Michelin T63 Tire Review

Michelin T63…

I installed Michelin T63 tires on my KLR650 in the summer of 2012 because I wanted better handling on the dirt and deep gravel of the forest service roads I was using to get out to Lake Nihtnat kiteboarding. These tires have proven to work very well for that purpose and doing great on pavement as well. My rear tire has over 10,000kms on it with at lest 7,000kms of paved riding and it still has 30%-40% of the tread left.

That is pretty amazing.

I wasn’t sure how these knobbies would do on pavement, but I’ve been riding them pretty hard wet and dry with no issues at all.

I paid under $100 per tire back in 2012.

When these tires wear out I’ll be buying more. 🙂

T63 Front Tire…

T63 Tire Install…

T63 install…

It was sunny finally so I got my ass in gear and swapped the damaged T63 out for a fresh tire.

Fresh rubber…

It’s not hard to do, but when you only mess with your tires once every year or two it’s worth reviewing how to do it so you aren’t so rusty.

Ready to ride…

I lubed the chain while I had the bike on the centre stand. Glad to get this maintenance done. I’ve got some trips planned to recon logging roads up north on the island.

Fresh Michelin T63 Front Tire…

Fresh knobs…

Picked up a fresh Michelin T63 tire for the front of my KLR to replace the damaged one. Now I just need a break in the rain to put it on.

I’ll probably do an oil change while I am at it.

Hopefully this one will last longer…

Michelin T63 Tire KIA…

Tire damage…

Walking around my KLR yesterday I noticed my front tire was damaged with some hard plastic debris jammed in deep. Not good! 😦 This tire is less than a year old with under 2500kms on it. I had hoped for another year out of the tire since I don’t ride high mileage.

Oh well – shit happens!

I’d rather find out about a damaged tire walking around in the parking lot than at 120kph on the highway when it blows out!

Back when she was freshly installed last June…

I liked the tire well enough I’ll order another and hope for the best.

KLR650 Michelin T63 Tire Install…

Rear Michelin T63 tire…

Well I got her done! 😉 Swapping in some new tires on my KLR650 wasn’t crazy hard, but it did take some time and I’m glad I had access to the internet to confirm a few details.

Tools I used…

I used the tools from my bike’s toolkit to install the new tires. Good thing as I realized I was missing a couple key items I needed.

Michelin T63 on the front…

I consulted the videos I found on Youtube as a general guide and although they miss a couple useful points they are pretty handy.

Having a centerstand was great…

I used the centerstand on my KLR to lift each wheel so I could pull them from the bike.

This was good practice!

It would have been way easier to get a local shop to install the T63’s, but this was good practice for me and it gives me confidence knowing I have the tools and knowledge to get my bike sorted if I do flat out on some remote logging road.

Michelin T63 tires are in…

For the bike so they are carried by the bike!

Collected my Michelin T63 tires today from Action Motorcycles in Victoria BC. Since my winter plans will either be a trip to Baja or through Baja I’m thinking of sending these tires down to the La Paz area with a friend in his truck. That way I’ll have some fresh rubber waiting for me when I get down there…=-)

A few more teeth than my current rubber...

Michelin T63 Dualsport Tires

Michelin T63 Dualsport tires...

I’m excited about replacing the mediocre stock tires on my KLR650. On my old KLR I used Continental TKC80s and liked them a lot. I priced a set out locally and they were expensive so I decided to see what else was available for less $$$. I’m not going to buy tires that suck just to save money, but if I can get an equally good tire for 40% less why not? There is no way to really know how you’ll like a tire without trying it so I’m going to give the contenders a shot and if I don’t love ’em I’ll just go back to the TKC80s.

First up for testing is a set of Michelin T63s. They’ve got a reasonably aggressive tread that should be good on gravel/dirt roads at home and sand/rock down in Baja. I heard good things about these tires and their more dirt worthy cousins the Michelin Desert.