Apparel - BOOTS
Hey all.. as I continue to ramp up my skills and ride more... I have now realized that the boots I am currently wearing are not going to cut it. Anyone know of a good boot (reasonably priced) that I could look at. I am a woman, size 10 shoe and really want to find a good maybe ankle height or so boot with great tread on the bottom. Any websites or online areas I could search or surf? Any suggestions?
Ck this site out
I am also a woman rider and like most people on a budget i have been getting alot of my "equipment" from Leatherup.com been pleased so far. Ordered riding boots haven't gotten yet can't wait. The reviews have been good. Spent less than $ 100 ! They also have promo coupons that help with S & H or just a discount on merchandise 15 %.
Depends on the look you're
Depends on the look you're going for. ICON makes some women's boots that look HOT and are function and are reasonably priced. Check out the Hella and Bombshell boots =D
For something more functional there are a wide variety of boots out there for good prices. Check online at sportbiketrackgear.com, kneedraggers.com, motorcycle-superstore.com, and newenough.com (although newenough is really short on women's gear)
Just the boots mam
At the risk of raising some debate here, IMHO knee high anything is best suited to motorcycles. This coming from a guy (me) who regularly refers to running shoes as ankle twisters. High traction soles make no sense to me on a boot that offers zero ankle support. I wear Gaerne boots for competition riding and a 18" high moccasin boot with a thin flat rubber sole the rest of the time. ( Minnetonka Mocassins on line ~82$ - Gaerne Balance ~330$ - Gaerne Street Boots ~200$ )
I'm not quite that crazy
But I would recommend at least a shin-high boot (most motorcycle-specific boots). You have TONS of options, but the three following factors are going to decide what you get:
1) Price: If you want to save $$$, you throw out most motorcycle boots. Boots are spendy, especially the more features you get.
2) Look: If you want something that looks like a normal boot/shoe and won't draw attention, you lose a lot of possible options.
3) Protection: The more protective a boot is, the more expensive it tends to be, and the more space-age looking it tends to be. For instance, these top-of-the-line road boots from SIDI, Alpinestars, and Dainese look like they came from the Power Rangers:
They offer the best protection you can get, however.
Somewhere out there is a balance that fits you. If price is the biggest issue for you, I'm afraid your options are rather limited. You can look at the Icon boots that WeaponZero mentioned, but I don't know too many women who want to wear this:
Icon Bombshell
Actually my wife rides in black Icon Bombshell boots and she loves them. They look great - I don't know why you'd think women won't want to wear them - a lot of her friends said "damn, I want the boots like these right now!" They're not in the same level of protection as Sidi boots, for example, but they do have a reasonable padding in all impact areas, and she's hit the leg a couple of times at the curb during the trainings, and fall under her bike twice - with no big worries except some bruising.
The downside - this patch on the left boot for the gear change lever wears quick enough, and if you hit the ground in these boots a couple of times the scratches become quite visible on the shiny leather.
how practical are high heeled
how practical are high heeled shoes for motorcycles? don't they take away from the stability??
--/\-[ Stu ]-/\--
practical not, but they sure do look good
My wife tells me high heel shoes are totally impractical and uncomfortable anytime, but I sure do like seein em on a lady :) ...in support of anyone determined to wear heels on a motorcycle, personally I never touch down more than a toe anyway and never, ever drag a foot when coming to a stop or start, so in theory it should not matter, at least once you become a proficient rider. Could you twist or break an ankle falling over on them, absolutely.
While in general they may not
While in general they may not be too comfortable, they can give a shorter person the ability to floor a bike rather than standing on your tippy toes. It can get you past these initial month on a bike when flooring the bike when standing is a confidence issue.
Are you speaking from
Are you speaking from experience? (not trying to be funny, have no idea if you are a man or woman).
I can't see how they would be at all comfortable or practical on the bike. Think about having that sole on your pegs all the time. And they look like they have next to no protection abilities other than a little padding. Fashion/style certainly has its place in motorcycle gear but there are limits (at least for me, who was never very fashion conscious).
He's right about the height
My wife had troubles flat-footing her bike, and part of the decision in buying these boots was the high solid heel - it just gives her more confidence and allows to stand firmly on the ground. But again, she's spent her whole life wearing shoes with serious heels, so me and you, lacking the same experience, are certainly not the best judges here ;) For what it's worth, she loves these shoes and wears them every time she's on the bike.
Regarding the protection - you're right, they only have some padding in the impact areas, but as I've said above - they're solid enough and saved her a couple of times already.
but those shoes in the pic
but those shoes in the pic have next to NO sole. Its one thing to get a platform SOLE so you stand higher flat footed, its another for a high heel. Thats what I was talking about, how practical is a high heel, you dont flat foot on your heels, its toes/ball/all foot first, not heels first.
