Topic: 23 Rides in 2023, Frank's New Years resolution that we can all enjoy.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Bud, yep, I have more shoes and boots than Imelda Marcos, but I’m still looking for a good comfortable pair of riding boots that will protect my feet in a slide. Over the years I’ve worn lace up work boots with steel caps, but recently I’ve been lazy and just wear elastic sided workboots, which tend to jump off your feet in the event of a crash to save themselves with no thought for the wearer.

[budman]

I wear these nasty things when I ride.  They’re HD Hagermans.  I like the wedge soles.  I can slide my feet around on the footboards.  I don’t like a big heel getting hung up in the boards or pegs.

They have a small amount of ankle padding and zippers for the ultimate in laziness.

[Terry in Australia]

They do look good! I’ll have to go shopping.

[PeWe]

About boots...
I use Alpinestars WEB GTX
Very comfortable. I can use a size that allow space for toes while boot sit rather firm on the foot.
https://www.alpinestars.com/products/web-gore-tex-boots

I have also a pair of TCX X-Tour Evo Gore-Tex (TCX is the brand)
(Bought them on 50% sale at a local shop, outgoing model)
Sit very firm around my entire foot and lower leg. Probably rather warm hot days. My feet feels protected though.
I have used mostly spring and fall so far.

My now old (2015) Alpinestars are very comfortable, warm days no problems. Comfy for walking which is important.
Recommended!

[Kelly E]

I wear these nasty things when I ride.  They’re HD Hagermans.  I like the wedge soles.  I can slide my feet around on the footboards.  I don’t like a big heel getting hung up in the boards or pegs.

They have a small amount of ankle padding and zippers for the ultimate in laziness.

Those zippers might not hold together in a crash. I've seen ground up feet from crashing while wearing inadequate footwear. I've been trying to get my riding buddy to get rid of his zip up boots for a few years now but he doesn't want to because they are so easy to put on.
I wear a pair of Whites Boots smoke jumper boots. They are handmade in Spokane Washington and I had to measure my feet, ankles and legs in 8 places for a custom fit. They will last for the rest of my life.

[Terry in Australia]

I’ve never been a fan of motorcycle specific boots, especially European ones, because they’re designed for European conditions (cold/wet weather) which is pretty much the opposite of what I need here in much warmer/dryer conditions.

I don’t have an issue with zip up boots though, most motorcycle boots that I’ve seen have zips up the inside with just a velcro secured flap over the zip to keep the dirt and water out. I’ve seen pictures of mangled feet resulting from motorcycle crashes but the vast majority were idiots who were either not wearing any footwear, or inappropriate footwear like flip flops, sandals etc. I do like lace up boots, only because I’ve been wearing Army boots for the last 46 years and I know how to lace them properly to best fit them to my feet.

[spotty]

i went for a slide down the freeway one afternoon years ago ( the back wheel on my vespa parted company with its stub axle ) while i was only wearing trainers, luckily the armco barrier upright stopped me from disappearing off into a 20 metre deep gully at the side of the freeway, that upright did however force the ball of my ankle straight up the middle of my shin bone. i slid straight into the upright with my foot flat against it. i said some quite rude words

 no level of boot protection would have stopped that but if i'd had boots on i wouldn't have ground down the skin and other soft stuff that covers the outside of the ankle bone

[Terry in Australia]

Great story Spotty, and I’m glad that I read past “Ball”, as I was in the process of wincing until I realised that you were talking about your ankle. Yep, Nike’s just don’t do it on motorcycles, but we’ve all been guilty of wearing them on bikes.

I dropped my Yamaha DT250 in 1980 on a wet metal plate in a corner, and the metal serrated footped went straight through the side of my Army dress shoe, and while my foot wasn’t injured much (a scrape, but no puncture) it locked my foot to the foot peg and I couldn’t get up and off the bike, while fuel ran out of the tank cap’s breather hose, all over me and my hot engine.

Luckily my staff sergeant, a tough old Vietnam vet was following in his car, so he stopped, got out and dragged me off the bike. I was only wearing my summer dress uniform so ripped skin off my knees, ankles and elbows, but happily survived without any 3rd degree burns and rode it home, whilst bleeding freely. What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.

[Alan F.]

I've got a pair of boots in the for sale section if anyone's looking for some narrow size 13.

