Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex Review - Refreshing, Unique, & Attention-grabbing Sub-500cc Roadster

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex - more sporty, more individualistic... more fun!

For a company so proud to embrace its legacy, the Guerrilla 450 comes across as something even more invigorating and distinctive than the Himalayan 450 - the motorcycle it’s based on. This whole platform is an entirely new direction from what Royal Enfield has traditionally built its reputation on. It’s a direction towards an exciting future.

This one you see in the pictures is the Guerrilla 450 Apex, the new version of the Guerrilla 450. Originally, the bike has had a Scrambler-like riding stance - upright with slightly rear-set footpegs - but the Apex model has some ergonomic and visual changes for a more committed riding experience.

It’s not a big list of updates but you can see them all over the motorcycle nonetheless.

So what changes in the Apex?

A tiny cowl at front provides a more complete look to the motorcycle, the handlebar is flat, low, and more towards the front, and removable rear seat cowl.

The handlebar is flat, it is low and more towards the front for a focused, sportier riding position (although the foot-pegs position is unchanged). There’s a tiny, body-coloured cowl right above the headlight which just about covers the console from the front. And I must say it adds a touch of completeness to the look of the motorcycle.

There is also a rear seat cowl (again body-coloured like the front one) for a more rider-centric appeal as well as enhanced sporty feeling. It is, of course, removable.

The tyres are completely road-biased on the Apex - they’re the Vredestein Centauro ST - with their profiles unchanged at 120/70 front and 160/60 rear.

Beyond this, the motorcycle remains the same. The good thing is, you can swap these parts on to the standard Guerrilla if you want. There are also now just two ride modes across the entire Guerrilla range - Sport and Street.

The riding experience on the Apex

Fun and involving. Stable and confident. Smooth handling. And a very capable 452cc single.

It needs to be said that Royal Enfield’s 650cc and the 450cc motorcycles are the best set of motorcycles they’ve ever made. Ever. And these are also some of the best motorcycles in their respective price brackets regardless of which country they’re selling in.

The Guerrilla Apex is amazing. Built originally on the Himalayan 450 platform, it showcases highly smooth and precise handling characteristics. Like the Himalayan, there isn’t a sign of nervousness from the chassis. It is stable and extremely responsive in the traffic and on long winding roads.

The 452cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve engine, lifted straight from the Himalayan, feels even better in the lighter Guerrilla (although at 185 kg, it is not light enough either). And the performance is brisk at any RPM and in all six gears.

The Guerrilla 450 Apex is sublime on such winding roads

One of the most noticeable things in the first ride itself is how well the gears are spaced. Each gear gets lots of breathing space and none is sluggish or lazy. Not even remotely. Each gear generates responsive and linear throttle response leading to intoxicating acceleration on busy city streets and even on our highways. The pace is extremely impressive and satisfying even if you consider the likes of the latest KTM 390 Duke (R and non-R models).

The Guerrilla will definitely not win the acceleration race against the 390 Duke R, but it can hold its own especially against the new 350cc 390 Duke.

Moreover, the Guerrilla’s bigger 452cc engine produces acceleration with such weight and punch that creates a sensation of a relentless force. It’s as if the engine is telling you, “I am effortless!” This feeling is so refreshing especially for a single cylinder in the sub-500cc category. It feels so different compared to the 390 Duke and that is such a good thing to be.

This particular part of the entire riding experience on the Guerrilla 450 is something that is missing from the 350cc Triumph motorcycles. I mean the Triumphs are pretty good too. The revised 350cc engine is nice, and it is smooth and capable.

Flexible engine, easy to live with in the city traffic, and eager to be quick and fast whenever you want it to be

I recently rode the updated Speed 400 and found it very enjoyable to ride everywhere. The bike is fast enough but the engine doesn’t really standout the way the Guerrilla’s engine does. Compared to the Guerrilla’s 452cc single, the Triumph 350cc engine feels a bit hollow. But this is while comparing the two, on its own, the Triumph’s engine has enough character thanks to its evident exhaust note.

The Guerrilla 450 Apex is imperfect in a way that it feels great

The Guerrilla 450 Apex has been carved out of another motorcycle for a more fun and an even more involving riding experience. It feels a bit like a custom-build effort. It’s a Himalayan that has been striped down and turned into a roadster.

And as one, the Guerrilla feels brilliant! It is more individualistic while the Himalayan is more generic. It is imperfect in a way that it feels great.

For example, some riders may feel that the stretch to the handlebar is tiny bit that much and that the handlebar itself is a bit too wide. But I like that it has a low seat height of only 780 mm - very approachable.

Rider ergonomics are sporty but comfortable. Flat, wide handlebar is perfect for the attitude this motorcycle conveys. And it looks gorgeous drenched in rain!

The Guerrilla 450 Apex’s more forward-leaning riding position makes you more focused naturally. If the Apex’s flat handlebar was a clip-on bar, the bike would have been a proper modern-retro caferacer without changing literally anything else in it. This motorcycle is that impactful at a personal level! I am not sure if Royal Enfield intended it to be felt like this, but I’m sure they’ll be glad to know that it does.

Riding the Guerrilla is never a boring affair. Due to the well-spaced gearing as well as good fueling, the Guerrilla can be ridden and enjoyed easily at lower engine speeds. The engine is flexible enough that it doesn’t force the rider into upshifting or downshifting to be felt comfortable. Depending on traffic, you can hold on to an appropriate gear long enough. It is an easy motorcycle to ride away.

Took a break from riding it. Parked it near a food tuck and got this beautiful shot. It was a very nice evening.

The engine and the gearbox are so well-tuned and in-sync that the high speeds are welcomed. And it’s another thing anyone will love this motorcycle for. This might be the only single-cylinder under 500cc, other than the 390 Duke R, which loves proper triple-digit prolonged runs on the highways. And the braking, overall, inspires enough confidence to push the motorcycle hard.

The engine feels solid and dependable and I think I can say that it is proving itself very well on that front since it’s debut in the Himalayan 450.

Like the Duke, the Guerrilla 450 Apex is more than good enough to be your one motorcycle from its segment

When I rode the Himalayan 450 a couple of years ago, I said that it rides unlike any Royal Enfield before it. Its handling is precise without feeling clinically boring. In overall performance, it simply blows every other single cylinder RE to tiny little pieces. The same is true for the Guerrilla 450 as well.

The Guerrilla 450 is fun in a way that a Royal Enfield traditionally is not known to be. Here, I am excluding the Himalayan 450 and the entire 650cc lineup. So with these two platforms, Royal Enfield is exploring whole new horizons of performance, handling, and engaging riding. And they’re doing it quite brilliantly, I must say.

Together with the 650cc platform, Royal Enfield's 450cc motorcycles are spearheading a whole new generation of motorcycles

The moment the 650cc platform was originally revealed with the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650, Royal Enfield has since become a full-fledged global motorcycle player, catering to all major markets in the world like any other prominent global motorcycle manufacturer. Their growth has been unrivalled in the last decade.

The Guerrilla 450 is a good-looking motorcycle. Its long wheelbase and low seat height gives it a unique presence on the road. I also believe that the Guerrilla 450 has the most gorgeous tail-end of any motorcycle in its competition. This part is the same as the Himalayan as well.

Long and Low, and now with some more attitude at your disposal

The way the Himalayan 450 and the Guerrilla 450 (and the 650 platform) have turned out, there’s a new-found confidence and expectation from Royal Enfield that their future motorcycles should only get better.

For a company that thrives on nostalgia through its design and execution, the Guerrilla is as refreshing as it can get. The Apex just takes it a notch higher!