Royal Enfield Launches Guerrilla 450 To Plug The Classic-Himalayan Gap

Royal Enfield has launched the Guerrilla 450 to add a serious roadster to its line-up of modern classics and adventure tourers.

Powered by the 452 cc ‘Sherpa’ engine cradled in a steel twin-spar tubular chassis, the Guerrilla 450 makes 40 BHP at the crank and sends 40 NM of torque to the rear wheel, enough to propel 174 kg of metal and rubber to a top speed in excess of 150 km/h. A slipper clutch-actuated, six-speed gearbox takes care of transmission duties. The right side-up forks at the front and a six-step adjustable monoshock at the rear are responsible for keeping the 17-inch wheels on the tarmac.

The result is a motorcycle that makes quick work of city commutes, as well as highway runs, while keeping the ride interesting in the twisties, according to Royal Enfield.

The Guerrilla 450 “is built on the same platform as the Himalayan 450, but tuned to roadster performance that makes it different”, Siddhartha Lal, managing director at Royal Enfield’s parent Eicher Motors Ltd., said in a statement. “The Guerrilla really brings out what roadsters were meant to do.”

In terms of pricing, the Guerrilla fills the gap between the Classic 350 (Rs 2 lakh onwards) and the HImalayan (Rs 3 lakh onwards). The 450 roadster has an introductory starting price of Rs 2.39 lakh (ex-showroom, India) for its three variants and seven colourways.

The pricing also puts the motorcycle squarely in competition with the similarly specced Triumph Speed 400 which, along with its Scrambler twin, has been raking in the numbers for Bajaj Auto Ltd. Also in the fray is the Harley-Davidson X440, which is specced lower but is larger in cubic capacity.

“When we started with the Sherpa 450 platform, we envisaged an adventure tourer and a superlative roadster that would be distinctly Royal Enfield,” B. Govindrajan, chief executive officer at Royal Enfield, said in the statement. “The Guerrilla 450 is just that—a roadster full of character and confidence.”

Bookings for the motorcycle are now open on the Royal Enfield website and showrooms across India. The test rides and retails will start from 1 August.