Just a couple of days ago the launch of the new Guerrilla 450 was finally made official, including a new variant with a sportier design called commercially Apex. This, in turn, has become the target of some rumors about the possible arrival of new models to the Royal Enfield range, based precisely on this same platform with road tires.
Guerrilla 450 Apex: “a machine with two faces”
As confirmed at the time of the official presentation of this Guerrilla 450 Apex Yadvinder Singh GuleriaCommercial Director of Royal Enfield, we are facing a “machine with two flavors, so that customers can choose between upright ergonomics, prioritizing the street with a lot of power, or driving with greater grip.” A model that continues to be promoted by the well-known 452 cc Sherpa single-cylinder engine, offering 40 HP and 40 Nm.
In addition, and as a novelty in this 450 Apex variant, the Guerrilla includes a series of equipment elements as standard, as well as a specific approach with which to emphasize its road qualities. Noteworthy, for example, is its sportier driving position, thanks to including a lowered and repositioned aluminum handlebar with a more forward-inclined driving triangle.
For their part, the new 17″ Vredestein Centuro ST tires have a clear on-road focus, offering improved grip on wet and low-friction surfaces. It is also important to mention the updated driving modes that the 450 Apex has (Street and Sport), as well as a more defined visual and aesthetic identity. Altogether we are looking at a reconfigured version of the standard Guerrilla 450, with a clear orientation towards a more urban and better defined use.
Possible models based on this same platform
After the launch of this striking Guerrilla 450 Apex, several international media have raised the possibility that the brand is already working on several models around this same platform. All of them, in one way or another, have already been presented to society as a preparation or prototype.
They are also totally viable within the current Royal Enfield range. Starting with the extreme FT450, shown in public for the first time on the occasion of Motoverse 2024. Developed on the basis of the Guerrilla 450, it was designed for the practice of Flat Track at the highest level. A more civilized street version cannot be ruled out, although maintaining some of the main elements that characterized the initial prototype at the time.
Likewise, we must remember the GRR 450 Supermono, the work of XTR Pepo, commissioned directly by Royal Enfield. This makes us think about the possibility of a sports car with a neo-retro image powered by the same Sherpa engine as the Guerrilla 450. In fact, the name chosen by the Spanish specialist is the result of having adopted the acronym with which Royal Enfield calls the Guerrilla in its internal code “GRR”.
Finally we would have the possibility of a frame in the image and likeness of the spectacular SM450 Urban Guerrilla. Presented at the last Bike Shed Moto Show in London and the work of the specialist Sticky’s Speed Shop in collaboration with the illustration genius Ryan Roadkill, we are facing one of the most interesting options that could reach the Royal Enfield range in the future.
For its development, the brand could even make use of some parts of the Himalayan 450. For example, the long-travel suspension team. In any case, like the rest of the models, the Sherpa engine of the Guerrilla 450 would become the main element of the set.
But as we say this, for now, they are just assumptions, although they are not far from becoming a reality.
