The biking world has come full circle! What we really need is an economical, lightweight, simple single cylinder machine. That's what the British motorcycle industry was providing for decades until we were seduced by the glamour of the twin and later multi cylinder bikes.
I didn’t notice. Single cylinder economical ｂike’s haven’t been around for decades. I’ve had a Kawasaki Estrella, a classic 250cc single and a Yamaha SR400, very simple and kick-start. Estrellas are still made by Kawasaki Indonesia but were made in Japan for at least fifteen years from ‘92. The SR was made ‘78 - ‘20. Then there were tons of other singles, the TW200, Suzuki Tempter 400, Honda SS400, all made and sold loads of them up to about 2010.
Amazing how in the 70s we were all riding around on 250's my mate bought a Honda CB450 black bomber we thought of it as a big bike. Now we look as it as a small bike.
Yes I remember riding a Honda C 50 to work & dreaming of owing a Honda 250 or 400 , they seemed like super bikes at the time . Now they are regarded as one step up from a moped , & 65O cc is now deemed a learners bike to take your test on .
powerful cars would have 80-120hp and now even city cars have 100hp. Things change but human reflexes keep the same or even worse with all the modern confort
I had a road test last Friday on the Guerilla and was blown away by it!! I'm quite critical but honestly couldn't fault it. If I was being hyper critical I found that the footrest got in the way when putting it on the centre stand, a very minor issue and of no concern. Long and short of it is I ordered one which is being delivered this Saturday, the only sad part is I'm having to swap my Halcyon Black Classic for it as I'm limited for space in the shed but I'm keeping my Meteor Aurora, must have an air cooled one lunger on the fleet!! Great review and I've yet to see a negative report on the Guerilla. It's got to be the best in class and will impact on both Interceptor and Himalayan sales I feel, particularly for those riders who aren't bothered about off road capability. 🙂👍
The playa black tank one looks great. Test rode a Himalayan yesterday and was very impressed. Didn't think I would like it as much as i did after reviews saying its vibey but what a bike
I really like these smaller engine bikes that are coming through. It reminds me of being a youngster on my de restricted RD125 that could be thrashed to around 90-95 on the clock! I recently tested the triumph 400 scrambler and it was huge fun, easily hitting decent speeds and a joy to throw around any sort of road. It’ll be interesting to see how this compares to that bike. I’m currently riding a 160bhp naked bike but honestly have fallen out of love with the power and the speed needed to make the bike feel like it’s doing what it’s made for. This is certainly on the list as my next purchase. Thanks for a great review!
I could get the RD 125 over a 100 a very long time ago when I was a lad never owned one I had cg 😂😂😂the ones I used to tune were for the lads at work ps they didn't last long till they seized but the boys at work didn't seem to mind 😂😂😂brilliant days❤
Morning Dave. It’s bloody brilliant isn’t it !!! I have noticed that your demo bike has a few accessories on it. The different seat looks very smart, as does the cowl between the speedo and headlight. When I went up the motorway at a steady 70mph (and beyond 😉), I didn’t feel any vibration, or tingling at all. It had been used on the Spanish launch, and thrashed from day one, so just a thought that they do smooth out with more miles. I am just trying to figure what body parts I don’t need, so I can sell them to buy one of these beauties 😂
It's a great looking bike Dave, I'm looking forward to getting a test ride, I prefer the Playa black or the Yellow ribbon colours myself, but that's the thing with Enfield you get a good range of colours for all tastes! Great review 👍 Cheers Mel 🍻
Great review ! , I test rode one on 4th Aug at a Royal Enfield City tour event , and like you found it to be a fantastic , Have a Brava Blue one on order !
Hi Dave, dont be afraid to tell us what you really, really think about the Guerrilla 450 😂😂😂. Thanks for a delightful review and journey. Now, if we could just get it in Canada…soon!
Good Morning Dave , Thanks for your in depth review on this bike , i have to say id already watched Ian Hughes video on the Guerrilla , i think yet again they have made another winner & from the price point whats not to like , so take care & ride safe
Good morning Dave. Great review 😊. Apparently, the "Eco" mode softens power delivery in the first three gears but is unintrusive otherwise. Another good reason for this to be ideal as a first "big" bike. There are a choice of seats available, the one you have there being a taller accessory seat. I think the standard seat provides the very accessible 780mm seat height.
Good coverage of bike nice one. There are three things that caught my eye about this bike that I like. The off centre fuel cap, The flat tank, And the rear lights that are altogether in the indicators really like that. Were you aware of them ?
