Boots for Riding !

I wear two different boots right now. When Im riding to and from work and just around the city I'm usually just wearing my Red Wing Moc Toe boots and jeans with my leather jacket.



When I go on longer rides or if its raining and I need to put a lot of miles on I tend to go with a much more purpose built riding boot. The Icon Prep Boot is pretty sweet and more of the motocross style which may be overkill for most riding conditions but I didn't want to have 7 different pairs of riding boots for many different occasions. So I have one almost overkill all-weather boot and one pair of work boots which I usually sub in for a riding boot.

ihaxs650 said:

I bought some Chippewa motorcycle boots and found out that I cannot shift the gears on my bike! Gave the brand new pair to Goodwill. I have a pair of Lucchese pointed cowboy boots and they are uncomfortable to walk in let alone ride and I am not sure they would be any better than the Chippewa. Gonna take those cowboy boots to Goodwill.

Click to expand...

.....
All you have to do is pull the bolt out of the shift lever pull the shift lever off and Rotate the shift lever up on the splines so your boot goes under it easy..... then put the lever on in that position and put the bolt back in !
....
Coastsidexs650: those are good looking boots on the bottom ! I actually like Motocross boots better than the touring boots because of the added armor..... I've hit the pavement a few times and I learned to love ARMOR !
infact I am thinking seriously of getting another bomber jacket and adding aluminum plate to the shoulders and elbows..... shine it with steel wool and pop rivit it to the leather ! ..... my last leather jacket let me down on the shoulder when I hit the pavement at about 50mph.... saved me but it ripped badly..... so it actually did work ! ....i guess....hehehehe
that or make a Mail coat to sew to the leather jacket..... but those things are really heavy ! I prefure the scale armor not only does it deflect swords well but it's lighter than mail by about 50 pounds ! .... but it's a bit Dressy for bike riding ! LOL
....
Bob.......

Watching this thread closely. Man, I miss being able to wear boots.

Never seen those rear-entry, rear-zipper boots before. Great info. I just may have a chance with something like that, and been follerin' ya'll's links, and researching same...

I rode with smooth soled Cowboy boots once years ago, Fine for most times, but if you stop on a bit of leftover winter sand those smooth soles don't grip in the sand and you fall over. I now wear a boot from Wally World that looks similar to the jungle boots mentioned earlier, leather and canvas uppers, lugged sole and steel toes. I have another pair that are similar but are insulated and come farther up my calf.
Most any hard soled boot with ankle support works ok.
Leo

For those of you experiencing difficulty with boot/shifter actuation, may I suggest something I made for my café XS1B. A forked shift lever.

Really crude rendering:


Shouldn't be too hard, a cut-and-weld project...

I wear two different boots right now. When Im riding to and from work and just around the city I'm usually just wearing my uno sguardo al mondo boots and jeans with my leather jacket.




When I go on longer rides or if its raining and I need to put a lot of miles on I tend to go with a much more purpose built riding boot. The El Rancho Grande is pretty sweet and more of the motocross style which may be overkill for most riding conditions but I didn't want to have 7 different pairs of riding boots for many different occasions. So I have one almost overkill all-weather boot and one pair of work boots which I usually sub in for a riding boot.

HAHAHHAHAHA! sure you do ! I totally believe that ! ..... don't those top ones have a tendancy to stick on the pegs ? or for that matter stick in the pavement ?
.....
Bob.......

^I'm surprised you were reading a fashion thread.

xjwmx, on the second pic....I'm thinking skinny jeans tucked into the boot? Otherwise it's flair legged and the intricate design and tassels are lost to the observer.

nj1639 said:

xjwmx, on the second pic....I'm thinking skinny jeans tucked into the boot? Otherwise it's flair legged and the intricate design and tassels are lost to the observer.

Click to expand...

Hi Paleo,
Nah, skinny jeans are totally last year. Those elegantly tasselled boots should be worn with dusty-rose colored Capri pants.

xjwmx: LOL ummm no definately not....don't get many of those on the Ranch !.....just observation.<GRIN>
....
Bob......

Steel-toe Rockies, 'cuz I have them and new stuff isn't in the budget.

xjwmx said:

I wear two different boots right now. When Im riding to and from work and just around the city I'm usually just wearing my uno sguardo al mondo boots and jeans with my leather jacket.
View attachment 98595



When I go on longer rides or if its raining and I need to put a lot of miles on I tend to go with a much more purpose built riding boot. The El Rancho Grande is pretty sweet and more of the motocross style which may be overkill for most riding conditions but I didn't want to have 7 different pairs of riding boots for many different occasions. So I have one almost overkill all-weather boot and one pair of work boots which I usually sub in for a riding boot.

