out of the bike’s fairly simple components, and those long hours have clearly paid off.

This is a bike that loves to lean, and never feels like it’s out over its skis when you pick up the pace. On the edge of the tire the Guerrilla remains remarkably stable at speed, and even the dirt-cheap “Ceat” branded tires deliver excellent grip despite their chunky, scrambler-esque tread pattern.

I got the same impression from the Guerrilla’s Bybre brakes, which pack ample power and good feedback despite the single 310mm disk layout. The same goes for the single-piston setup out back, which will get the ABS chirping at a moment’s notice with minimal effort.

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Comfort & Ergonomics

A cramped cockpit is another common issue on small-bore machinery, but the Guerrilla surprised me again in this regard. Between the wide bar, scooped seat, and reasonably low footpegs, I had no complaints in the comfort department after a 10-hour day in the saddle. That's more than I can say for some bikes three times the Enfield’s size.

That same low 30.7” seat also makes for an obscenely easy bike to flat foot, and while that’s a common condition for my 6’1” frame, we had riders in our group as short as 5’7” who felt the same. Enfield is offering a few different seat options for folks who might want a little extra space between their butt and their heels, but I had no complaints.

Tripper TFT Dash

Another place I found the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 really set itself apart from its budget-friendly competitors was its outstanding full-color TFT dash. I’d expect a display like this on a bike twice the Enfield’s price, which puts big fit-and-finish points on the board for the Guerrilla.

Enfield says their main goal when designing the handsomely rounded dash was making it as “glanceable” as possible. This meant making the most important information big and bold (speed, gear indicator, rpm, etc.) while also eliminating any unnecessary clutter. The end product is extremely effective, replacing the bottomless pit of menus found on most flagship machines with everything you need and nothing you don’t.

That’s not to say Royal Enfield’s latest TFT is lacking in the tech department. Every full-color display includes integrated Google Maps functionality (an analog version is also available), and can easily be paired via Bluetooth with any Apple or Android phone, no USB connection required.

This allows for turn-by-turn navigation, voice calling, and music without the need to mount your phone on your handlebars—although Enfield also includes a USB port for folks who wish to do so.

A Few Shortcomings

It’s fair to say the Guerrilla 450 nails all the most important aspects of a solid naked bike: lively engine, competent chassis, and commanding riding position that works for riders of all shapes and sizes. Entry level bikes like this always come with a few tradeoffs though, so here are the main drawbacks we noted while riding the Guerrilla over the course of the day.

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Minimal Tech

While the Guerrilla’s crisp TFT dash is a genuinely nice piece of kit, the technological wonders end there. Unlike its small-bore rivals from KTM and Husqvarna, the Enfield doesn’t offer any electronic rider aids like traction control or wheelie control, and the dual-channel ABS isn’t lean-sensitive.

Granted, we expect the Guerrilla to come in at a much lower price than its more tech-laden competitors, but riders who want those added safeguards will have to look elsewhere.

The other major complaint we had with the Guerrilla’s tech is that although Royal Enfield offers two riding modes for the Guerrilla (performance and eco), the bike wouldn’t let us change modes on the fly. In fact, I had to actually pull over and shut off the bike before the system would allow me to swap between maps, which is as frustrating as it sounds.

Royal Enfield says there will be a fix for the issue long before the Guerrilla hits showroom floors, which should require nothing more than a simple firmware update. We’re sure that’s the case, but should you find yourself on a test ride in the near future, you’d be wise to doublecheck their work.

Weight

As noted above, the Guerrilla’s main competition is clearly Triumph’s excellent new Speed and Scrambler 400 models. While the Guerrilla has a few key advantages over the two Triumph offerings (namely that it’s a bit more powerful and roomier for taller riders), it’s also a good bit heavier with a full tank of gas.

Royal enfield says the Guerrilla tips the scales at 408 lbs with the tank filled to 90% (why they wouldn’t want to top ‘er off is anyone’s guess), while Triumph’s Speed and Scrambler models weigh in at 375 lbs and 395 lbs, respectively. Some basic math tells us that a full tank would put the Royal Enfield right around the 410 mark, so we’re talking about as much as a 35-pound difference between the two machines.

Truth be told the difference looks worse on paper than it actually feels in the real world, but as we noted in our recent guide for new riders, lighter bikes breed confident riders. In practice the Guerrilla wears its weight well, and while it’s a bit porkier than some competitors, it never feels like a heavy bike when you’re in the saddle. Flickability between corners isn’t quite as telepathic as the Speed 400, but remains a feature just the same.

Pricing For the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450

While Royal Enfield has confirmed pricing for the Guerrilla in Europe and the UK, its official MSRP in the US isn’t due out until early spring of next year. A lot could change between now and then, but we’ve got some strong indicators to speculate on in the meantime.

Case in point, MSRP for the Guerrilla’s stablemate Himalayan 450 has just been confirmed for the US at $5,799. That same bike will set you back about 5,900 Euros overseas due to the EU’s high import tariffs, which translates to about $6,400 in American dollars.

That’s about a $600 discount courtesy of Uncle Sam, and if we get the same favorable exchange on the Guerrilla 450, Royal Enfield could have a serious contender on their hands. A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation tells us the Guerrilla could retail for as low as $5,200 in the U.S., a figure which would certainly get Triumph a little hot under the collar.

Closing Thoughts on the 2025 Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450

When manufacturers are locked in a race to the bottom dollar, riders reap the benefits. The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 takes the fight to Triumph’s Speed 400 in every way that matters whether we’re talking power, handling, or build quality.

Unfortunately, the single most important variable in judging a budget-friendly bike is how much it costs, and U.S. pricing happens to be the only variable Royal Enfield has yet to confirm. There’s a lot riding on the brand’s final number for the Guerrilla 450, and the closer they can get it to that $5,000 elephant in the room, the better it looks by comparison.

That said, the Guerrilla is a lively and exciting machine to ride, and a dramatic departure from the utilitarian character of Enfield’s air-cooled singles. What really makes the Guerrilla shine, however, is that despite its bump in technology and performance, it doesn’t lose any of the user-friendliness we’ve enjoyed in bikes like the Hunter 350 or Scram 411.

Between the new Sherpa 450 engine, the competent chassis, and a handsome full-color dash, we have no doubt that the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 will punch well above its price point. How high that punch lands is up to the folks at Royal Enfield, but it looks like we’ll just have to wait and see next spring.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Specs

• Engine: 452cc, liquid-cooled, single cylinder, DOHC, 4-valve
• Horsepower/Torque: 39.5 hp/20.5 ft-lbs
• Transmission: 6-speed, wet multi-plate slip/assist clutch
• Seat Height: 30.7 inches
• Weight: 381 pounds (wet)
• Fuel capacity: 2.9 gallons
• Price: $5,750 (est.)

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