Packing touring and off-roading hardware, Himalayan 450 proves more versatility, but Guerrilla 450 strikes ease of use for daily rides
Ever since the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 was launched in India, this motorcycle has attracted a lot interest. Many buyers may be confused about choosing this or its bigger and more expensive brother, Himalayan 450. Off-roading or everyday rideability? Which will be a better fit in the on-bike garage theory? Let’s take a look.
Guerrilla 450 Or Himalayan 450?
For many, motorcycles are much more than just a means of transport. They find a soul in these machines. One that reflects their character and personality. Generally, motorcyclists dream of a one-bike garage. One bike for all purposes. One bike that fills all needs and gaps. The one bike that does it all.
Royal Enfield’s Guerrilla 450 is a good candidate for this approach. Base model costs Rs 2.39 lakh (Ex-sh) and goes till Rs 2.54 lakh (Ex-sh) for top-spec model. Owing to its Roadster genre, it has a minimal design and weighs 185 kg. While Himalayan 450 weighs 196 kg, making it 11 kg heavier. Guerrilla 450 has a smaller 11L fuel tank as opposed to Himalayan’s 17L, which saves around 5kg in weight (1L Petrol = 775g).
But we get all the added extras with Himalayan 450 that makes it a mighty tourer and a versatile off-roader. Guerrilla 450 base variant is Rs 46,000 cheaper than Himalayan 450’s base variant. It has to be noted that Himalayan 450 offers RE’s Tripper Dash as standard, something which is only available with top-spec variants of Guerrilla 450.
How different are they?
Guerrilla 450 is a lot easier to handle and manoeuvre in the city owing to its compact dimensions. For context, Himalayan 450 measures 2,245 mm long, 852 mm wide, 1,316 mm tall and has a 1,510 mm long wheelbase. Guerrilla 450 measures 2,090 mm long, 833 mm wide, 1,125 mm tall and has a 1,440 mm long wheelbase.
Himalayan 450’s seat height is 825 mm and can be adjusted to 845 mm, while Guerrilla 450’s seat height is a lot more accessible at 780 mm. Himalayan 450 has a higher ground clearance of 230 mm and Guerrilla’s is at 169 mm. While Guerrilla 450 will emerge as the easier and sportier motorcycle to ride, Himalayan 450 positions itself as a better tourer and off-roader.
Roadster or ADV Tourer?
For the one-bike garage theory, neither Guerrilla 450 nor Himalayan are optimum recipients. Guerrilla 450 simply lacks Himalayan’s touring and off-roading capabilities. Whereas Himalayan 450 is too cumbersome to be an easy-going daily rider with its weight and stance. We wish there was a decent middle ground between Guerrilla 450 and Himalayan 450 that can bridge the gap.
A custom motorcycle approach could be a solution for that. Instead of buying a Himalayan 450 and then modifying it, customising a Guerrilla 450 into a Scrambler comes out to be a lot more logical. Longer travel suspension, dual-purpose off-road tyres, RE’s official windscreen and underbelly protection and a rear luggage rack might be enough to transform Guerrilla 450 into a Scrambler. It has been noted that Royal Enfield strongly recommends against modifications from third-party components.
Also read – Royal Enfield Scram 650 (Interceptor Bear 650) design patented
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