Great review Dave, thanks for your efforts in detailing what the bikes all about. I agree that this is the best bike RE has produced to date, and will appeal to many. I’m now figuring out how it will look in the garage along side my SV 650.
I've been looking forward to this review Dave and I had the feeling you would really like it based on how you liked the new Himalayan. I think it looks great though I reckon some folk would like a spoked wheel version. It would be nice to have a carrier to strap your waterproofs or a tail bag to. I expect that will come soon enough. The price is great at five grand but I can't help wondering is £4,300 for the CFMOTO NK 450 twin a better buy. Good times! Cheers and thanks for the entertainment TC
This feels a lot like what Hunter 350 kinda should've been all along. But I'd be satisfied with 26-34 hp.. don't really need 40, but the 20 of the J-engine (350) is not really enough. So looking for that sweet spot of easy slow pace rides and enough oomph for motorway.
Really enjoyed this video, thanks for posting. Brilliant presentation style I have a Hunter 350 which I won't sell, but this is another "do it all" machine looks irresistible 😅.
Seems like it's quite similar to Triumphs new 400 range. If I didn't already own a Scrambler 400X, the RE Guerilla would definitely be interesting to me.
Thanks for the review and your thoughts. I'd agree thaat RE has reached a crossroad in their development. RE seems to have shown they understand motorcycling better than many other manufacturers, emphasising ease of use and serviceability, simplicity in design yet completeness in its ability to fulfil a range of riding styles. I wonder how long we will wait for a modernised 650? And lovely to see Universal road tyres fitted instead of pretend racing ones. Maybe RE might consider using a Gates belt drive in future models.
Love your bike reviews. I’m an older guy and thinking of returning to riding again. I’m liking the look of the extra grip that a Yamaha Niken GT offers with the extra front wheel. I also live in the North West so predominantly wet roads. I’d love to see you ride one and your thoughts.
Cracking Review Dave, makes me nervous to test ride this as i know i'll end up buying one 😂. Kieran told me the demo bike was imminent. Must resist 😄. Keep up the great work
What needs to be borne in mind with RE is build quality. In 5 years of ownership my one is so be badly corroded, with paint peeling on the engine and fork legs, that with 25k I'll be lucky to get £1k for it, if I can sell it at all. And then there were 2 almost catastrophic brake line ruptures, and a host of parts that needed replacement in the first 15k miles. My Yamaha 900 was ridden through 14 winters and there was very little corrosion, apart from consumables, few parts needed and it was totally reliable. Tldr, I'm now back on a Japanese twin.
Which model did you own? Had my Interceptor from new , June 2019, done 22k miles. Not an issue at all with the paint work. Had a couple of RR’s fail, replaced under warranty & that’s about it. Still think it’s brilliant.
@@martinowl Himalayan, ridden year round. At around 10k, steering head bearing and chain kaput. All sorts of parts quality failures / issues. The engine has real character, but the bike has had serial niggles that made me lose confidence.
I knew you would like this bike Dave .light agile punchy singe with sort of modern retro street styling a bit flat track. I watched some of the reviews from the launch in Spain and one jurno who tests very fast premium sports machines said that the this was one of the very best handling bikes bar non that he has tested ,I am so tempted a do it all bike with a big dollop of practicality. Well done Royal Enfield 👏
Cracking review and great video. I am seriously considering g one of these as a sibling to my 2024 Triumph Tiger Rally Pro. The only things I would change on the Gorilla are the girls to gold ones and the exhaust.
Have to say I really like this one TBW just from the visuals leave alone the reviews I have seen so far and if I hadn't just changed bikes to a newish twin this would be on my radar and maybe still is in the near future Royal Enfield have played a blinder with this one in my opinion both with colour schemes price and performance for that price .This just nocks spots of most of the others in this category with maybe the Triumph although I think this even edges it .Very impressed it's a winner for sure imo and I haven't ridden any of them .👌👍
Great review Dave and I'm glad you enjoyed the bike so much. It's also firmed up my intention to make this my next bike next springtime! I just need to decide between the basic silver/grey bike and the red/gold colourscheme... I stopped buying new bikes many years ago but this is so cheap I'll make an exception.
Had a test ride on one yesterday, I was surprised how small it is compared to the Himmy and it delivers the power more instantly . But personally I like the 450 Himalayan more.