[Terry in Australia]

I've got a pair of boots in the for sale section if anyone's looking for some narrow size 13.

I’ll have to check them out Alan, I’m only a wide 12 but I do like to look at what boots are available.

[bear]

My passenger had worn the same pair of old boxing boots from 1981 till he retired in 2009 when his knees finally gave out.
They had been through some of the most horrific crashes you could imagine, including one that sent him tumbling down the full length of the gravel trap at the top of Gardner Straight at Phillip Island. His helmet, gloves and leathers where shredded but those bloody boots did not have a scratch on them.
I swear to God they must have been mummified after living in his race bag for twenty eight years.

[ekpent]

 As for boots you can usually tell if someone is a rider by looking at the top of the left one.     I like the idea of the double leather area under the shifter which I don't have.

[budman]

I wear these nasty things when I ride.  They’re HD Hagermans.  I like the wedge soles.  I can slide my feet around on the footboards.  I don’t like a big heel getting hung up in the boards or pegs.

They have a small amount of ankle padding and zippers for the ultimate in laziness.

Those zippers might not hold together in a crash. I've seen ground up feet from crashing while wearing inadequate footwear. I've been trying to get my riding buddy to get rid of his zip up boots for a few years now but he doesn't want to because they are so easy to put on.
I wear a pair of Whites Boots smoke jumper boots. They are handmade in Spokane Washington and I had to measure my feet, ankles and legs in 8 places for a custom fit. They will last for the rest of my life.

Depending on the crash a lot of things might not hold together.

I couldn't wear a big chunky heal like that or the waffle sole.  It would get all tangled up in my footboards...but if it works for you, great.

[budman]

As for boots you can usually tell if someone is a rider by looking at the top of the left one.     I like the idea of the double leather area under the shifter which I don't have.

I once wore a hole in a previous pair of boots from the shifter.  I glued a leather patch on to the boot.  I used a leather cement that cobblers use and hammered the patch on with my old autobody repair hammer and dolly.  It worked great.  Never came off.

[Kelly E]

I wear these nasty things when I ride.  They’re HD Hagermans.  I like the wedge soles.  I can slide my feet around on the footboards.  I don’t like a big heel getting hung up in the boards or pegs.

They have a small amount of ankle padding and zippers for the ultimate in laziness.

Those zippers might not hold together in a crash. I've seen ground up feet from crashing while wearing inadequate footwear. I've been trying to get my riding buddy to get rid of his zip up boots for a few years now but he doesn't want to because they are so easy to put on.
I wear a pair of Whites Boots smoke jumper boots. They are handmade in Spokane Washington and I had to measure my feet, ankles and legs in 8 places for a custom fit. They will last for the rest of my life.

Depending on the crash a lot of things might not hold together.

I couldn't wear a big chunky heal like that or the waffle sole.  It would get all tangled up in my footboards...but if it works for you, great.

I like that I can hook my heel on the footpegs. I've never had any trouble with the heels while riding our 05' Fatboy with floorboards. Up here in the NW you need some tread on your soles so you don't slip in the mud and damp surfaces.

[Terry in Australia]

We should start a boot thread, people are as opinionated about them as they are about oil and tyres!

[PeWe]

Yes!
But you are right. There are different needs. Cooler or warmer climate.
Also different shops. A boot must be tested.
All different brands and models differ in size and shapes. They do not fit all feet.

[Terry in Australia]

Very true Per, even the socks you wear make a difference. I used to get free work boots whenever I asked for them but rarely wore them because I usually wore dress shoes, but on the odd occasion that I actually did any manual work I’d put them on, and if I was wearing socks too thin my feet would hurt all day. I still wear the last pair I got for free and as long as I’m wearing thicker socks, they’re fine. I put orthotics in one pair of hard-core work boots and it totally transformed them, they were like comfortable slippers.

[Don R]

 I had to wear boots with metatarsal covers in a factory I worked at, I tried to leave them at my work station but the plant manager said no, so I tried wearing them on the 750. Yup, I got my boot stuck in the brake lever/foot peg area and went down in the parking lot. After that, I changed boots outside. Some mornings after a ride in the wind, those big old boots took a while to warm up.   

[budman]

Ride #11, 83 miles

Just a quick ride today.  Nice day.  I little on the cool side and a few clouds.  No stops except for gas and a pic of this longhorn that was hanging out by the side of the road.