--/\-[ Stu ]-/\--
Out of curiosity- how much
Out of curiosity- how much time have you actually spent in high heels? When you are standing, your weight is still distributed between your ball and your heel. It isn't like you are on your tip toes all the time. In a wider heel like shown on that boot, if you stumble, you still have plently of surface area so that you can post your foot down straight (though you have a longer lever to torque your ankle if you catch the heel).
A boot like that would provide plenty of confidence that you are firmly on the ground if you are comfortable in heels. For myself, I would be worried that it would change the dynamics of reaching the shifter and brakes too much for me to be comfortable. However, if that is what I rode in all the time, I'm sure it would be fine.
BTW- when I walk in heels, it is heel first then toe. Other women may walk differently.
That's right
Yep, that's right, the heel is wide and comfortable and provides plenty of support. My wife's able not just stand on it, but even catch a bike if it's going to the side without any problems (well, until it's gone far enough, of course).
Regarding the shifting - it's not a problem for her now at all, though it took some time just to get used to the feeling. But you'd have to spent some time getting used to the new shoes anyway, I've been changing from Raytek Xenon to JR Streetburners to Sidi Vortice myself and had to spent a couple of rides breaking each of new shoes and getting used to shifting/stopping in them.
One thing about the Icon boots you have to keep in mind, though - they're quite narrow in the ankle, so if you have wide feet it will take a while for you to break these boots in and start feeling comfortable. And they'll restrict your movements during this time quite a lot, though after that the boots are just fine. To speed up the process you may just wear them around for some time, before getting on the bike, they're comfortable as a general-purpose walk-around boots as well.
Crazy for comfort
If you care to see what Minnetonka Mocassin Boots look like on, there are numerous Paparazzi shots of supermodel Kate Moss wearing them. lol ...I couldn't find any pics of people actually wearing the not so 'crazy' Power Ranger Space boots in public ;)
I have the pair I'm wearing now ( under my pant legs) and another pair that have lasted me 20 years. If you purchase the non-soled models, I recommend having a shoemaker glue on plain rubber soles for better grip, wear and comfort.
Tourmaster Solution WP Womens Motorcycle Road Boots
These (below, not above) seem to be a well liked and inexpensive waterproof touring boot:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/2/45/183/ITEM/Tour-Master-Womens-...
Tourmaster stand behind their products and honor their warranties in my experience.
which moccasins
TrialsRider, are you wearing Minnetonka's regular high-topped moccasins, or a more protective intended-for-motorcycles style? If b), could you link a site that mentions them or sells them? All I'm finding when I google around is fashion-weight leather that I'm not sure I'd trust against asphalt. (If you are just wearing the fashion-weight ones, why? You seem a pretty safety conscious sort of person)
I've been wearing the male Tourmaster Solution Waterproofs for a year and they're still doing fine. I wear them all day, because I don't like to bring another pair of shoes to campus, and with an aftermarket insole they're quite comfortable. Most people don't recognize them as bike boots (they just see black semi-dress shoes), but another rider will periodically see the shifter pad and strike up conversation.
not for foot draggers ;)
Regular weight leather with an added rubber sole. In cold weather I double up on socks but they are in no way intended for impact protection as my competition boots are. The mocs are strictly for comfort walking and normal street riding, where I have no intention of needing them for anything else. Moc boots are still far better than running or dress shoes because when your pant legs ride up they still offer shin protection from stones, abrasion or engine hot parts and certainly won't fall off your feet. I do all my rough and tumble riding on the dirt where I always wear my Gaerne's, especially since Trials bikes have very aggressive, sharpened teeth for foot pegs.
Unlike motocross boots the Trials boots are far more comfortable and flexible at the ankle than a motocross boot. The Trials boots offer ample impact protection but have no steel toe clips ( which is super slippery on pavement surfaces ) In foul weather conditions I have worn them for street riding and they are nearly waterproof. ( The Gaerne's are brown leather and don't look anything like power ranger boots ;)
"The mocs are strictly for
"The mocs are strictly for comfort walking and normal street riding, where I have no intention of needing them for anything else."
Yeah, I'm sure you'll wear the race boots next time you "intend" to crash or get hit. 'Cause we all know that those things only happen when railing it on the street or at the track.
Worked out just fine for the
Worked out just fine for the last 24 years. I won't apologize for not having a lot of crash experience on the street, but i did get rear ended at an intersection in 1987 while wearing them, was still upright post impact and the feet were just fine, only the frame and tail section were a write off and my upper body bruised.