Tyres are the only parts of an automobile that connect you to the tarmac and are also one of the most underrated when it comes to general perception. But if you are a motorcycle or car enthusiast, I am sure you know how important good tyres are for the proper functioning of your vehicle. I ride a sub-500cc motorcycle, a KTM Duke 390 as my daily steed and have spent a considerable amount of time and money in getting the best tyres for my use case scenario. While there are many offerings from different Indian brands, people still look up to the imported ones, even with the restriction on tyre import, and buying those makes quite the sizeable dent in your pocket. Thankfully, Indian manufacturers have been coming up with some decent-quality tyres lately. The latest entrant in this category are ReiseMoto’s TraceRad radial tyres and we were invited to the CoASTT track in Coimbatore to test them.
ReiseMoto is probably the youngest tyre company in India, and one which primarily focuses on touring and off-road tyres. Reise has earned a place amongst the motorcycling community as a trusted vendor of good products in a very short span of time. The only missing link in its portfolio were road-biased radials catering to the sub-500cc performance motorcycle category. Their new TraceRad range takes care of that. Available in 150/60-R17 and 110/70-R17 sizes for now, the TraceRad radials are W-rated and are zero-degree steel belted radials. This category is currently packed with Indian offerings from Ceat, Apollo, MRF and TVS Eurogrip.
It was my first time at the CoASTT and I was equally excited to not just ride there but also to see how the new TraceRads performed. Having partnered with KTM, Reise had a fleet of track-prepped RC 390 motorcycles and a few 390 Dukes as well. Having earlier ridden these motorcycles shod with imported premium tyres, like the Metzeler M7RRs on my own Duke, trying out the new tyres on similar KTMs gave me precious perspective.
I took it slow for the first few laps, assessing the feel of the tyres and the lay of the track as well. With my track-familiarity and confidence building every lap, my speed increased. And so did my lean angles. This track had brilliant elevations and some superb fast corners! As the tyres warmed up, I was able to get more feedback out of them. The TraceRads felt stable on the straights and gripped fantastically on the corners, leading to exceptional stability and confidence, even with my 104kg weight! But something was missing; the tyres felt a little weavy under hard braking. After a brief talk with the good guys from Reise, we concluded that tyre pressures were higher than ideal. This corrected, I headed out to the track again. This time, the front end felt much more stable, and the feedback went up a couple of notches. This goes on to show just how much of a difference correct tyre pressures can make upon your riding experience!
The CoASTT has so much to offer to a rider. The corners urge the rider to push harder and go faster with every lap. So was the case with me, with the reduced pressure and more laps, slowly but surely, I was able to feel my rhythm coming back. There were faster riders, but I was catching up more and understanding the tyres better with every passing lap.
I never thought the Duke could be so much fun on the track. There is a plethora of electronics on the new Duke, which my ancient 2015 variant is devoid of. Turning the electronic nannies off, I felt more at home. The new Duke feels so much better than the one it replaces; almost as bonkers as the original 390, but with better handling dynamics and the TraceRads only amplified my feelings. These tyres inspired confidence. Watching other riders clocking lap after lap, I couldn’t help but think of how far tyre technology has come, and where most manufacturers are running after mass market products and volumes, a young manufacturer like Reise is instead focusing on a niche, which might not give them the volume, but will surely give them a place amongst the community.
The TraceRads present a very strong case indeed. They are able to handle high speeds while being pushed around the corners in extreme angles. And taking such abuse on the track with my kind of weight while maintaining their poise and balance is truly commendable. At ₹ 5,199 for the front and ₹ 6,199 for the rear, the ReiseMoto TraceRads comes across as an impressive set of tyres that offer world-class performance without breaking the bank.
