I am off to Morocco soon and wondering if anybody has any tyre advice. The route will be around 2,500 miles with a 50/50 mix of tarmac and gravel/strone/rock surfacing. Thrown in will be a bit of sand and mud but only a day of each. I was thinking Micheline T63's. Thoughts would be welcome.
I'm happy with my Dunlop 908. Very puncture proof, reasonably quiet on pavement, does great in sand. It's twice the cost of a T63 but should last 3-4 times as long. Mine is showing very little wear at 1500 miles. I swiped this picture from the Sibersky thread on ADV, this 908 has done 9000 miles on a ktm 690. If I didn't know the source of the info I'd probably call BS.
This thread (below, linked) will give you lots of feedback/guidance. I'm on my first T63 and while I really liked it (cost, handling, more narrow width/less mass to power) I wasn't too crazy about the durability. Not necessarily bad, but not great either. In all fairness though the durability has been respectable for what it is (and, in further fairness, I have a hard time resisting the throttle and wheelie'ing.) I've got a Mefo I'm looking forward to trying. http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/te630-rear-tire-replacement.20723/
I would look at the MT 43 for a tire that will last that long and work on and off road. Just make sure you can air up and down as needed.
No disrespect to Bob, but to provide an alternative opinion, I HATE the 908RR. I ran one on my 610 and threw it in the trash before it was half worn. The ONLY benefit that I saw was that it wore well, but that's not worth it if you're going slow and/or crashing all the time because it won't hook up. In the dry, it's a mediocre tire. Get it wet on rocks or roots and it's TERRIBLE. I like the Maxxis Desert IT as an alternative. Very tough tire, long life, but way better traction.
Definitely Mefo or Heideneau for the OP. For a cheap 50/50 over here we have Fullbore USA, but very similar tire is the Shinko 705. Run a 50/50 tire on the back and a knobby on the front if you're going to see off pavement. Saharas might be another one worth a try. No offense Bob, but the 908 is a 950/990 tire. Way too big and heavy for the 630.
That's a pretty subjective statement CJ. How much bigger/heavier is it than a Karoo/Mefo/Heideneau? Stiffer, yes, but that works for me when two-up or loaded up. Plenty of traction, very puncture resistant, and I like the idea of a tire that could take me 9000mi to Prudhoe and work like a run-flat with the Tubliss. Different horses for different courses. Kyle, I'd say you are a way better/faster rider than I, you may expose weaknesses that I'll never see. We prob should have inquired as to the OP's riding style, the tire he needs for sightseeing/don't get hurt pace isn't the same as Dakar pace. He did indicate a 2500mi trip and it seems many only get 1500mi from a T63/606 type tire. I'd agree though, for average riding pace a Mefo/Heid would also be good choices. .