I find it interesting to see Triumph and RE "fish in eachothers pond" more and more. A newborn rivalry? This one seems an obvious answer to Triumph's Speed 400. Same kind of vibe in the design, both a single delivering 40 BHP. Defenitely a possible purchase in the future for me, as a weekend-ride funbike ;)
With this apparent trend to fewer cylinders and no hyperexpensive plastic “jacket” fitted, I’ve a feeling that this trend to simplicity might well - be well advised keep going - EG to getting rid of more expensive OHC designs and give us back our OHV heads, and their easily adjusted tappets. With just two valves and easy access, half an hours’ twiddling could do it. If an injection system could be bluetooth linked to a smartphone app, then owners could also tweak their “carburation”. With a toothed belt in place of a transmission chain as was used on some Harleys even chain adjustment & lubing could be dispensed with. And thereby get rid of dealer dependency. Brakes were checked & adjusted as needful. New linings -or even new shoes - if the owner were £flush. Now - in MY day (cue whippet racing and black puddin’ for tea) we all did our own mechanicking, and even dealt with an occasional rebore/bottom end rebuild when the simpler oils of the period allowed bores to “hook” - mains and big ends to slacken off till they’d thump or grumble audibly. Few of us could be bothered to get the skills and tools to split a big single’s flywheel ass’y, I never did, but a knowledgable pal would “know a bloke…” who’d do it for a few pints and the certain knowledge that a return favour’d be remembered till wooden-overcoat time arrived… Eee bah goom, them were t’days Lad. And our singles were model 16 Ajays, Bullets, B31s. Maybe a big cat (Panther) that’d annually get hitched to a Busmar Double Adult chair to take Mabel and t’twins to Morecambe if enough brass’d been saved. Those gave a soft Thud! every other lamppost, so they’d say…. And those bikes weren’t traded in “for the latest model” annually, you HP-bought a tiddler to see you till your bonded “time” was out, then you chose a man’s ride -what you’d ride - maybe not absolutely for ever, but ‘twere close to it. Great stuff, if only Hovis adverts were accurate portrayals. Only those with long teeth’ll recall those, with a cornet solo gently briefly playing that piece from the New World symphony in t’background. Flat caps on bairns, unsliced bread from t’corner shop on t’table. While I’d cough up a decent sum for a well seasoned Ajay 16 in its original black paint and gold pinstripes, I’m afraid that I’d stop short at what’s asked for these nowadays…. (But dreaming’s cheap enough for even the shallowest pocket)
i'm no RE fan, but i but there does seem a lot of positives here, and if was going to go down the cc's a bit and stray away from my honda i'd take a look for sure, but the triumph speed 400 at more or less the same money would get my attention first, but it wouldn't do for us all to be the same would it lol, so thanks for the vid, enjoyed it. GL
We been asking the major brands to provide a cost effective solution it took Enfield to start giving us what we asked for and the 650 interceptor in the top 5 retro scared the major brands to get out and do something.
Remembering the inventive ways that Benson and Hedges developed their ads during the era, it is appropriate to compare to an “automotive work of art”. We must also bear in mind that many of our generation think such of the Leyland Sherpa 😂👏👍👌
Great vid, l'd like a spin on one if Appleyards have a demo bike. Can see RE selling shed loads in the EU. Nitpicking.... maybe they should have home market and European colour schemes? The Interceptor (initially) was fine, similarly the Classic and Meteor but they went well wonky with some Super Meteor schemes and it's carried on here....
The BSA 650 thumper is a really good looking ride. The reviews seem good. The triumph 400speed is a righteous bike. Now this! Honestly, what do we really need? 6 speed, good fuel economy, proper handling, smooth operation, dependability and customer support.
Very nice bike indeed Dave and I'm not really a RE fan. I think you should trade your 350 classic in on that bike? Beautiful day for a ride too. Take care and ride safe as always. Cheers bud from the States.
so, Dave are you getting one? lol, wonder if RE will do a tourer version with bigger tank and some luggage and keep it under 6k or will it be a different model, anyway another winner from RE
I've got my test soon been looking at v stroms , nx 500 . But I'm worried insurance will be ridiculous. This bike looks fantastic , do you think insurance could be cheaper because it's a new model bike ? Great review 👏
It seems quite a looker and very desirable to me ! Not available here in the colonies yet, not the Himi 450 either, as far as I can tell. Oh well I'll continue to squeak along on my old BMW !
