It's hard not to appreciate what Royal Enfield has done in recent years. The brand's lineup has steadily grown to include a range of characterful, fun bikes ranging from 350cc to 650cc.
Until recently, they'd mainly been air-cooled singles and parallel twins. But then came the introduction of the Himalayan 450, and its all-new, liquid-cooled (!) single. Modern motorcycle development being what it is, Enfield was also very up front about its plans to expand this new engine into a new platform, upon which additional bikes would be based. After all, it worked for the 650cc parallel twin—which, let's not forget, spawned the INT650, Continental GT 650, Super Meteor 650, Shotgun 650, and of course, the newest kid on the block, the Bear 650.
It also worked for the 350cc single platform and the OG Himalayan 411cc platform.
But the new 452cc liquid-cooled single marks brave new territory for Enfield—and the new 2026 Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is yet another few steps into modernity for a vaunted purveyor of bikes that hasn't previously been known for its tech-forwardness.
The Guerrilla 450 takes the brand's core values and adds a little extra sprinkling of modern seasoning. Modern suspension and brakes, really cool dash unit, and styling that doesn't look like it's paying homage to the first half of the 20th century. It doesn't want to be boxed in, and it's very clear about those intentions.
The Guerrilla 450's Design Process
Listening to Royal Enfield lead concept engineer Ed Cobb's telling of the story about how the Guerrilla 450 came to be was fascinating. The idea, he said, started as a tiny germ way back in 2018. Enfield wanted to do some things that seemed kind of crazy and unheard-of for the company, including adding a linkage-type rear shock so they could keep the seat height as accessible to as wide a range of riders as possible. And wait, I'm sorry, but an engine as a stressed member design? Say what?!
At the time, it was like nothing else in Enfield's lineup. And honestly, even now, that's still the case. It may share an engine with the Himalayan 450, but in its particular combination of elements, it's an outlier. That's probably why the brand is concentrating on using the word "uncommon" to describe it in its marketing materials. But just because it's in the marketing materials doesn't mean that it's wrong, or that it's automatically an overstatement.
Like all other modern Enfields, the Guerrilla 450 was designed over a period of years, and clay models were used to help refine its lines. The resulting form is bolder, and more aggressive. This is a bike that's unapologetic about what it is and what it does. It wants to go play. Both its look and its stance absolutely communicate that about it.
And once you mount up and switch it on, you'll quickly find that the promise hinted at by its looks aren't overselling it. Rather, they're preparing you for what's to come when you open the throttle.
A Big Step Forward
It's no secret that I've appreciated what Enfield has done over the past few years. I mean, it's a company that's been making good, solid, honest bikes that do exactly what you expect them to do. They're quirky, charming, and have a chill, classic vibe that I genuinely appreciate. And generally speaking, they offer great value for money. I've ridden most of the brand's lineup at this point, and I have yet to experience a bike of theirs in recent times that doesn't earn the description I've just shared.
But the Guerrilla 450 genuinely surprised me, in a very good way.
I'd been told by my colleague Enrico that I was probably going to love it, since I loved the Hunter 350 so much. Since he's based in the Philippines, he's had access to the Guerrilla 450 for much longer than we have over on my side of the pond, and he thought it was brilliant. But of course, I maintain a healthy amount of skepticism until I actually experience them for myself.
Let's start by stopping; or to put it another way, let's talk about the brakes. They're ByBre units, which is usually the case on Royal Enfield bikes. There's a 310mm rotor up front and a 270mm on in the rear, and the bite on both is very good and usable on the street. Someone from Enfield even suggested that they might be the best brakes on one of their bikes yet; while I can't say that for sure, I can say they did feel like the strongest ones that I've personally experienced on one of their bikes to date.
Still, I'd say that brake feel is generally good, because you'll want to be able to stop quickly with the torque curve this engine has. On paper, this little 452cc single makes a claimed 40 horsepower and 40 newton-meters (about 29.5 lb-ft) of torque. It might not sound like much, but the truth is that those numbers tell you absolutely nothing about how accessible that torque is, all throughout most of the rev range. The Guerrilla 450 is a bike that wants to GO. NOW.
I never thought I'd be telling you that there's a Royal Enfield where it's actually possible to find yourself suddenly going faster than you intended, with a big stupid grin on your face, and chanting "holy SHIT" over and over and over inside your helmet. And yet, here we are.
It's not a superbike, and it's not meant to be a superbike (but oh, is it fun). That's not what Enfield does, and that's not really what it wants to do, either. Instead, the brand is about getting power, fun, practicality, and value into the hands of any riders who want it.
Short riders. Tall riders. Small riders. Big riders. As many riders as possible, really, and that's all the more likely because they're generally priced to not break the bank.
The Ride Experience
I recently spent a day up in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin—the home of Royal Enfield's North American headquarters—taking the Guerrilla 450 through some genuinely nice, curvy roads and natural areas, as well as on the freeway. Because yes, that's right, this little 450 is absolutely happy to hop on the highway with aplomb, even if that highway has a posted 70 mph speed limit and many of the people driving it are actually going faster.
