Royal Enfield has announced the latest model to join its ever-expanding range, with the arrival of a new 450cc single roadster named the Guerrilla.
Based around the same 452cc single-cylinder ‘Sherpa’ engine debuted in the Himalayan, the Guerrilla is an A2 licence compatible roadster in the style of Triumph’s best-selling Speed 400 and the Honda CL500. The new Enfield is priced competitively alongside the Triumph in particular, with three spec levels announced and priced between £4850 and £5050 at launch. The £4850 version, dubbed Analogue, has a simple ‘Smoke Silver’ colour scheme and an analogue speedometer (with LCD inset) as seen on other Royal Enfield models, while the other lines, named ‘Dash’ and ‘Flash’ have fancier paint schemes and a TFT readout set into the same style of large round instrument binnacle.
The Guerrilla sits above the less powerful and more classically styled HNTR 350 as Royal Enfield’s roadster offering, and while it retains a traditional layout, the design is more adventurous. Power is more or less doubled, with just under 40bhp at the rider’s disposal, and the ride-by-wire throttle system facilitates two riding modes, with different power delivery in the ‘Performance’ and ‘Eco’ settings.
The chassis appears to be typical Royal Enfield, with basic componentry designed to stand up to the rough and tumble of its home roads in India. It’s a fairly stripped back design, with an 11-litre fuel tank, LED headlamps and a one-piece stepped bench seat. Wheels are 17” cast alloy front and rear, classic roadster dimensions, with ergonomics which should err a little on the sporting side – not unlike the Speed 400! There’s also a full range of official accessories to go with the new model, with practical luggage options and a host of flat track inspired cosmetic parts developed to allow riders to modify and personalise their Guerrilla.
The Guerrilla take the total number of models in the Royal Enfield range to 14 – a staggering line-up for a company which, not so long ago, could boast the ancient Bullet as its only offering.
Sales of small capacity motorcycles, and Royal Enfields in particular, have been strong in recent years and we can expect the Guerrilla to continue this trend. Fancy having one in your garage? They should be landing in our dealerships from August.
