The Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex combines the Himalayan’s 452cc Sherpa single with road-focused suspension, 17-inch wheels and straightforward electronics. Photos: Graham Bain
Pommie spent years turning down opportunities to ride a Royal Enfield, convinced the brand wasn’t his thing. But two weeks with the Guerrilla 450 Apex challenged those assumptions, revealing a surprisingly capable, entertaining and affordable roadster.
The Guerrilla proved far more capable through the corners than Pommie expected.
I can’t believe this is the first Royal Enfield I’ve ever ridden. To be fair, I’ve had plenty of opportunities, but I never thought they were my type of bike, so I’ve always turned them down. The thing is, Jeff has been saying how good they are for years and has even bought two of his own, while every owner I talk to seems to love them. So here we are, with a brand-new Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex that was launched earlier this year (read our launch report here) in my driveway for the next two weeks.
I’ve always had a soft spot for bikes that don’t take themselves too seriously and the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex certainly looks like it falls into that category. It’s not trying to be the biggest, fastest or most complicated bike in the class. Instead, it looks like Royal Enfield has concentrated on making a bike that is simple, usable and, most importantly, fun.
It’s not trying to be the biggest, fastest or most complicated bike in the class.
The looks of a bike are always subjective, so I’ll let the reader decide on that, but to my eye it looks trendy and the finish is pretty good, especially when you consider it costs only $8390 ride away and comes with three years of roadside assistance and warranty. Not bad.
Pushing the bike around, it’s a tad on the heavy side at 185kg, which for a single-cylinder 450 is a fair bit. But this is one of the compromises of a budget-priced bike, where you’re getting a steel frame and swingarm. On the upside, the bike is built like a tank and on the road it definitely has more of a big-bike feel than you might expect from a small 450.
The Guerrilla rolls on 17-inch wheels, with a chunky 160/60 Vredestein Centauro ST at the rear.
Slinging a leg over the bike, I’m greeted with a pretty wide and comfy seat and, at 780mm, it should make the bike attractive to the shorter-legged people among us. However, at 183cm, I’m not one of them. The seating position is pretty good and, with the wide alloy ’bars, it’s just forward enough to take some load off my back so I’m not totally upright. This helps avoid the shocks through the spine you can get from some more upright bikes.
You also get a nice 4in round TFT display with phone connectivity, full Google Maps navigation and media controls, along with a USB Type-C charging point. There are Street and Sport riding modes and a choice of two different dash displays.
At the heart of the Guerrilla is Royal Enfield’s tried-and-tested 452cc liquid-cooled Sherpa single, also found in the Himalayan.
At the heart of the Guerrilla is Royal Enfield’s tried-and-tested 452cc liquid-cooled Sherpa single, also found in the Himalayan. It produces 40hp (29.44kW) at 8000rpm and 40Nm of torque at 5500rpm. It has a six-speed gearbox, ride-by-wire throttle and a wet multi-plate slipper clutch. The engine is a proven unit, with around 125,000 examples sold worldwide. The tyres are Vredestein Centauro STs, in 120/70 R17 on the front and 160/60 R17 on the rear. I’m not familiar with them, but I rode the bike in both wet and dry conditions and they seem very good.
Wide ’bars and a relaxed riding position help make the Guerrilla an easy everyday proposition.
Firing up the Sherpa engine is a subdued affair, with that typical single-cylinder muffled rumble. I select first, engage the clutch and head off up the road. The clutch is cable-operated and relatively light. I did need to stop and adjust the cable, as it was engaging a bit too far out for my liking, and the levers aren’t adjustable for reach.
I could tell within a few hundred metres that I was going to like this bike. It was nothing like I thought it would be, and that’s a positive thing. It was way more agile than I expected, the engine felt strong and torquey and the suspension felt sportier than I was expecting, while still doing a good job of absorbing most of the bumps. Through traffic the bike is great. Lane splitting is easy and the mirrors give a reasonable view of what’s behind. They work pretty well, only getting blurry when the engine is pumping at full song.
The suspension felt sportier than I was expecting, while still doing a good job of absorbing most of the bumps.
On the freeway, the bike is happy to sit at 5500rpm at 110km/h and has plenty more to give, which was a pleasant surprise. Vibrations are minimal, too, which for a single-cylinder is a great bit of engineering work. Like I said before, the Guerrilla feels more like a bigger bike than a small single, so it would make a great affordable commuter.
The 40Nm single has enough midrange punch to make highway work surprisingly effortless.
Heading onto the country roads was another area where I thought the bike would struggle and, again, I was proved wrong. The bike is reasonably agile. In my mind, I thought something like this would be wallowy, have zero ground clearance and refuse to go around a corner. I’m glad to report all those misconceptions were untrue.
In fact, the SHOWA suspension has a sportier feel than I expected and, considering it’s only adjustable for preload at the rear, I think Royal Enfield has done a great job of setting this bike up. I’m not going to tell you it’s the fastest-steering or most agile bike on the market, but if you make the effort you can actually push it pretty hard through the twisties, as my mates on their sportsbikes found out, much to their and my amusement.
You can actually push it pretty hard through the twisties, as my mates on their sportsbikes found out.
