Reise TraceRad Street Review Series: Part 2: Monsoon Riding Experience, 2000km Later

2000km later, the Reise TraceRad tyres have proved to be a great set for my KTM 390 Duke. To give you a brief recap, I put on the tyres when the bike’s odometer read approximately 21,000km. Now it’s just above 23,000km. 

As I said in the first part of this review series, these have performed great from the start. Though, at first, I was a bit sceptical about how these tyres would hold up on rough roads, considering how easy it is to find them in India. But over the last 3 months, I have had no punctures on the tyres. That said, I ensure the tyre pressures are optimal every week – that’s key to avoiding punctures. Circling back, I’ll divide this review into two parts – monsoon performance and summer performance. 

Reise TraceRad Monsoon Performance

Since monsoon has arrived in many parts of the country, let's first talk about the tyres’ performance in the rain. Right off the bat, these tyres are quite impressive in the wet. I have ridden on tar roads as well as concrete roads while it was raining; also when it wasn’t but the road surface was wet. 

I took some time to understand how these tyres performed on properly wet roads. However, after this initial brief period, my confidence shot up to the same levels as riding the dry. That said, the braking distances in the wet are shorter than those on the cheaper tyres. Then again, braking distances are also dependent on your braking skills. Irrespective, it’s advisable to ride slower than usual when riding in the rain or on wet roads – it pays to be extra cautious. 

I did have a hair-raising moment on one of the corners of a well-paved tar road. However, that was because I did not anticipate a thin layer of flowing mud right at the centre of the corner. The rear slid a bit and then caught grip on the dry patch. This could have turned into a catastrophe had I been faster. Thankfully, I was being cautious since it was a blind corner on a ghat road. Worth noting here is that this wasn’t the tyre’s fault; I should have been a bit slower. Apart from this incident, these tyres have performed flawlessly and as expected. 

Reise TraceRad Summer Performance

These tyres are absolute sweethearts in the dry. While they may not be as grippy as some top-of-the-line imported tyres, they make riding so much fun. Especially if you are upgrading from a cost-effective pair. If your regular pair makes you afraid about losing grip around corners, these will immediately bring back that confidence. Provided you have learnt how to brake well, these tyres can help you come to a stop without a lot of drama on tar roads. Hot concrete roads can make the tyres squeal a bit while hard or panic braking. Planned or easy braking is fuss-free. 

Tyre Degradation

Over the aforementioned distance, the tyres have degraded marginally, but that’s usual wear. The front tyre depth is now at 3.7mm (from 4mm when new) while the rear is at 5mm (5.5mm when new). The biggest reason for the slow degradation is ensuring optimal tyre pressures. I always keep at 29PSI on both as recommended for my second-gen 2021 KTM Duke 390. 

Verdict

For Rs 12,998 a pair, the Reise TraceRads continue to be one of my favourite tyres. These have helped me have the most fun with my Duke after upgrading from my earlier entry-level MRF tyres. While these make me want to go faster, I exercise extra caution on public roads – being much slower than I can go. But I do find myself giving in to the cravings on empty patches of roads. These tyres make me feel like I should take my Duke for a track day to have all the fun in the world, safely.