Foot Wear

F

Flashman_imp

First service completed
Thread starter
Some of you may have seen my post about dropping my CB1100 in my front yard grass.

I was wearing Sperry Topsiders - a very bad choice.

Apathycurve made a suggestion on soles - Thank you.

I'm interested in hearing about M/C foot wear in general.

I'm 5'11" and 160 lbs. and wear a 10.5 shoe.

TIA

Mike
Palm Coast FL

A proud CB1100 owner for almost 2 weeks.
 
For you "Big Bang Theory" fans, in the words of Sheldon Cooper, "I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested!"...

I own five pair of Sidi riding boots. Yes, five pair of riding boots. Four of them are the Vertigo Corsa model (black perforated, black non-perforated, red/gry/whi Loris Capirossi perforated, red/blk non-perforated). The fifth pair is Vertigo Mega Goretex (cold weather).

Sidi's newest top-of-the-line boot, the Vortice, doesn't fit me quite right, so I stocked the closet with my favorite boot (Vertigo Corsa), as it's no longer made.

No matter the weather, I don't ride w/o riding boots, and other protective clothing. (see signature below) :P
 
I just bought a pair of Tourmaster boots at my local shop, like a month ago.. I think they were about 125 or 130 bucks. Before that I was wearing Hi-Tec Altitude IV boots, which I like for their water resistance. I find the Tourmasters to be quite comfortable. And the left one definitely did its job today! I believe if I was still using the Hi-Tec (leather but not solidified in the toe), I would have wound up with a broken big toe in this situation. And probably some road rash since there was a gap of exposed sock between my pants and the boot. Instead I got a good scuff on the boot and a very slight bruise. I'm probably getting replacement boots, and I don't have any issue with getting another of the same pair for sure.
 
Love my Alpine Stars Ridge Waterproof boots. Reasonably priced with great comfort and fit. Easy on and off. You can wear these all day with a pair of jeans and not look out of place; they look that nice.
 
For me, I have found one of the best places to by boots from is revzilla.com as they have great video review, selection, price and availability:

Motorcycle Boots - RevZilla

I use two types for sport touring CB100 riding:

Alpinestars S-MX 1 and Tour Master Solution 2.0 WP primarily because of the reviews and price.

I'm happy with them...
 
I think one of the biggest factors in shopping for boots is to find a pair that are comfortable enough that you'll actually wear them every time you hop on the bike.

In my opinion, you should be considering a pair of boots that provides good solid ankle and shin protection (the two areas most often damaged). I also recommend trying to avoid laces for obvious reasons. That said, any pair of boots that are solidly constructed and at least cover your ankles are better than no boots at all.
 
Talking street boots here...

I've settled on 2 basic pairs: 1 for optimum protection, 1 for touring comfort.

For the protection boot, ankle bracing was of primary importance to me. For this I chose the Dainese 'Torque-In'. It's stiff around the ankles (what I want).. can tolerate being walked in for short distances (less than 1/2 mile). Feels like walking in stiff road cycling shoes if you've ever walked in those.

For touring: I got tired of constantly stopping to put on waterproof overboots, so when the Sidi 'On-Road' came out, I got those. They have kept my feet dry going through days of drenching downpours. Can walk long distances in them. Not a whole lot of protection though. If anyone has a newer better waterproof boot I'm all ears.. though these Sidi boots refuse to wear out and I'm too cheap to toss them :-(
 
SUPERCRUZ_imp said:
Love my Alpine Stars Ridge Waterproof boots. Reasonably priced with great comfort and fit. Easy on and off. You can wear these all day with a pair of jeans and not look out of place; they look that nice.
Click to expand...
I'll second that about the A-Stars Ridges -- they break in very quickly and once they do it's like wearing a pair of comfy high-top slippers. I have a pair of high-dollar Sidis but find the Ridges are my go-to boots most of the time.
 
Also, make sure the soles have good traction. My long-term boots are starting to become a bit slippery in the rain when I put my feet down. Something to be aware of as the boots get older.
 
Flashman, for the previous couple years I rode using a pair of Tourmaster Solution 2.0 Boots purchased from my local Honda dealership; the boots were comfortable, more protective than regular footwear, and good value. After I purchased my CB1100, the bike's weight gave me a bit of concern about not being protected around my ankles and shins so I bought a pair of [url=http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/sidi-adventure-gore-tex-boots]SIDI Adventure boots. The SIDIs are very comfortable (I'm a size 8 4E wide in New Balance 990 sneakers, both the Tourmasters and the SIDIs were purchased using size 9 American 43 European because special wide sizes were not available) and the SIDI boots are significantly more armored around the ankles and shins than the previous boots, though I can still get my textile and leather pants over the boots as opposed to tucking the pant legs into the boot. I had the slightly adjust the shift lever up a bit to accommodate the SIDI boot.

