Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Long-term Review: First Report

Gallery Introduction The Plan The Specs Product details

Introduction

A quick recap. We first rode the Guerrilla 450 in and around Barcelona, Spain. On its beautifully surfaced, grippy, and winding roads, the motorcycle felt competent, quick, and likeable. Then we rode it on our sometimes broken, sometimes bumpy, and rarely smooth Mumbai roads. We still walked away impressed. Sure, we learned more about its ride quality and its low rpm throttle response - which didn’t leave us all that impressed - but it was still pretty quick, and felt enjoyable and entertaining.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Right Side View

However, the questions in our minds centred around posterity. Will the bike still feel enjoyable and entertaining many months and kilometres later? Will time soften the blow of its less-than-perfect ride quality every time one hops on it? Or will one grow detached and disinterested as time and kilometres pass? To find these answers, we now have the GRR 450 for a long-term test.

The Plan

Our plan with the Guerrilla is the same as all our other long-termers. We will run the motorcycle as part of our fleet for six months. In that time, we will commute on it, take it on some highway rides, and because Royal Enfield got Guy Martin - yes, the same Isle of Man TT hero - to stand up and ride, and slide the bike around, we will attempt to do the same.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Engine From Right

We will report on the fuel economy, comfort, ease and enjoyment that the Guerrilla delivers when riding in these scenarios. We will also see if we can add some accessories in later reports and tell you what’s worth going for and what’s not. Moreover, we will recommend some upgrades to make living with the motorcycle nicer. And of course, we will keep you updated on how it ages or if it shows any signs of premature wear.

The Specs

Just to bring you up to speed with the Guerrilla, it is available in three trims. The entry-level Analogue is only available in one colour - silver. Then you have the Dash, which can be had in the combo of red and gold, or black, red and yellow. And finally, there’s the Flash. The Flash trim too is available in two colour hues - there’s the yellow ribbon which is a combination of yellow, mauve and black. And you have - which we feel is the best colourway of the lot - Brava Blue. The latter is a combo of white and - as the name suggests - blue.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Front Disc Brake

The engine is borrowed from the Himalayan 450 in the same state of tune delivering identical power and torque figures. The GRR’s throttle response, though, is more alert. The GRR also runs different suspension, wheels, and tyres, which are all more road-focused. It sits on a smaller wheelbase, is lighter, and is more accessible to a variety of riders. It also borrows the full-colour TFT instrumentation from the H450, but the unit on the Guerrilla comes with a few improvements.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Clutch Lever

As far as specs and features go then, the GRR is well-equipped. Now, let us see how it all comes together on the road, day after day; that and more in the next report.