Long-term report: Seeking out the sun with the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450

Royal Enfield appears to be on a bit of a roll of late. Having carved out a niche for low-cost but good-fun motorcycles, it is now producing new models thick and fast and one of the latest to arrive on the scene in the UK is the Guerrilla 450.

It’s a roadster-style motorcycle which shares an engine – called ‘Sherpa’ – with the latest Himalayan adventure bike. But whereas the ‘Himmy’ is all about off-road, the Guerrilla is designed to focus a little more towards on-road adventures or ‘real world riding’, as Enfield puts it.

And, courtesy of a £4,850 starting price, it’s one of the most budget-friendly motorbikes around today. To see whether that cost is justified – positively or negatively – I’ve been testing one out for a few weeks now and I’ll be hanging onto it over the next couple of months, too.

The start of the winter riding season has been incredibly mild so I’ve been able to get some good distances under the Enfield’s wheels and there are some noticeable improvements over some of the brand’s other motorcycles. Compared with the older Scram 411 – which you could see as this bike’s predecessor – the Guerrilla shows a marked improvement in refinement and flexibility. The new single-cylinder engine is an absolute peach; there’s more than enough power on tap to make overtaking easy, yet it’s still managing to deliver upwards of 70mpg on a long run. I’ve been finding that the viable range of the bike is about 120 miles, but that’s pretty decent for a motorcycle like this.

Naturally, with its naked design, it doesn’t offer what you’d call the last word in weather protection. I’ve seen that Enfield offers an optional screen for the Guerrilla and I reckon that could make a big difference, particularly on those longer motorway slogs. But a big help during these higher-speed riding sessions is the addition of a sixth gear, which was something painfully lacking in the older Scram. It allows the bike to settle down to a cruise and make bigger journeys far less painful – though there’s still a certain amount of vibration through the motorcycle at greater speeds.

The handlebar-mounted display is great, too. Clear and fully digital, it’s easy to read even when it’s getting dusky, though the controls for it could be a little bit easier to use with gloves on. However, it’s simple to connect your phone to this display and, after you’ve done this, you can get turn-by-turn navigation instructions relayed directly to the dash. And speaking of gloves, it would be quite nice to have heated grips on the Guerrilla – but that really is a luxury.

So far, I’ve done about 500 miles on the Guerrilla and wherever I stop it has attracted attention. In a ‘Playa Black’ colourway it’s unashamedly retro and that seems to be a key talking point among passers-by. There are a number of other shades to choose from – including the jazzy ‘Gold Dip’, but this might be my favourite of the lot. I’d only go one stage further and paint the wheels bronze – but do you think this might be too much? I’m not so sure.

I got a good look around a number of other Guerrilla bikes at the recent Motorcycle Live event and the only fly in the ointment appears to be the arrival of the smart-looking Bear 650, which has a larger engine and the same sense of style. But it’s all within the Royal Enfield range, which does go to show the diversity available from the brand.

The general finish has come on leaps and bounds, too. Welds, bolts and the paint application are all excellent and well above what you’d expect from a bike at this price point. As with anything Royal Enfield there are loads of accessories to tweak the styling of the Guerrilla to your taste, too; there’s a cool-looking headlight grille, a black-paint instrument cowl and bar-end mirrors are just three highlights in an expansive range of features.

I’m excited to see what the next few weeks have in store for this plucky Enfield. It’s already a standout bike in what has been a busy year of riding, so I’m keen to get out on it whenever I can – I’ve just got my fingers crossed that the weather stays pleasant.