Testing Reise's new TraceRad tyres on a KTM RC 390

Reise (correct pronunciation: ‘Rice-uh’) is a company that is strategically ramping up its presence in the Indian two-wheeler tyre market. For those who may not know, Reise is a relatively new entrant in the tyre business, but it is certainly not small, nor is it coming into our complex and challenging market shorthanded. Reise manufactures its own tyres, as well as those of German company Mitas, at its plant in Gujarat.

When it entered the market last year, Reise brought a whole range of tyres to kick off its business in India. These included tyres that catered to on/off-road usage, touring, commuter bikes, as well as scooters. This meant its product portfolio covered almost everything in India in the sub-500cc displacement range. The off-road and touring tyres from Reise had a heavy Mitas influence on them, but the new TraceRad is a brand-new ground-up design, claims the company.

Coming onto the tyre itself: the first thing that stood out to me, purely from a visual standpoint, was the TraceRad’s resemblance to Pirelli’s trademark patented lightning bolt-shaped tread design. The Reise pattern is different upon closer examination, and the company assures us that the TraceRad was developed specifically for India and its ‘unique’ road conditions.

Despite the multitude of grooves and sipes present on the tyre, the TraceRad is categorised as a proper sport tyre – think something that competes with the Apollo Alpha H1, not the sport-touring Michelin Pilot Road 5. I spoke to Ashley Vowles, a British motorcycle tyre design consultant working with Reise, and he revealed something interesting: When you’re leaned right over on the racetrack, these grooves flex and generate heat to give you better grip, while also helping with dissipating the muck and grime you’ll often find while riding on our roads.

My time with the Reise TraceRad was (sadly) restricted to just one 15-minute session on a damp CoASTT circuit, on a mostly stock KTM RC 390 running road air pressures. Generally, for track riding, much lower air pressures are used. So, my learnings from the saddle were limited, but I came away pleasantly satisfied with the tyre.

The TraceRad is a sporty tyre, but Reise correctly presumes that it will spend the overwhelming majority of its life on the road. It doesn’t have the ultra-quick turn-in like something you would experience on the Michelin Road 5s – it is rather neutral in that regard. While experienced riders and track junkies will favour a quick tip-in, I suspect this neutral turn-in will be something that builds confidence for novice riders (who generally ride sub-500cc bikes like the RC 390).

While the limited time at an unfamiliar track restricted how much I could push, the edge grip seemed more than enough. Even when I opened the throttle a little too suddenly mid-corner, there was enough grip available, and the bike did not go off line or do anything unpredictable. There were also a few patches where the track was dusty/muddy, and even going through them (ever so briefly), the RC never once misbehaved.

As for the two most important questions – price and longevity – the company retails the TraceRad at Rs 5,199 for the front tyre and Rs 6,199 for the rear tyre. It also claims that the TraceRad will usually last for 10,000 km-12,000 km on the road. However, we’ll need to spend more time with these tyres before being able to provide a more definitive verdict.

The biggest hurdle for Reise is that it is still not a household name compared to brands like Apollo, MRF, and CEAT. However, it is growing rather rapidly for a company that has just entered the market, which shows that it has plans to stick around for the long haul.

Also See: Feature: Reise TrailR tyres – Block Party

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