A decade or so ago, I would’ve shrugged off Royal Enfield without a second thought. The bikes felt dated, the tech was old-school (and not in a good way), and there wasn’t much that appealed to riders looking for anything beyond mellow Sunday cruising.
But then something changed. Slowly but surely, RE started expanding its lineup—first with modern classics that were simple and honest, and then with bikes that started to feel, well, fun. Not just charming or nostalgic, but genuinely engaging to ride.
Fast forward to today, and it’s clear Royal Enfield has figured out its groove. They’re not chasing lap times or spec sheet supremacy, but they are building bikes that hit that sweet spot: simple, capable, and surprisingly refined. The Sherpa 450 engine, which debuted on the Himalayan 450, is a perfect example. It’s liquid-cooled, high-revving, and just the right amount of wild. It gave the Himalayan a new lease on life—and then it gave birth to something equally exciting: the Guerrilla 450.
Now personally, I think the Guerrilla 450 is one of the best small-displacement street bikes out there today. It’s light, zippy, and agile—basically the most un-Royal Enfield Royal Enfield I’ve ever ridden, and I mean that in the best way possible. It takes everything RE’s been building toward and cranks the fun factor way up.
And now, we get the FT450.
Built for Royal Enfield’s Slide School program in partnership with flat track legends like Gary Birtwistle, the FT450 is a purpose-built tracker designed to be thrashed around dirt ovals. It shares its core with the Guerrilla 450—same punchy Sherpa engine, similar stripped-down frame—but adds 18-inch wheels, track-specific ergonomics, a tuned exhaust, and revised suspension.
It’s not road-legal, but it’s very real, and hundreds of Slide School students are already learning to slide on it.
That’s right, even you can experience this bike for yourself. All you have to do is sign up for the Royal Enfield Slide School training program. Not only will you get to swing a leg over a flat-track-prepped machine, you’ll also pick up some serious off-road skills in the process.
And here’s the thing: I can’t help but hope this isn’t just a one-off training tool. I (and I’m guessing a lot of other enthusiasts too) would love to see Royal Enfield take what it’s learned from the FT450 and spin it into a production scrambler—something a little rowdier than the Bear 650, a little more dirt-focused, and squarely aimed at rivals like the Triumph Scrambler 400 X or the Fantic Caballero 500.
In the meantime, however, the Guerrilla 450 is already an extremely fun and capable motorcycle out of the box. And given how easy Royal Enfields are to customize, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone out there is already working on a flat-track build on one of these rowdy machines.
Sources: Royal Enfield Slide School, MCN
