Light Weight, Enough Power, Perfect City Bike
It would appear that all motorcycle manufacturers claim to be aged and experienced. Some to be the longest in production, some the first to get started, others the first to get started in a particular region. There’s also the longest in business and more of the same. Royal Enfield is no different. The companies brand managers claim it to be the oldest motorcycle company in continuous production. They started out in the UK back in 1901.
They first moved to Madras in India in 1955. In 1994 they were bought by the automotive behemoth that is Eicher Motors. Thanks in no small way to the size of their domestic market, where they have 2,000 retailers, the company build and sell a staggering 750,000 motorcycles each year!
A Choice Of Colours and Specifications
A lot of this success is down to the simplicity of the machines that they design and build. Because they are so uncomplicated they’re easy to modify and make great two wheeled workhorses as much as they do classically styled bikes to be seen riding around a European city on. They supply their export market through a global network of 852 motorbike stores and do so across all continents.
Now the company have added to their range with a new 450 roadster called the ‘Guerrilla’.
Lauched in the 'Old Neighbourhood'
The new bike has been built on the well proven Sherpa 450 platform. It’s also powered by the latest 450 engine which it also shares with the Sherpa. The 452cc single-cylinder is a liquid-cooled 4-valve DOHC affair. It puts out a shade under 40 bhp as well as 40Nm of torque. The Guerrilla 450 also has a choice of either a ‘performance’ or an ‘eco’ mode. This is all delivered to the rear wheel via a six speed box. The tank has an 11 litre capacity. An LED headlight helps keep the weight down.
Brilliantly Finished
All of this sits in a simple steel twin spar tubular frame. Up front the 43mm forks work with the mono-shock at the rear. Both wheels are 17” and the wheelbase is short enough to offer a dynamic ride at 1440 mm.
On the higher spec machine there’s a Tripper Dash. This is a 4-inch TFT infotainment navigation, music control and comprehensive vehicle information piece that, along with pretty much every other new bike on the market, is married to the riders phone via an app.
Tasty Aftermarket Pieces
Royal Enfield owners have a long tradition of modifying and dressing their bike, particularly in their domestic market. Now the company offers a whole load of official accessories. There are a choice of luggage set ups, pairs of those cool bar end mirrors, engine guards, a instrument cowl in black and a tinted small screen to top it off with. The aftermarket seat is deeper and more comfortable than the standard one and the sump guard finishes the bikes looks to perfection. Then there’s the clothing. The traditional baseball hats and t-shirts are now added to with a new jacket called the Crossroader. That’s a ‘Crossroader’ and not a lifestyle choice that we associate with Tory MPs and what they do behind closed doors.
Beautifully Simple
Siddhartha Lal, the Managing Director of Eicher Motors said, “The Guerrilla 450 is our take on modern roasters, and we are super happy with how it has turned out. The motorcycle is mechanically characterful, super sophisticated, and combines performance, versatility and confidence-inspiring handling. It is built on the same platform as the Himalayan, but tuned to roadster performance that makes it feel excitingly different when you ride it. The Guerrilla really brings out what roadsters were always meant to do. It is super responsive and absolutely gorgeous to ride at everyday speeds, and equally delightful when revved through its paces on full-gas. The engine, the chassis, the riding position, and the superlative handling of the motorcycle all come together to truly make it much more than the sum of its parts”
The Guerrilla, along with the rest of the range, is available from BikeWorld in Dublin.