Barcelona, the city that stands as an open-air museum to Gaudi’s architectural genius, served as the backdrop for Royal Enfield's latest launch—the Guerrilla 450. This motorcycle has been aptly named to suggest that it breaks away from the sea of clones, embodying a machine designed purely for the primal pursuit of fun. And fun it certainly is! I spent an exhilarating day riding the Guerrilla through the Catalonian countryside, weaving through medieval villages and passing verdant vineyards. The two emotions that stood out the most during this ride were excitement and exhilaration. At the heart of the Guerrilla is the same Sherpa 450 engine that powers the Himalayan. The motorcycle also shares the superb TFT instrument pod, LED headlight, and switchgear found on the top two of its three variants. However, one less-than-ideal feature that has carried over is the 4-directional joystick used to scroll through various pages on the TFT display. Operated by the left thumb, it feels incredibly fiddly—vague and undefined.

Despite this, the TFT display itself is fabulous, with just the right amount of brightness that adjusts to ambient light and a well-sized font for easy readability. A quick glance at the screen provides all the necessary information, making it highly practical. But don’t mistake the Guerrilla for a spruced-up Himalayan ready for a city visit. It is an altogether new street bike, and significantly lighter. With a sharper throttle response, different suspension dynamics, and 17-inch rims shod with wider tyres (120/70R17 in the front and 160/60/R17 in the rear), it’s clear that this bike is built for urban agility. Unlike the Himalayan, which boasts 200mm of travel in both the front and rear suspension, the Guerrilla offers 140mm of front travel and 150mm of rear travel. This adjustment helps reduce the seat height from 825mm (in the Himalayan) to 780mm, making it the lowest in its segment. The Guerrilla also features a conventional fork unit, protected by rubber gaiters, as opposed to the upside-down forks seen on the Himalayan. Weighing in at 185kg (kerb weight), the Guerrilla is 11kg lighter than the Himalayan. This weight reduction has been achieved through the use of a smaller, 11-litre fuel tank and a switch from spoked wheels to cast alloy rims.

Although the gearbox ratios remain the same, the final gearing has been tweaked. The rear sprocket on the Guerrilla has been made smaller, sporting 45 teeth instead of the 47 found on the Himalayan. This change suggests a higher top speed at the cost of initial acceleration, though Royal Enfield’s engineers claim that the wider tyres offset any noticeable difference. During my ride, I found that the Guerrilla effortlessly reached 125kmph without straining the engine. Even beyond that, the engine had a few more kilometres per hour in it, though vibrations began to set in at higher speeds. The media ride route was well planned, with a brief stint on the motorway followed by a long stretch of twisty, curvaceous roads. It’s on these winding roads that the Guerrilla truly shines. The speed and confidence with which I leaned into turns, practically brushing the tarmac, was exhilarating. The wide Ceat tyres gripped the road with an almost obsessive lust, defying the very laws of physics as I carved through the corners. Part of this confidence stems from the Guerrilla’s reassuring brakes. The front features a single 310mm disc gripped by a two-piston calliper, while the rear sports a single-pot calliper grabbing a 270mm disc. Both front and rear brakes are equipped with ABS, though the rear ABS cannot be switched off as it can be on the Himalayan. The Guerrilla offers two riding modes—Performance and Eco. The former is the more exhilarating option, while the latter tones down the power delivery by dialing back the throttle and fuel flow to improve fuel economy. The claimed fuel economy is 29.5kmpl, though I estimated my test motorcycle returned about 25kmpl after a day of spirited riding, without much regard for fuel efficiency.

Royal Enfield began work on the Guerrilla back in 2019, with the motorcycle being designed across India, the UK, and Spain. It has been fine-tuned through thousands of miles of testing by riders with varying styles, shapes, and sizes. With the Guerrilla, Royal Enfield is venturing into uncharted territory, entering a segment they haven’t explored before. The bike goes head-to-head with competitors like the Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X, the Hero Maverick 440, and the Bajaj Dominar 400, all of which are priced within the Rs 2.2 to 2.6 lakh range. The Guerrilla is now on sale in India, available in three variants—Analogue, Dash, and Flash—priced at Rs 2.39 lakh, Rs 2.49 lakh, and Rs 2.54 lakh respectively.