When on its side the bike is pretty stable, no doubt helped by its weight. Flicking from side to side does require some rider input, but the wide ’bars help and I’m rewarded with a smile when doing so. I’m not going to say the engine will rip your arms out of their sockets when accelerating, but the torque is great and pushes the bike along in a spritely fashion. With that torque you can also be a bit lazier with your gear changes. The bike is way more fun than my naive expectations suggested it would be.
The Guerrilla remains composed when leant over, with 169mm of ground clearance to play with.
The brakes are adequate for the bike. You get a twin-piston caliper on the front grabbing a 310mm disc, while at the rear there’s a single-piston caliper with a 270mm disc, along with dual-channel ABS. ByBre is Brembo’s Indian subsidiary, so they do a very good job.
The gearbox is also great, with precise changes, and it’s very easy to find neutral when pulling up for a stop, which is always a good thing. The bike comes with two riding modes, but you do need to be stopped in order to cycle through them, which probably isn’t necessary. Road mode is super smooth in its throttle response, while Sport mode is a bit more aggressive.
The gearbox is also great, with precise changes, and it’s very easy to find neutral.
The only other fault I could find was the size of the indicator display on the dash. The rest of the dash is excellent, easy to read and laid out well, but having a tiny green arrow at the bottom meant I was often leaving the indicators on. But the more I rode the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex, the more I liked it. It has a big-bike feel, meaning I didn’t feel like I was sitting on a toy, and it was very comfy to ride.
The Guerrilla feels surprisingly at home at highway speeds for a 452cc single.
It’s super economical, too. If ridden sensibly, you will see 300km out of the 11-litre tank, which for a tight arse like me is always a bonus. More importantly, though, the bike is fun to ride. If you don’t believe me, take one out for a test ride on some fun roads and see for yourself.
Tech breakout
The Guerrilla Apex is powered by Royal Enfield’s 452cc liquid-cooled Sherpa single-cylinder engine. The DOHC, four-valve engine uses electronic fuel injection and produces 29.4kW at 8000rpm and 40Nm at 5500rpm. Power is sent through a six-speed gearbox, with an assist and slipper clutch helping smooth the shifting and reduce rear-wheel hop under aggressive downshifts.
With its light weight and sharper response, the 450 Apex makes really good commuting sense.
While the engine is unchanged from the standard Guerrilla 450, the Apex is focused on creating a more road-biased riding experience. Lower handlebars place the rider in a slightly more forward position, while the road-focused tyres are intended to improve grip and steering response on sealed roads.
The steel tube frame is unchanged, as is the suspension, with conventional forks up front and a rear monoshock with adjustable preload. Braking is handled by hydraulic disc brakes front and rear, with dual-channel ABS fitted as standard.
The Guerrilla’s compact dimensions and easy manners make plenty of sense in an urban setting.
The Apex also gains a sportier visual package, including revised bodywork, a rear seat cowl, colour-coded front cowl, rim tapes and exclusive Apex colour schemes. It retains the Tripper smart dash and full LED lighting package from the Guerrilla 450. The result is a motorcycle that keeps the everyday versatility of the standard Guerrilla, but adds a sharper look and a more focused feel for riders who want their 450 with a sportier edge.
At 2090mm long and 833mm wide, the Guerrilla keeps its footprint relatively compact.
2026 Royal Enfield Guerrilla Apex 450 Specifications
Price: From $8390 Ride Away (Apex Red and Apex Black)
Colours: Smoke Silver (+$200), Brava Blue (+$300), Apex Red and Apex Black.
Claimed Power: 29.44kW(40.2hp)@8000rpm
Claimed Torque: 40Nm@5500rpm
Wet Weight: 185kg
Claimed Fuel Consumption: 3.5L/100km
Claimed Fuel Range: 300km+
Fuel capacity: 11L
Engine: Liquid-cooled DOHC single-cylinder four-stroke, four-valve head, 84mm x 81.5mm bore x stroke, 452cc, 11.5:1 compression ratio, EFI with 42mm throttle-body, semi dry sump, wet multi-plate slipper clutch, six-speed gearbox
Chassis: Steel tubular frame and sub-frame, steel swingarm.
Rake: 21.8º Trail: 91mm
Suspension: SHOWA 43mm forks, 140mm travel (f), SHOWA monoshock, 150mm travel (r).
Brakes: Single semi-floating 310mm brake rotor, two-piston caliper (f), Single 270mm rotor, single-piston caliper (r). Dual Channel switchable ABS. Wheels & Tyres: 120/70 – 17 (f) 160/60 – 17 (r) Vredestein Centuro ST tyres.
Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 1440mm
Seat height: 780mm
Ground clearance: 169mm
Overall width: 833mm
Overall Length: 2090mm
Overall height: 1125mm (without mirrors)
Instruments & Equipment: Ride Modes, TFT dash with Tripper nav, ABS, LED lights, USB type C.
2026 Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex Gallery
Ratings | Bike Review | 2026 Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 Apex
Fun!
Pommie spent years turning down opportunities to ride a Royal Enfield, convinced the brand wasn’t his thing. But two weeks with the Guerrilla 450 Apex challenged those assumptions, revealing a surprisingly capable, entertaining and affordable roadster.
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