I had to get a ride in while I could.  I'm heading out of town for a few days this week.  When I get back the temperature is supposed to be dropping, so not sure when I'll be able to get back on the bike.

[Terry in Australia]

Nice pics again Bud. Yesterday started with my youngest son coming over in the morning to give me my birthday present, and for me to blow out the candles on my cake. Whenever a family member asks me what I want, it's always booze, which we all know is the gift of love. I need to drink a lot more though, as the cabinet is getting rather full.....

Birthday booze by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Once that was out of the way I drove over to the self storage place to install the replacement side cover on the F2, and was happy that it was a good match for the rest of the bike's décor.

Rocket III Sunday 12 March 2023 5 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I haven't ridden the Triumph for awhile, so I figured I should give it a run. Good thing I did, as it was a real Autumn day, overcast and cool, and of course I was wearing the wrong jacket, so the windscreen stopped me from freezing completely. The big beast fired up right away, the 6 year old Motobatt black battery that I stole from the Sporty is still doing a great job of cranking that big 2300cc engine over. I rode out thru Wallan, Romsey, Lancefield thru to Kilmore, where I'd intended to have lunch. I stopped a few miles out to take a pic.

Rocket III Sunday 12 March 2023 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

When I walked back to the bike I noticed that the baffle tube on the right muffler was hanging out! Fcuk! Not a case of poor British Engineering, it's an American Jardine pipe, and the baffles are held in by one pop rivet on each side, and this one had busted. Double fcuk, I could have either pulled it right out and serenaded the poor folks in Kilmore's narrow main street with more noise than a V8 supercar, or try to jam it back in place, and hope that it didn't fly out the back and either hit a car, or disappear into the bushes. I carry plenty of tools, but not a drill and a pop rivet gun, so the best I could do was shove a cable tie in the hole meant for the pop rivet, then kick the tube back in place, hoping that the cable tie would help wedge the tube in place. I took off again, and decided against stopping for lunch as my anxiety was piqueing. I rode on to Wandong and stopped for gas, then checked it again, and was happy that the baffle hadn't moved.

Rocket III Sunday 12 March 2023 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I rode home the backway to avoid traffic as much as possible, and made sure that I didn't give it the berries so I wouldn't fire the baffle out of the muffler like a cannon ball out of a cannon. I got home OK, and I'll take my drill and pop rivet gun over to the self storage place and fix it next time I go over there. Ride #11 down, 12 to go.

   

[ekpent]

Unlike a sneaky side cover at least you would know exactly when and where the baffle got lost ! Ear plug time.

[budman]

Happy Birthday, Terry!

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks guys, yep, the second Rocket III that I bought that Spotty now owns has the “Competition Baffles” in it, and it’ll set off car alarms because it’s so loud. My biggest concern was firing the baffle into the traffic behind me and hitting someone’s car. I had a near death experience a few years back when a car flicked up a metal rod that was lying on the road and watching it go up in the air in a big arc, then crashed down into the hood of my Mitsubishi, narrowly missing my windscreen.

That cost my insurance company a couple of thousand bucks to repair and scared the sh1t out of me. Of course even without any carnage, knowing where it landed and retrieving it on a busy freeway would present another scary scenario. I’m just glad it didn’t part company….

[Terry in Australia]

I took my drill and pop rivet gun over to the self storage place today and riveted the baffle on the Triumph back in. Yesterday was a stinker (97 degrees) so today was surprisingly cool at barely 70. Being that the Triumph was already out of my storage unit and it had a full tank of gas, plus my back has been a bit sore of late and it's got a big comfy seat, I fired it up, and hit the road. I started my usual route out thru Wallan and Romsey, but then headed west out thru Woodend, then back thru Macedon. As I said it was a bit cool, and I'd stopped to put some warmer gloves on when I took these pics.

Rocket iii Sunday 19 Mar 2023 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I didn't stop for food as I'd promised the wife I'd make her a pizza when I got back, but I wasn't that hungry anyway, and being that it was quite cool I wasn't thirsty either. I got a little lost after Macedon and ended up on the Calder Freeway, and as my back was singing a sad, sad song, I rode the freeway back to the self storage place. All up ride #12 was around 120 miles, and mostly very enjoyable.

Rocket iii Sunday 19 Mar 2023 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr