Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex Performance Tested and Explained

An outdoor tracking image of the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex is the sportier variant of the Guerrilla, and has more road-focused tyres, a lower and more forward-set handlebar, a fly-screen and a pillion seat cowl. It shares the 452cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder Sherpa engine with the Himalayan 450, which produces 40hp and 40Nm of torque. We put it through our instrumented performance tests and here’s how it fared.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450: Acceleration

The test was conducted on dry roads

Acceleration	Time (seconds)
0-60kph	2.85s
0-80kph	4.36s
0-100kph	6.34s

The 452cc Sherpa engine is torquey in nature, as 90 percent of the torque is available from as low as 3,000rpm. The engine’s strong low-end torque is highly effective for both city riding and highway cruising, minimizing the need of gear changes during quick overtakes. The bike accelerates to 100kph in a brisk 6.34 seconds, which is quite impressive considering its 185kg kerb weight. This bike can be ridden at steady paces or enthusiastically, as the engine is capable of delivering on both fronts.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex: Roll-on acceleration

It pulls quite cleanly no matter which gear you are in

Roll-on acceleration	Time (seconds)
20-50kph (2nd gear)	1.98s
30-70kph (3rd gear)	2.78s
50-80kph (4th gear)	3.38s

The torquey nature of the engine pays even bigger dividends in our roll-on acceleration test, as the 40Nm of peak torque is available from a low 5,500rpm, as it only took 3.38 seconds to go from 50-80kph. The wide spread of torque helps the bike feel engaging in the city as well as effortless on the highway.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex: Braking

It has good brakes, inspires confidence at higher speeds

60-0kph Braking Test	Distance (metres)
60-0kph	15.73m

The Guerrilla 450 Apex offered good braking performance, and in our tests, it took only 15.73 metres to come to a stop from 60kph. This is quite impressive as the bike is on the heavier side, especially in its class, weighing 185kg.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex: Specifications and price

Prices start from Rs 2.51 lakh and go up to Rs 2.74 lakh

Engine	452cc, single-cyl, liquid-cooled
Power	40hp at 8,000rpm
Torque	40Nm at 5,500rpm
Gearbox	6-speed
Fuel capacity	11 Litres
Kerb weight	185kg
Seat height	780mm
Brakes (F/R)	310mm disc / 270mm disc
Tyres (F/R)	120/70 R17 / 160/60 R17

The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is available in three variants: Apex, Dash and Flash. For those after a sportier experience, the Apex stands out with its more committed ergonomics and grippier Vredestein tyres. Mechanically, the Dash and Flash variants are identical; with price differences coming down only to paint schemes. Across the board, the Guerrilla 450 remains a punchy, engaging roadster which is priced quite well even after 40 percent GST being imposed upon it.
All prices are ex-showroom, Chennai.