As I've noted before, I'm a short rider with short legs, which doesn't always make for the easiest time if you're also into motorcycles. I stand at 5'3" and have a 27-inch inseam. The stock Guerrilla 450 has a seat height of 780mm (about 30.7 inches), but the standover is quite narrow. The suspension on this bike has preload adjustability on that rear shock, which I haven't played with yet, but as it came from Enfield, it still works just fine for my stature.
In fact, the ergonomics are pretty great for me.
The clutch and front brake levers are flat-fronted; something I also genuinely love about the Hunter 350 that I've been riding for a few months. The Sherpa engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox, and both up and downshifting are extremely easy and smooth thanks to its assist and slipper clutch (another concession to modernity, but a welcome one). So, if you get stuck in traffic, there's absolutely no need to worry.
The stock saddle is quite comfortable for me, and some of the taller riders in my group also said that they found the bike to be quite comfortable for the riding we did. Others did have some complaints and were standing up a bit to stretch themselves out because they felt a bit cramped. Every rider is different, so your mileage may vary in your own experience of this bike.
Enfield offers a couple of accessory seat options if you don't like the stock unit. While I briefly sat on the Urban saddle, and it did visually appear to be more dished out (and possibly a little lower) than the stock saddle, I can't say that it really felt much different. However, since I didn't actually ride with that saddle, I can't speak to its riding qualities.
Royal Enfield outfitted the Guerrilla 450 with its new Tripper Dash, which is a single-pod display unit (unlike the previous-gen Tripper Navigation that added a smaller side-pod to the dash, so you had one slightly bigger round unit displaying RPM and speed and your clock, and a secondary tiny unit that displayed navigation if you connected your phone via Bluetooth. To truly bring it into the 21st century, the Guerrilla 450 also has a USB-C port on the dash, so you can keep your phone (or other device) charged as you ride.
It's a ride-by-wire system, and it has two ride modes: Performance and Eco. In the US market, both keep the ABS switched on, but I didn't find it to be intrusive at any point, even when we did briefly ride on some rain-slicked roads after a thunderstorm big enough to warrant a severe weather alert pounded the area while we were stopped for lunch.
This is an engine and a riding experience to put a grin on your face, because the power is just so accessible. It's not an outright hooligan bike experience, but it's a lot closer to it than you might necessarily expect from Enfield. All in all, it's just a pure joy to ride. And if you find yourself needing to get out of a hairy situation on the road, the mere fact of that power accessibility will give you the confidence to just twist the throttle and power away.
That's what truly separates this from the 350s. And, if I'm honest, the gearing also feels a bit more responsive to me than the 650s, as well. On paper, the 650 parallel twin is still more powerful, but I simply can't overstate the usability of the torque on the Guerrilla 450. People make the mistake of thinking horsepower and displacement are all that matter, but without accessible torque, you're gonna need to change your name to Peat, you'll be bogging so much.
The magic of the Guerrilla 450 is that this engine provides power where you need it and when you want it. Enrico told me that this bike is like the Hunter 350 on steroids, and he wasn't wrong. In fact, I've since heard a lot of people describe this bike that way, and guess what? They're also not wrong.
That's exactly what this bike is. If the Hunter 350 is a friendly, charming, quirky, adorable guinea pig, then the Guerrilla 450 is absolutely a capybara. It's a bit bigger, and a bit badder, but it's nonetheless a friend to all the riders, just as the world's largest rodent is a friend to all the animals.
Colors, Pricing (including an answer to that dreaded tariffs question), and Availability
In North America, the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 comes in three colorways: Brava Blue (my favorite in person), Smoke Silver (the one I rode), and Playa Black (the sort of retro-y paint scheme; the metal flake in the black part of the paint is much more visible in the sun in person than in photos).
If you're interested in buying one, pricing starts at an eminently reasonable MSRP of US $5,299 for any color you like. A full range of accessories is available, and this bike went on sale through the brand's dealership network in North America as of August 21, 2025.
I asked Royal Enfield North America about the potential impact of tariffs on its pricing plans and was told that there will be no tariff surcharge. The price they've announced is the price. Why? Because "in a challenged market, value brands win," Royal Enfield Head of the Americas Ross Clifford told us.
With the sheer amount of fun and surprising capability this bike provides, at the price that it's offered at, it's difficult to disagree. But we won't know for sure until we see how riders take to it, will we?
If you have a chance to take one for a test ride, I'd definitely recommend it. Whether you've ridden other modern Enfields before, or you've never thrown a leg over, I think you'll be in for a treat, regardless. You might think you know what Royal Enfield is about; I know I did. I mean, I've ridden almost all of its current lineup; why wouldn't I feel like I knew the brand well?
The Guerrilla 450 is an intriguingly different animal, altogether. I can't wait to spend more time riding the one that I'm borrowing, and I'll definitely be telling you all about down the line. Stay tuned for both more written pieces, social media, and videos to come. And follow us in all the places if you haven't already, so you can keep up with it all!
If you have any questions you'd like answered about the Guerrilla 450, leave them in the comments below and I'll do my best to answer them!
