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Boots vs. riding shoes
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March 30, 2009 at 2:16 pm #2651Clay DowlingParticipant
Friday night I convinced my daughter to do a little modeling for me, and we got some great shots of her on my motorcycle (http://dowling.lazarusid.com/pictures-of-elena.html). Great for me anyway, I’m new to working with models.
She made a rookie mistake that we’ve all made: she forgot to put the kick stand down before getting off the bike. It fell over and trapped her ankle under the exhaust. No serious damage done, and I had the bike off her within a minute, but there was an uncomfortable abrasion of her ankle.
That emphasized the importance of wearing a proper leather boot, rather than a shoe, when riding. If the exhaust had been hot, she would have gotten a nasty burn. If it had been on pavement instead of grass, the abrasion would have been a lot worse, probably breaking skin.
Think about that when you’re buying a riding shoe instead of a boot. It certainly clarified the matter for me.
March 30, 2009 at 2:59 pm #17426MunchParticipantGreat reminder. Another that I will add that got me away from thinking about “shoes”. I rode one day with my regular shoes, reason being my riding boots were soaked from the night before. I got caught in the rain. Runnin into town for a quick errand I had to hit the supr slab. The ride was pretty uneventful with one exception…
I figured out real quick how hard a rock hits windshields when the Jacked up station wagons-otherwise known as SUV’s kick one up. Out of no where I felt something really hard hit my shin. Worst part about it was the after the impact the spot had gotten really warm, almost as if it had broken the skin. 70mph and only 4 months into riding was not the time for me to reach down and check so I waited til I got to my exit ramp to check and see if any real damage had been done. Luckily no. However had I been wearing my boots I would have never felt it. Poor windshields….good thing they aren’t living things.March 30, 2009 at 7:36 pm #17436Clay DowlingParticipantHer dad’s side runs very small. That bike is pretty close in size to a sporty. Parked next to one one day, and had the opportunity to look at it from above. The Magna tends to look a little bigger because of all the bright chrome, but the frames are about the same length.
But if I ever do get her to ride, a 250 will fit her perfectly. If she wants to really get into it and tour, a 500 will probably be enough to haul her tiny self around the country comfortably.
April 3, 2009 at 6:23 am #17496MadCowParticipantGlad to hear that your daughter’s ankle is ok.
I have a question, though: Was she wearing riding shoes or just regular tennis shoes? They look like tennis shoes. I have Alpinestars “riding shoes” which seem ok, but I always wonder exactly how much better a real boot is.
April 3, 2009 at 12:25 pm #17502Clay DowlingParticipantIt was just a photo session, not a riding session (the bike is bigger than she could control), and they were just tennis shoes.
Wearing a riding shoe would have led to the same injury here though. The abrasion was on the ankle, and riding shoes don’t cover the ankle any more than tennis shoes.
April 15, 2009 at 1:48 pm #17775RupmiscParticipantSidi makes shoes for those times when you just won’t wear boots. But boots are way better, and some are better than others. I had a skid in gravel where I kept the wheels down but the peg gave be a kick in the ankle. I bought a pair of Sidi Vortice boots which have great protection, and side supports to stop you from twisting your ankle, as well as offering maximum protection from your bike or other objects. The feel a bit like ski boots, but they are my boot of choice whenever possible. I think boots are like helmets: just how much is your ankle worth?
April 16, 2009 at 2:15 am #17797swing848ParticipantI recently purchased a 1985 Yamaha Virago. Prior to purchasing it I sat on it and could not get my boot under the shift lever without looking for it, not a good thing when actually riding, so I had the dealer increase the shifter height an inch. The mechanic could not get it beyond 3/4 of an inch and still engage.
The dealer called me up and told me the bike was ready for pick-up. After getting on the motorcycle I could not up-shift. The king sized salesman could shift it but with difficulty. So, I told them to lower it to its original position.
A couple of days later they called again and said the bike was ready and I had no problem this time because I wore my shoes. The salesman gave me the name of a company that makes a boot that will fit under the shifter at that low angle, can’t remember the name of the company, but my wife was with me and she is my memory.
I was an unhappy puppy.
The shift lever is even with the foot peg, so, I have to lower my foot, even with shoes, to get under the shifter. I do not know why Yamaha did not follow Honda’s lead and allow a simple adjustment at the shift lever on this cruiser.
April 17, 2009 at 6:15 am #17819Gary856ParticipantWhen I first started riding in January 09 I bought a pair of high top work boots to satisfy the MSF class requirement on foot wear. They looked good and were comfortable enough to wear all day. One day, at the end of a 80 miles ride, I messed up a 3 mph u-turn in front of my house, hit the curb, dropped the bike, and during the jump off I nicked my shin slightly. Wasn’t too bad, but the high-top work boot was not high enough to protect my shin. The next day I bought of pair of tall motorcycle boots. These tall boots are pretty much limited to riding; I change to regular footwear after getting off the bike. Still, more protection is alway better in my mind, so I always put the tall motorcycle boots on when I ride.
April 17, 2009 at 7:09 pm #17829AmorylParticipantoooh, your daughter’s a cutie!
and I mean that in the “adorable” way. not the gross old dude hitting on an underage girl
she looks like she’d fit perfectly on a 250. I wear boots for almost everything, used to be I could get away with just colapsing when I turn my ankle, but now I need all the ankle support I can get, I hate having my ankles exposed for everything to hit.
I remember catching a really nasty burn (though there’s no scar, so maybe I actually only witnessed it…I was VERY young) on my ankle getting onto a recently run motorcycle wearing shorts and flip flops, I was like 4 or 5, someone should have stopped that from happening, especially since I needed to be lifted up onto it. but hey, thats what happens when everyone’s a bit past the legal limit, eh?
hopefully it’ll drive the lesson home to a) always wear boots and b) make sure the kickstand is always down in the future when the exaust might actually be hot.
April 17, 2009 at 7:35 pm #17830Clay DowlingParticipantCaught my one year old nephew climbing the bike last weekend. Fortunately we snagged him before he could do something unfortunate. But way scary because he was climbing on the kickstand side of the bike.
April 17, 2009 at 7:43 pm #17831SantaCruzRiderParticipantLuckily, he probably can’t reach the clutch and shift at the same time, so he probably won’t get too far! )
I had a very strict rule for my son, not to touch the bike or have his friends do so either. If they were curious, I’d let them sit on it while I was supervising, but otherwise tried to tone down the attractive nuisance by keeping it covered.
May 21, 2009 at 6:06 am #18788MadCowParticipantActually, my A-stars cover my ankle. They call them “shoes” and I call them shoes because they’re basically beefed up high tops, but I suppose that someone could technically call them boots since they cover the ankle.
I like them a lot, but I always wonder if they’ll hold up in a crash. Hopefully, I can continue to just wonder without ever finding out.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/36/7519/ITEM/Alpinestars-Octane-Riding-Shoes.aspx
May 22, 2009 at 6:53 pm #18853EliasParticipantHere are the one’s I’m getting…I’m covered
http://www.rideicon.com/product_details.jsp?category=1978&id=7889
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