Reise TraceRad steel-belted radial tyres tested | Better than the best?

Tyres are a crucial part of the motorcycle handling equation. The best chassis and engine setup will amount to nothing if you don’t have quality, uprose-built rubber making contact with the tarmac. The last few years have been very kind to us enthusiasts with the launch of multiple made-in-India steel-belted radial tyres for bikes up to 500cc. Now, there’s yet another player in the game. Enter Reise Moto with the launch of the TraceRad steel-belted radials. Available in a 110-section front and a 150-section rear (with more sizes promised for later), these are the first performance-oriented road tyres that the brand has launched. We got a chance to get a feel for the tyres at the CoASTT high-performance track in Coimbatore and here’s how that went.

The TraceRads are the first zero degree, steel-belted radials that the company has made and is also the first road tyre focused on sporty performance. The tyre is compatible with bikes like the KTM 200, 250 and 390 Duke and RCs, the Aprilia RS 457, the Bajaj Dominar 400, the Triumph Speed 400 and essentially everything else that wears the 110-150 (front-rear) tyre combination. The overall tyre design is very much in line with what we have come to expect from rubber that wears the Reise badging. The sidewalls have the topography line along with the tyre name and specs. You can also customise the sidewall to have your name inscribed on it. You will also see that these are in fact W-rated tyres as well. The tread pattern at first glance reminded me of a certain set of Pirelli’s but closer inspection reveals a unique lightning bolt design with sipes for better water flow. Reise claims that these should perform exceptionally in wet conditions too. As any quality performance tyre should have, the TraceRads too have multiple types of compounds spread across the centre and the shoulders all to ensure confidence inspiring braking, leaning and acceleration.

We rode exclusively on track with the tyres fit on the KTM 390 Duke and RC 390. I’m familiar with the handling traits of both machines and the track we were riding at. Right off the bat, the TraceRads instil a lot of confidence with how linear all the reactions are. The tyres are on the lighter side and you feel like you need little effort to tip it into a corner or even make quick direction changes. We initially did a session on road pressures and that resulted in little feedback coming back to us. But the second we dropped the pressures to a number that was more appropriate for the race track, the tyres came into their own. Tons of feedback, plenty of stability under braking and a lot of confidence when leaned over. It doesn’t squirm around under you and that helps. Now these impressions are based on very limited time on track, so for a more comprehensive review, I will have to test it on the streets as well. But as far as grip in wet and slippery conditions is concerned, we did have a bunch of damp spots and lines of wet mud on the track and the tyres held composure there as well. 

The TraceRads have been designed to offer a good balance between performance and longevity. To that extent, the manufacturer confidently claims a six-year standard warranty and also says that the tyres should give well about 12,000km of running life. If this is true, that makes the tyres exceptional value for money considering it costs ₹6199 for a rear tyre and ₹5199 for the front. While the longevity remains to be seen and will be tested as soon as we get our hands on a set, the initial impressions based on the time on track suggest that these are a solid set of tyres for your beloved machines. We will also be testing the tyre against the competition to see which one you should spend your money on.