Good review, you forgot to mention the cf moto 450s as competitors that donoffer something different as they run a twin not a single. Although much more modern looking the cf moto naked is the nk 450
Well Mr Wheeler, test ride next then pennies out from under the bed, oh did forget need a test ride in between, complement my little hunter pocket rocket well, but if it’s that good hunter will have to go, thanks for the demo, you need a check list for all safety straps done, it’s an age thing you know and as myself speedily approaching 70 in deffo need one, thanks again tater, also where was the man bag, don’t go anywhere wi out mine, tek care NW biker dude, Ted
Some reviewers say the bike is small and being a big guy that is a concern but i know your a fairly big chap yourself and you didn't look like a golf ball on a tee. To my mind it's price, build quality and character knock spots of the bland Triumph 400s.
I remember Colin Appleyards when it was at the bottom of Bradford Street. Do you? Opposite the fire station, when the fire station was at the bottom of Park Lane...
i remember the showroom near the main road at bradford street, ( now an asian shop) the workshop was in another terraced house further up the street near where that other asian thing is now, i started working there just before we moved into half of the old mill in coney lane, the other half belonged to a electrical contractors which burnt down years later and was used as the wardrobe dep't when they filmed part of the film yanks in keighley, nearly opposite the old old fire station at the bottom of park lane before they knocked it down, that's where the new shoroom is now, it was a happy place to work in those days.
@@stephenkinsley2483 I remember Yarno and Malcolm, I was mates with them at the time of their accident. I think at that time Malcolm lived on the steepest street in Keighley. around 1978 ish.
At which part of the Appleyard dealership did you film the introduction please? When I went to what Google tells me, there's no carparking facility with double yellow lines all around the little alleyway to the front door..
Morning Dave that looks and sounds a beautiful bike an ideal winter hack just for the local back roads and a blip up the Aroads here and there love the colour of that one I’ve been thinking about the triumph scrambler but this may have just jumped ahead of that one short of having a test ride I wonder if it might do with a extra tooth on front sprocket like bank rupt pensioner has done to his triumph 400 just to help on the A roads to cut revs down a bit and he said it hasn’t I think altered acceleration be interesting I think I would put bar end mirrors on it as well anyway great video Dave take care
@@thebingleywheeler oh have they so it must be pretty sharp on acceleration then I’m very interested in this because I think it’s 2 or 3 hundred cheaper than the triumph is it not thanks for that info my local dealer is haywards in Cambridge bit of a trek if I buy it and ride home on it with a little execurtion I’ll be half way to 1st service 😂😂take care
Morning Dave have you ridden the Triumph 400’s? I’ve test ridden the Speed 400 and found it excellent, comfortable, quick, brilliant handling with a superb engine. It’s lighter than the Enfield too and a very good looking bike. I think it’s a very strong competitor and costs similar money.
Bike looks like it was meant to be red with black frame , & they ran out of red paint . Also a pity they had to fit it with riding modes & fly by wire throttle . I would have preferred they did a standard model minus fancy tech , added a decent fly screen & wider pillion seat plus knocked them out at least a grand cheaper , especially as it’s a new model yet to be proven longevity wise . Could we now see you getting shut of the CF Moto 800 next year , to make space for one of these new kiddies ?
How tall you again mate? Really interested in this bike, I'm 120kgs and 6'2" and hoping I will fit! Currently ride a Suzuki Dl650 2008 and looking for a change, something to sit next to my 2000 XL883 Sportster!
I'd love this engine on my small Meteor. Wondering if RE will put a fairing kit on this Guerrilla and boom: Royal Enfield sportbike. I don't like this digital display-mania on non-sportbikes tho.
Very smart must try one Love the Benson & Hedges reference We sold those in our garage 😂 Love it 😻 I don’t think it has any classic look or a reference to the past I think it’s totally unique and a beauty on its own and that is what will sell this bike as you say ! Fantastic review Dave 😊😊 Have a great weekend Phil
Superb looks on this bike and real world performance to match that! As always, the video is nice and I very much enjoy seeing your gorgeous country. Thank you! SS in commiefornia, USA.
Was in Bill Smiths motorcycles (Chester) today (bank hol Monday) and sat on the new Guerrilla....such a light bike off the stand compared to the Himalayan 452 demo that was next to it, the latter a pain if full loaded i think, beautiful that the Himi is.... I have the cash ready in a few weeks and still trying to work out what i intend to buy.... Ps what mpg do you get from your v7 special....thats my fave bike....base bike hunter (so comfy and in between bsa 650, Interceptor, 411, 452 G/L....oh choices
