Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450: Competition Check

Royal Enfield, the world’s largest mid-size motorcycle manufacturer, has decided to strengthen its grip over the 400-450 cc segment with the launch of the Guerrilla 450. The two-wheeler company has gate-crashed the roadster party and we take a look at what are the other options at this price range. We pit the Guerrilla 450 against its two direct rivals, the Triumph Speed 400 and the Harley-Davidson X440. 

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 vs Competition: Engine Specs

Out of the three motorcycles in our list, the Royal Enfield Roadster has the largest engine capacity with 452 cc, while the Speed 400 gets 398 cc and the Harley a 440 cc. Both the Guerilla and the Speed are liquid cool while the X440 is an air-oil cooled powertrain. The Guerrilla’s Sherpa engine produces 39.4 bhp and 40 Nm, the Speed 39.5 bhp and 37.5 Nm and the H-D has the lowest output of 27 bhp with 38 Nm. All three motorcycles come mated to a 6-speed gearbox but the Guerrilla and X440 get slip and assist clutch while the Speed has a torque-assist clutch. Guerrilla is the only motorcycle that gets two ride modes — Performance and Eco.

The Hero Maverick 440, based on the X440, is another option to consider. It offers the same performance as the Harley, though it has 2 Nm less torque.

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 vs Competition: Hardware

The Guerrilla gets the standard telescopic front forks with 140 mm travel while the Speed and the X440 are equipped with 43 mm USD forks. Both the Royal Enfield and the Triumph motorcycles come with rear monoshock while the X440 has adjustable twin shocks. Moving on to the brakes, the Guerrilla 450 has a 310 mm front disc and 270 mm at the rear, the Speed comes with a 300 mm front brake and a 230 mm at the rear and the X440 has a 320 mm disc in front and 240 mm disc brake at the back. All three motorcycles have dual-channel ABS.  

Based on the wheelbase, the Guerrilla is the longest measuring 1,440 mm while the Speed and the X440 are 1,377 mm and 1,418 mm respectively. The most accessible in terms of seat height is the Royal Enfield roadster with 780 mm followed by the Speed’s 790 mm and the X440 is the tallest at 805 mm. 

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 vs Competition: Features

The new kid on the block, the Guerrilla’s top variant comes packed with smart features like a 4-inch digital TFT display with a navigation system based on Google Maps, Bluetooth connectivity like music control, weather forecasts and vital vehicle information. 

The top model X440 has a 3.5-inch TFT display which can be synced to the mobile phone. Like the Guerrilla, the Harley also receives calls and message alerts, turn-by-turn navigation and music control. The Speed, on the other hand, sticks to bare basics and doesn’t offer any additional smart features. 

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 vs Competition: Price

Royal Enfield launched the Guerrilla starting from Rs 2.39 lakh, introductory price. It is available in three variants — Analogue, Dash and Flash. The Harley-Davidson X440 also comes in three trims — Denim, Vivid and S and costs from Rs 2.39 lakh, ex-showroom. In the case of the Speed 400, there’s only a single variant and is available at Rs 2.24 lakh, ex-showroom.