The SIDIs are very expensive, no doubt, and I believe equally protective gear can be obtained at a more economical price. And the SIDIs squeak when you walk in them. All said, though, I love the SIDI Adventure boots. I like supporting my local dealership but they did not stock my size so I purchased the SIDIs from revzilla.com, I have been very pleased with their service.
 
I was not really shopping for boots ( was looking at jackets) but I was in Revzilla's Philly Boutique shop, they have half a wall of MC boots, so thought I would try on a few, was mostly drawn to the touring type boots, not racing. The SIDI seemed to fit me the best, the others did not hug my foot like I would expect......also after trying on 5 or 6 pairs ( luckily size 43 was on the wall and that's what I take) I decided it would not be wise to buy a pair of boots without trying on first, some were horrible....although I am fairly confident I would be satisfied with most SIDI 43's.
 
thumper_imp said:
For you "Big Bang Theory" fans, in the words of Sheldon Cooper, "I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested!"...

I own five pair of Sidi riding boots. Yes, five pair of riding boots. Four of them are the Vertigo Corsa model (black perforated, black non-perforated, red/gry/whi Loris Capirossi perforated, red/blk non-perforated). The fifth pair is Vertigo Mega Goretex (cold weather).

Sidi's newest top-of-the-line boot, the Vortice, doesn't fit me quite right, so I stocked the closet with my favorite boot (Vertigo Corsa), as it's no longer made.

No matter the weather, I don't ride w/o riding boots, and other protective clothing. (see signature below) :P
Click to expand...
Another vote for Sidi boots - best boot best fit IMO
I wear the Vertigo model and love them. When they wear out I'll buy them again.
The vertigo is a racing boot but I use it for everything including touring. The racing boots provide the best protection and I don't have to have different boots for different riding.
And they are so comfortable I could hike in them.
 
I love Sidis but they are just too narrow a fit for me. I have fairly wide feet, and my Alpinestars SM-X 5 boots are incredibly comfortable. I would never have believed I could get that much protection and comfort in one boot, they really do feel like high-top basketball shoes.

For more casual wear the TCX X-Square boots are also very nice, though of course they offer nowhere near the protection of the SM-X 5s.

If you have narrow-ish feet the Sidi line is fantastic, but if you have wider feet you might want to check out the above-mentioned Alpinestars SM-X 5, BMW Allround and TCX X-5 Plus Goretex boots. All three are great boots IMHO.

And I'll put in a plug for MotorcycleGear.com (formerly known as New Enough), they have great prices (often with blowout pricing on last year's models of clothing) and a very streamlined process for returns should something not fit. (I've also had great experiences with Revzilla.)

Hope this helps!
 
I'm almost embarrassed to admit the riding shoes I wear right now, but the fact is a LOVE THEM more than any riding boot I've ever owned. They don't offer any real protection other than a nonslip sole and a small reflector on the heals.

I love them because they're not big, bulky motorcycle boots. I love them because I can wear them anywhere, all day, and no one knows they're riding shoes. I love them because they're comfortable and easy.

If I were a weekend warrior I would probably wear boots with more protection and I have in the past, but I commute to/from work daily and only drive my car if I absolutely have to. These shoes are perfect. Haters can hate. :D

Alpinestars Montreal

 
In 2008 right before a bike ride to Alaska, I bought a pair of Danner Fort Lewis 600 gram Thinsulate boots. $300. Best piece of "motorcycle" gear I have ever bought.
They go with me on every big trip. Got over 100,000 miles on them. My feet are In heaven when I slide them into my Danner's. You will not get wet feet and the 600 grams Thinsulate keep the engine heat off the toes.

great boots I hope they make them forever will buy another pair if these ever wear out
 
My biggest problem is the shape of my feet. Normal width forefoot and narrow heels. I've been using the Dainese TRQ-Tour boots for the past couple of years and have been really happy with them.
 
Guth_imp said:
My biggest problem is the shape of my feet. Normal width forefoot and narrow heels. I've been using the Dainese TRQ-Tour boots for the past couple of years and have been really happy with them.
Click to expand...
I had not heard of these before. This is great ! The protection of my Torque boots but with a waterproof membrane and a more street able sole !
Thanks for mentioning them.
 
justinrhenry_imp said:
I'm almost embarrassed to admit the riding shoes I wear right now, but the fact is a LOVE THEM more than any riding boot I've ever owned. They don't offer any real protection other than a nonslip sole and a small reflector on the heals.

I love them because they're not big, bulky motorcycle boots. I love them because I can wear them anywhere, all day, and no one knows they're riding shoes. I love them because they're comfortable and easy.

If I were a weekend warrior I would probably wear boots with more protection and I have in the past, but I commute to/from work daily and only drive my car if I absolutely have to. These shoes are perfect. Haters can hate. :D

Alpinestars Montreal
Click to expand...
He he he, that is funny :-) You sure this post was not meant for a bicycle forum!
Just kidding, I wear sneakers most of the time anyway, but still.
 
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