Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 launch will give the company a meaty roadster in the very fast moving 2-2.5 Lakh price segment..
Royal Enfield has had a brilliant run with its Hunter 350 – the roadster version of the 350 platform. In a short span of time, it has become one of the largest selling motorcycle model for the company. Apart from a very aggressive price tag, what has worked for the Hunter is its minimalist design and relative ease of ride.
Royal Enfield is working on a similar recipe in the slightly upper range with a completely new model. There has been a roadster based on the 450 platform that the company has been testing for the last many months. According to a speculative report from Autocar, this Roadster 450 will be labeled as Guerrilla 450 and will be launched within this year – more specifically between July to September 2024.
The Guerrilla 450 could have easily lived with the Hunter 450 tag but that is clearly not a wise strategy and hence RE will bring it as a different model. It will be based on the 450 platform that currently spawns the brilliant Himalayan 450. Hence, expect the same 450cc, single cylinder motor – most probably with similar 40 PS and 40 Nm specs, albeit with a different tuning to suit the roadster characteristics of the motorcycle.
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According to the spy pics that have surfaced so far, expect various differences with the Himalayan like the Guerrilla 450 will come with telescopic shock absorbers at the front; it will most probably have 17 inch tyres both at the front as well as the rear, etc.
Autocar predicts a price tag of somewhere around Rs 2.40-2.50 Lakh for the 450cc roadster, however, I believe it may be even more aggressive – and be somewhere around that Rs 2.20-2.30 Lac mark – which would make it a direct rival against the Speed 400. However, a lot will also depend on how much kit RE loads the Guerrilla with. Interesting times ahead for roadster fans…