Reise TrailR Tyres: Off-road Review

Gallery Introduction Background The tyres The experience Conclusion Product details

Introduction

The demand for accessible adventure motorcycles is on a consistent rise due to the growing urge amongst riders to explore uncharted territories. As a result, the demand for tyres which can efficiently take riders off the beaten path is also growing simultaneously. While adventure bikes already come with stock rubbers that deliver a decent balance of on- and off-road performance, some variety and options are always welcome for those who want to experiment and up their adventure riding game. This is where the new trailR tyres from Reise Moto come in.

Background

Reise Moto is a result of the convergence between Mumbai-based Mahansaria Group and Mitas Tires from Europe. While both brands have been producing tyres for agriculture and construction vehicles for years now, the latter has been a prominent name in the international two-wheeler tyre industry as well. Interestingly, Mitas has been the tyre supplier for motorcycles in the globally revered Dakar Rally.

Reise’s product portfolio comprises a variety of on- and off-road tyres for motorcycles under its four sub-brands, including trailR, tourR, traceR and troopR. Moreover, there are tripR and twistR rubbers for scooters also. Now, to have us try out its trailR dual-purpose tyres, Reise invited a bunch of journalists to the 19 Degree North Adventure Park at Amby Valley City.

The tyres

The trailR tyres are meant for motorcycles like the Royal Enfield Himalayan and the Hero Xpulse 200. These are 50 per cent road-focused and 50 per cent off-road-biased with a rugged-looking directional crossover block-style tread pattern around the centre. The depth of the treads progressively reduces towards the shoulders to aid cornering. Reise claims that the tread geometry of the trailR is constructed with the aim to facilitate a wide footprint for good stability while keeping the rubber-to-road noise as low as possible.

We sampled the trailR tyres measuring 90/90-21 for the front and 120/90-17 for the rear and these were kitted on the Royal Enfield Himalayan. Let’s see how they fared.

The experience

After a comprehensive briefing about the brand and its product, we were handed the keys to the Himalayan. We were then directed towards a dirt track which had a tight and technical layout but was relatively more fun and safer than the trail we went on later. This track majorly comprised of hard-packed dirt on the straights with some loose sand thrown in around corners to add to the excitement.

I started slowly flowing through the track and getting the feel of the tyres. It was around the sandy tight turns that I realised the tyres were gripping the surface quite commendably and did not lose traction even through scarily loose sections. And every time I spotted a clean surface with some slippery gravel, I gassed my way through, only to learn that the rear wasn’t sliding and coming out uncontrollably, thereby assuring the tyres were digging in really well. I kept on going around the track multiple times and my confidence in the rubbers only soared with each consecutive lap.

Now, it was time for the second phase of testing comprising a treacherous trail which started with a steep descent marred with huge stones. The only way to tackle this section was to put the bike in the first gear and let it roll down at its own pace, without using the rear brake but feathering the front. While going downhill, there were times when I grabbed the front brake out of panic but the tyre didn’t slip or wash away. Moreover, due to the great feedback from the rubber, even the ABS wasn’t kicking in too early.

The succeeding section of the trail offered a lot of twisty elevation changes with most of it filled with gravel and stones. Now, due to the profoundly slippery nature of the surface, I could sense the front losing traction at times which was hampering my confidence through some sections. However, trusting the tyres, I kept on gunning my way through the trail and reached the starting point. Here, I narrated my predicament of losing confidence to one of the technical personnel of Reise who recommended I deflate the tyres by 3-4PSI as they were running road pressures. I took his suggestion, lowered the pressure, and went back on the trail only to learn that it worked wonders. Not only did I roll down the stony downhill section faster but the proceeding slippery sections were also dealt with a lot of grip and feel.

Conclusion

The Reise trailR tyres turned out to be quite impressive in the short off-road stint we got with them. They delivered commendable grip and feedback on almost all kinds of terrain that off-road trails can throw in your way. And after lowering the pressure by 3-4 PSI, the rubbers substantially elevated the confidence of an off-roading novice like me. However, there are still some questions left to be answered about its on-road performance and longevity. We’ll address these concerns in detail in our long-term reports over the next few months as Pratheek will soon equip his Hero Xpulse 200 with these tyres. Lest we forget, the prices of the trailR start from Rs 3,450 and go up to Rs 4,050.