View attachment 98594

Click to expand...

Very funny parody. I think those cowboy boots are probably a better bet than my Icons

Although I have a pair of Icon boots, and some race style Italian bike boots, 99% of the time I just wear my most comfortable hiking boots - the same footwear that I wear day-in, day-out.

TwoManyXS1Bs said:

For those of you experiencing difficulty with boot/shifter actuation, may I suggest something I made for my café XS1B. A forked shift lever.

Really crude rendering:
View attachment 98583

Shouldn't be too hard, a cut-and-weld project...

Click to expand...

Now THAT is cool!! I'm gonna make me one of those 2M!

When I am just riding to my office I wear a pair of Blundstone boots (from Australia). They're reasonably light and comfortable and don't look too "bootish" with a suit and tie:

For horsing around on the weekend I often wear some old cowboy boots I like because they have a good heel and my Honda ST1300 is pretty tall. They're not fancy coackroach killers like Mick's but they do the job:


For long trips, I wear a pair of First Gear motorcycle boots which are waterproof and have a measure of armor in them.


Cheers,

Pete

You guys slay me.....Also, I think you meant "too" and not "two" in your first sentence xjwmx.

My original intent with starting this thread was to raise awareness of the need for ancle bone protection when on a bike
when you fall down on the pavement and slide the asphalt is like corse sandpaper and it grinds flesh away very quickly
many times the bike can slip out from under you so quickly and pin your foot under the motorcycle while sliding down the pavement...
a SUPER bad syinerio..... for me ancle bone protection is a must short hiking boots don't cover the ancle bone and so they are not acceptable for me.... I have slid down the dirt road under my bike on a few occasions and my cow boy boots of the time saved my feet.... did nothing for my knee or butt or elbows but my feet were fine ! few people who ride motorcycles realise just how bad it is to slide down the pavement ... let me tell you its plane nasty ! your best hope is to roll with it and stop some of the "Road rash" if you slide in one position
your going to be really hurt !
Boots are a MUST in my opinion something to cover the ancle bone and if possable the knee as well but that is rarely an option
the spots that are damaged in a simple fall are ancle bones, hands and wrists, knees, elbows butt and head.... for arm is usually in there
as well as back .... so you really need a 13th century medievil suit of armor ! problem is their heavy !!!! LOL
Moto-Cross plastic armor is great stuff although you feel a bit like all suited up with no place to go...slightly over dressed for the occasion
BUT it works the best hands down.... the elbow protectors and knee protectors on my suit saved me countless times from serious injury on the dirt..... why not use it on the street? its your body out there in harms way not the on lookers ! LOL
I for one would like to see more Armor on bike riders on the street ! .... maybe just good boots moto cross type gloves with the armor on the outside and elbow caps over the jacket ... why not ? anything to reduce pain should some try to find you !!!!
.....
Bob.........

MaxPete said:

suit and tie

Click to expand...

I thought you were happily portraying "the most interesting man in the world"

In 1976 I was riding a Yamaha enduro through this rural neighborhood in the hills and ( without going into too much detail) I hit a large dog.
The only peice of protective equipment I was wearing was an open face helmet.
No gloves, just a pair of suede chukka boots
( you remember those) , anyway it launched me over the handlebars and in the process tore one of my shoes right off and chucked that chukka right down the road.
Lost a lot of skin, but I remember laying there going, " Where'd my shoe go?" Haha

oh man I bet that hurt ! yes Large dogs that love to chase motorcycles are a constant danger in town
out on the highway its the deer that scare the frack out of me... I have been way too close too many times of having my entrals confuzed with a deers when the emergancy crew get there ! you gott'a hope the emergancy guys know the diference because if one turns lowers his head at you and brandishes his horns in a threttening manor your in real big trouble..... a friend of mine had that happen, he locked up the rear wheel and slid up to within about 5 feet of where the buck was , but the sound of the sliding rear tire scared him off !
I had a buck Jump over me ! I ducked ..... then had to stop and Pee !
I call deer Moving targets when I'm on the bike ..... but YOUR actually the target !
what I hate is seeing deer crossing the road in the distance you double take your surroundings look for a hole hit the brakes at the same time and then,.... they stop..... not speed up and it would be fine ! but they stop and look at you wide eyed taking up half the road !
I usually hit the horn and they take off but not always...... I idled up to one just standing there frozen..... like you don't see me !
I then gunned the engine and beeped the horn and she exploded, fell down got up and was gone ! ..... I bet she never stopped in the road again for a motorcycle ! LOL silly critters ! Cows are easy to spot those darn deer hide too good !
......
Bob.......