It was a hot, seedy day in Southwestern Ontario. I was yoinking my Yamaha R3, Baby Shark, into a sprinter van for a Grattan track day, rocking it along my friend’s ramp while fumbling about for my buzzing phone, which had been largely ignored until the incessant chaos in my back pocket couldn’t be denied.
Checking a hand-sized screen mid-ramp turned out to be worth the while; the missed call was registered to a “Josh Segal,” a member of Punch PR’s team and a previous contact connected to Royal Enfield. Hand on Baby Shark, still mid-ramp, I swatted at the missed call button and was rewarded with obligatory niceties and the following opportunity:
“Hey, listen… would you like to come down to Milwaukee to ride Royal Enfield’s Guerilla 450?”
WOULD I? What a thought; mind you, my last experience of Royal Enfield’s bikes was back in the latter half of 2023 when I was flown down to Texas to give the Super Meteor 650 a spin. That core memory remained a flurry of dusty highways, carefree vibes, and dipping around on a smooth, insanely congenial cruiser with a list of available accessories long enough to shine my shoes and sweep the ground within a three-foot radius. I hadn’t really tried anything from this company since then, but Josh’s two descriptives ripped across my pre-frontal cortex with an undeniable angle:
- Roadster.
- Fun.
I’d have all day on the thing, and Royal Enfield was being an absolute gem about the room and board perks, so with a grin and jostling Baby Shark against my hip, I said the only thing that made sense in the moment:
“HELL yes.”
How It Started
Grattan came and went in a blur of new memories as I prepared to get my caboose to Wisconsin. I didn’t know much about the Guerilla beyond what Josh told me, but this was going to be the very first time I tried Royal Enfield’s 450 Sherpa engine – a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder unit purported to be capable of a modest but reasonable 39.45 horsepower and around 29.50 lb-ft of torque.
The day came; I landed Sunday evening alongside a number of familiar and unfamiliar faces. After a series of introductions and back-slapping, we were each ushered to our rooms at the Kimpton Journeyman Hotel to wash off the aviation fumes before walking around the corner of the block to Royal Enfield’s event space.
The rest of the evening unfolded with all of my favorites: A view of the Guerilla 450, the bike to be ridden the next day, rolled up alongside members of Royal Enfield’s core team, including the Lead Concept Engineer who I later understood was at least partially responsible for a very naughty torque curve in second gear.
With the evening’s talks, a few facts were set as a reminder of Royal Enfield’s insane growth:
- Royal Enfield is the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in continuous production.
- Back in 2015, Roal Enfield beat Harley-Davidson’s record of 200,000 motorcycles; this year, the company is celebrating the sale of 1 million units to date.
- If we consider the mid-sized motorcycle market to be anything 250cc’s and up, Royal Enfield is by far the number one brand to contribute to that space.
Of course, Royal Enfield’s Head of Marketing for the Americas region was present with a bit of sentimentality, I was 100% behind:
– Nathan, Head of Marketing for the Americas region |
Nathan was to join us for the next day’s ride, alongside engineer Ed Cobb and Ross Clifford, who contributed his own perspective as Royal Enfield’s Business Head for the Americas region:
– Ross Clifford, Business Head – Americas, Royal Enfield |
Some additional superlatives and neat facts about the Guerilla, and we were released to nurse our bevvy of choice while embossing our very own hat merch while admiring River’s regimental line of Guerilla 450s in Brava Blue, Playa Black and Smoke Silver. Rides were set to commence the following day at 9:00am sharp, with multiple opportunities to zing the thing around Wisconsin’s kettle ring scenic route.
Ride Day
The next day, we were given the option to claim our preferred machine of choice; I had my sights set on a Playa Black model, which came with a single stand and the Guerilla’s list of base-level perks:
- 6-speed gearbox with assist and slip clutch
- Upright ergonomics complete with a low seat and mid-set footpegs
- 56.7” wheelbase
- Digital dash complete with Tripper Dash and integrated Google Maps
- Performance and Eco ride modes
- 17” front and rear tubeless tyres
A quick holler about not yoinking too hard into the sunset, and we were off – and by off, I mean that all fifteen of us slid into first gear, pulled into traffic, slapped into second gear, and had alternating percentages of a coming-to-Jesus moment where Ed’s chuckled hints slammed into place:
One of these gears was not like the other, and boy, were we having fun with it; in plain speak, Royal Enfield’s fun little gearbox surprise was wreaking all kinds of happy havoc in the ranks. Seasoned riders ahead of me could be seen wobbling about while getting a feel for the thing, while others had a temporary leg out in glee as hands began to twist, snap, and flick through the Guerilla’s dash offerings. In the case of some, second gear was accepted with more than a grin, whereby “both wheels down” mantra quickly evolved to a “meh, two wheels optional, one mandatory” vibe, resulting in the happiest huddle of hooligans to traipse about Milwaukee’s motorways in many a moon.
By the first ten minutes, we were out of Milwaukee’s downtown embrace, flying along the topography’s freeway to try out paved twists in the countryside; here, we rolled about at a decent clip until reaching our first media checkpoint. Chatterbugs like myself proceeded to get a feel for how everyone liked the bike, with mixed answers coming in from all sides:
“It’s so fun!”
“YES! WTF was with that second gear, haha!”
“It’s fun, I’ll say that much.”
“Meh, I’ll take a superbike any day.”
I concurred to all but the last; the Guerilla’s second gear was, indeed, a naughty thing, and perfect for a modern roadster. It was here that the bike’s purpose in our current markets clicked for me. What better bike to release to the public than one designed for all the urban jungles could throw at us, with enough yank in the lower quarters to allow extra punch without over-compensating on the pricing or the age-old, typical, “I need a commuting + fun bike that’s fun but won’t scare me” demographic?
Sure, we had people trying out the Guerilla 450 who had tried WorldSBK offerings, and of course, this little roadster didn’t tickle their itch as thoroughly as would shaving one’s tonsure on the royal rounds of our country’s race grids – but that was okay. That wasn’t Royal Enfield’s intention with the Guerilla 450. Royal Enfield was choosing to manufacture quality bikes at a lower capacity (read: Sub-liter bike) to reach a wider audience, with strategic growth strategies to allow support of both their team and network, with residual efforts birthing more than a few addicting machines that played perfectly into their capacity categories.
I, for one, was thoroughly pleased with the company’s ethical movements surrounding this bike’s release, as well as the fact that we had this one for more than eight hours straight.
How Did the Bike Feel?
As for my opinion of the Guerilla 450, I had a series of comparisons I could make between my own R3, the Super Meteor 650, and the Guerilla 450:
- The Guerilla 450 was just as accessible as the Super Meteor 650 on either side of second gear, with the yoink-happy fun in the middle putting the Guerilla 450 squarely in a younger demographic category.
- If the Super Meteor 650 was a seasoned gentleman, the Guerilla 450 had a bit more hairmgel and a quirky personality that didn’t interfere too much with the thing’s social calendar.
- The Guerilla 450’s upright riding position was different from my own experience with the R3; I preferred leaning into corners, though my attempts at chicken strips on the twisties gave me a delighted sense that this bike was okay with more than the typical amount of lean, due in part to the bike’s thinner profile.
- Highways were smoother than anticipated and not too bad on this bike, though a bit more power on the upper end and a front fairing would have resolved that somewhat.
- Gas efficiency was quite good, considering we rode all day and the only riders needing a refill were the ones who had a bit more fun than the others (can you blame us?)
- The brakes were very nice and did exactly as intended.
- The transition from neutral to second gear was similar to my R3 – a bit more cantankerous if the clutch wasn’t fully engaged – an unhealthy habit I still occasionally indulge in my current years.
- I was addicted to the integrated Google Maps and the overall smoothness of the UI in RE’s digital dash!
All told, this was a great bike for the price point, and considering the wide range of demographics on the thing, I was hearing very positive feedback.
Back to the Ride
Anyways.
Lunch was a suite of complex carbs and a tipple or two in excellent company; the skies had chosen to bless us with a dry entry to the eatery, but we had some moto-mopping of saddles and obligatories upon exiting the establishment. Several media opportunities later, I had a final, parting event that evening with the company, providing the following takeaways:
- Royal Enfield really cared about their team, and their network was just as important for their people as it was for ours.
- At a stupidly accessible price point of $7,299, the Guerilla 450 was going to be an eye-catcher in its category and a magnificent contribution to the demographic at which Royal Enfield aimed.
- I was TOTALLY coming back for the next jaunt about the country in the name of Royal Enfield scoots, thoroughly hooked and ready for my next adventure.
Thanks, Guys.
Huge thanks goes out to members of the Royal Enfield and Punch PR crew; River, Nathan, Eric, Josh, it was fantastic working with you again, and I had a blast. Ed, Anna, it was wonderful to meet you; thank you for your contributions to this event, your roles really brought the experience up that extra notch. I will not easily forget the pristine vibes of the Guerilla 450 event.
Bravo, Brava, Bravissimo.