Home CAR & BIKES Guerrilla 450 vs Scrambler 400X vs Harley Davidson X440 vs others

Guerrilla 450 vs Scrambler 400X vs Harley Davidson X440 vs others

Guerrilla 450 vs Scrambler 400X vs Harley Davidson X440 vs others

Apart from the Royal Enfield, Triumph and Harley, we also have the Hero Mavrick 440 and Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 in this comparison.

BHPian Ripcord09 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Guerrilla 450 vs Scrambler 400X vs Harley Davidson X440 vs others

Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450

What you’ll like:

  • All-new, well-rounded and well-differentiated roadster from the Himalayan platform
  • Sporty and youthful motorcycle, targeted at a younger audience. More exciting colourways than with any Royal Enfield motorcycle ever
  • Looks substantial compared to some rivals, with a long wheelbase and some elements like the tyres being the largest in class
  • Very approachable motorcycle with a seat height of 780 mm and a kerb weight 11 kg lighter than the Himalayan. Feels well balanced as well, not top-heavy!
  • 39.5 BHP Sherpa engine has been retuned for a very peppy midrange. Refinement levels are slightly better than the Himalayan too
  • Slick 6-speed gearbox with a decently light slip and assist clutch helps to stay in the torque band all day long. Best experienced between 3,000 to 6,000 rpm
  • Competent city ride and handling package from Showa – compliments the urban nature of the motorcycle well
  • Excellent instrument cluster carried over from the Himalayan – now with updated features. Navigation, though not a perfect implementation, is still useful

What you won’t:

  • Not for everyone! With its scrambler-inspired looks and loud colourways, the Guerrilla is set to polarize opinion
  • The Sherpa motor has a slightly erratic idle, followed by a slightly jerky low-end below 2000 rpm – best kept within the torquey mid-range even when in the city. Not newbie-friendly
  • Single-cylinder vibrations, though made smoother now compared to the Himalayan, are present throughout the revv range. No deal-breaking resonance experienced at any rpm range, but certainly not dismissible either
  • Runs hot – The radiator fan was unexpectedly busy even on rainy and cold Bangalore days. Summer performance needs to be monitored
  • Suspension is good for the city but feels significantly less sophisticated than in the Himalayan when ridden hard. 11L fuel tank could also affect touring abilities!
  • Poor lamps all around. The headlamp is woefully inadequate and the quirky new indicator stalk + tail lamp vibrate on bad roads, making it blurry for traffic behind
  • Fit and finish could be improved. Good overall build is marred by poor execution of touchpoint items like the joystick switch, indicator switch, etc. Also, the stock mirror is useless at highway speeds
  • Missing features for rider control like traction control, IMU / cornering ABS, quick shifter, adjustable clutch and brake levers, backlit switchgear, etc.

Review Link

Triumph Scrambler 400X

What you’ll like:

  • Quintessential Triumph design that looks distinctly like its bigger Scrambler siblings for the most part
  • Build quality, fit and finish are among the best in the segment
  • Thanks to its taller and more substantial stance, it does better visual justice to the 400cc ‘big bike’ feeling than the much more compact Speed 400
  • Larger riders will also appreciate its relatively roomier ergonomics compared to the Speed
  • Nice bespoke touches that lend aesthetic value as well as utility where needed – sturdier metal bash plate, headlight grille, twin barrel exhaust with the black cladding, round indicators, tank grips, step-up seat to highlight some
  • 19” wheel, superior ground clearance, longer wheelbase and better suspension travel, all make for a much more stability-biased ride, in keeping with its Scrambler DNA
  • 39.5 BHP engine is reasonably tractable with a strong pull. Smooth & refined power delivery at a kerb weight of ~185 kg results in fairly peppy performance aided further by a slick 6-speed gearbox
  • Still a hoot to ride despite its taller stance and longer wheelbase
  • Generous 16,000 km / 1-year service interval. Parts and service costs are also expected to be kept competitive

What you won’t:

  • Missing features like connected tech, riding modes, adjustable clutch and brake levers, etc.
  • Inexperienced riders (especially shorter ones) may find the 835 mm seat height a tad challenging
  • Analogue + digital instrument cluster doesn’t suit the bike’s character
  • Some ergonomic issues such as mirrors fouling with hand and footpegs flexing downwards while stand-up riding
  • Vibrations at higher rpms
  • Split rear seat is compact. Riders should carefully evaluate how comfortable the bike will be for two-up touring with luggage if that is a key use case
  • Only single-sided saddle bag luggage is being offered by Triumph as of now. You will have to look at aftermarket solutions for double-sided saddle bags or wider luggage options
  • Entire service experience remains uncharted territory with Triumph leaving a negative perception on this front in some parts of the country. Whether one can have a positive dealership experience under Bajaj’s watch is something that remains to be seen

Review Link

Harley Davidson X440

What you’ll like:

  • Single-cylinder, 440cc engine has good low-end torque to make city riding as well as highway cruising comfortable
  • NVH and refinement are really good. Combined with good ergonomics, you can cruise at 80-100 km/h all day long
  • Well priced. It is on par with its peers, albeit with an extra ~40-90 cc
  • Built by Hero, who knows the Indian two-wheeler consumer extremely well
  • Decent level of kit – standard dual-channel ABS, Bluetooth connectivity, connected features, etc.

What you won’t:

  • Design and styling can be polarising. Not your typical Harley
  • In a segment that has heated up with lots of new offerings, the X440 doesn’t ace any specific aspect
  • No riding modes or traction control. Essentially not a lot of ways to customize your ride
  • This is the first product of the Harley Davidson – Hero partnership. Sales, after-sales and service support and experience are unknown

Review Link

Hero Mavrick 440

What you’ll like:

  • Single-cylinder, 440cc engine has good low-end torque to make city riding comfortable. Fairly responsive mid and top-end keep highway cruising engaging
  • Superb ride comfort; gobbles up bad roads without letting the rider, or even pillion feel them
  • NVH and refinement are really good. Combined with good ergonomics, you can cruise at 80-100 km/h all day long
  • Features such as standard dual-channel ABS, Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation etc. are standard on all variants. Top variant gets e-sim connectivity
  • Hero’s sales and service network is unparalleled, even in tier 2 and 3 towns
  • Well priced for what it offers. Undercuts most competitors

What you won’t:

  • Very basic instrumentation cluster in terms of look, feel and functionality
  • Missing features such as riding modes, traction control, upside-down suspension fork, etc.
  • Built to a cost. Cost-cutting is evident in a couple of areas
  • Ride gets unsettled at higher speeds
  • To many people, the Hero brand doesn’t have the badge cachet of Royal Enfield, Honda or Harley-Davidson
  • Long-term reliability of the new engine is unknown

Review Link

Husqvarna Svartpilen 401

Ownership Review

Here’s what BHPian Geo_Ipe replied:

Guerilla 450 for me. Smart looks, can tackle city & touring conditions with ease. Engine has enough grunt, service availability is adequate.

Triumph Scrambler 400X oozes the big bike feel, which will reflect in service costs and reliability as well.

The X440 & Mavrick don’t have enough character to demand a second look. Husqvarnas are too niche.

Here’s what BHPian sapien replied:

  • Just based on looks, for me it has to be the RE Guerilla, although polarizing, it immediately feels special and that’s why the vote. Dynamics on that other hand needs further polishing w.r.t erratic throttle @ lower rpms, unsophisticated suspensions etc.
  • Harley seems most rounded product but looks weird in an ungainly way. Maybe the next Harley product on same platform- like Nightster 440 will be a product to wait for.
  • Triumph Scrambler is a super safe choice but looking at it doesn’t excite me.
  • One may want to try newer Jawas and Yezdis- at least they look great.

PS: I have only driven Speed 400, Classic 350, Hunter and CB350 and my views are extrapolated from that.

Here’s what BHPian pedrolourenco replied:

A tough call between the Triumph Scrambler and the RE Guerrilla. Picked the Guerrilla as it’s easier to ride.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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