The fastest I go is 50 mph on a Van Van on country lanes to work..I felt the Higher boots were overkill just like a full leather suit.
Lets face I would look like a ****
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Boots Question
- Thread starter easyrider
- Start date
The fastest I go is 50 mph on a Van Van on country lanes to work..I felt the Higher boots were overkill just like a full leather suit.
Lets face I would look like a ****
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Racing leathers would be overkill, decent boots wouldn't be and wouldn't even be seen if you wore jeans over the top of them.
The minimum kit I'd be wearing is:
£100 on boots, RST Tractech for example
£100-£150 on kevlar jeans.
£80-£150 on a leather or textile jacket
£30-50 on gloves
£90-100 back armour/protector
£100 on lid.
So you can kit yourself up well for just over £500. It's not so much the speed you're going to be doing but the speed somebody else is going to hit you. Coming off at 30/40 mph is a relatively low speed crash in a car but on a bike it can be fatal. You never know what you're going to slide in to (kerb, road signs, ditches) or slide under (cars/lorries). Remember your body has NO crumple zones except bones that break and limbs that can be crushed.
If you've got a new bike(?) it seems a bit odd to be hunting for very cheap bargains. I understand top of the range is overkill as you stated and as mentioned expensive isn't always better as proven with Sharp testing on lids.
This gear is going to potentially save your life so you want to know it's up to the task.
Those boot retail for £112
Weise Retro Leather jacket £149
S4 SV £160
Hardly low cost inferior items?
http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/38273
These for me, good price, fit great, waterproof, good ankle and shin protection.
These for me, good price, fit great, waterproof, good ankle and shin protection.
Those boot retail for £112
Weise Retro Leather jacket £149
S4 SV £160
Hardly low cost inferior items?
They may retail at £112 but they are now in the bargain bin because no one wants them, why? Because they offer little shin protection.
I got all my gear from JTS as said before, I did want some Arnie style boots but being a size 14 I had to pick from what they had so I just told the girl to bring all the fourteens out & I picked which ones fit the best. Standard black leather motorbike boots with ankle protection & gear lever rubber etc
It is worth noting that if you come off a bike & slide down the rode your ankle bone sticks out & takes a good grinding, This bone is one of the ones they can't fix properly so they have to fuse your foot/ankle/leg together & you are basically ****** from then on.
Ankle protection is a Must.
It is worth noting that if you come off a bike & slide down the rode your ankle bone sticks out & takes a good grinding, This bone is one of the ones they can't fix properly so they have to fuse your foot/ankle/leg together & you are basically ****** from then on.
Ankle protection is a Must.
I never said they didn't offer ankle protection
You argued that the Forma were crap and in the bargain bin because of the lack of shin protection.
If that is case then the rest of the ankles boots for sale @ £100 + are not wanted and crap too.
I'm not taking a fit lol just asking!
To be fair, whatever the label ankle length boots are crap in terms of protection compared to full length boots. There is obvioulsy a market for people that value comfort over protection however.
Soldato
- Joined
- 26 Aug 2003
- Posts
- 24,288
To be fair there's been a couple of things lately that you've sought advice on from people who have experience, and then just pretty much ignored the advice given until so much of it finally mounts up that you give in...
As I said above, I have some ankle length Puma boots and while they're better than trainers, I only really wear them around town because I know the protection's just not really there. You've a longish commute to do, on country lanes, it's not just hops around town. It would be best to wear proper boots.
In essence, just bear in mind that ankle boots ARE a compromise and always will be. They are NOT AS GOOD as proper boots.
Just as Kevlar jeans are a compromise, as they don't have any armour, or have very little armour. Just as cheap eBay leather jackets are a compromise because yes they're leather but they're not put together properly. Buy the right kit and spend a little money and it will last you for years. Buy the wrong kit, or cheap kit, and it'll either get you hurt, or you'll replace it.
The stuff you're looking at really is for riding to the pub in, not a 15 mile country lane commute.
Like?
The GearX jacket conformed to CE regulations in terms of body armour and leather thickness....I was just making sure that people were not "blinded by the brand"
Did you watch the secrets of the superbrands on BBC iplayer?
2 Jars of Heinz baked beans one was labled Heinz and the other Tesco Value....Both Jars contained Heinz and yet everyone said the Heinz beans taster better when in fact they were both Heinz
I would argue that a "hop around town" is far more dangerous than a cruise on country lanes with not another car in sight for the duration of the journey...I have stopped nipping out up the road into town because the other people on the road make it dangerous.
I know this..but the bike capacity, conditions and other road users have to be taken into account.
So forma is a crap brand? ( genuine question) I should by leather pants? I'm pootling to work not touring Europe?
I have no intention of riding my bike unless the sun is shining. I have no intention of riding fast...
What I am going to do is attach a a Gopro HD camera to my bike and ride into work..you can then judge for yourselves the " risk"
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My commute to work sounds similar to yours. But remember the country roads are no safer than the city ones. Having to dodge animals, mud and cars on narrow roads is all part of a country commute.
My last pair of Forma boots leaked from new, they were meant to be waterproof.
Soldato
- Joined
- 26 Aug 2003
- Posts
- 24,288
I think it speaks volumes that aside from your bike, the most expensive item of kit involved in your motorcycling will be the HD camera attached to your bike.
I'm not going to sit and argue all night, nor am I dismissing ankle length boots (I own some) or Kevlar jeans (I own some). I do wear both, just not often. They're a compromise. I have them because it's better than wearing jeans and trainers - they're by no means as good as proper gear and I absolutely would not rely on them to commute in.
What I'm driving at is that the fact you're on a 125 doesn't really matter. The capacity of your bike doesn't mean much when it's on its side and your ankle's underneath it, and when that happens you want to be in decent boots! Just buy decent kit of the right type for your ride. Riding motorcycles is dangerous and how well dressed you want to be for it is up to you.
But commuting means spending a lot of time on the bike, and spending a lot of time on a bike invariably means getting knocked off it.
It also means knackering all your cheap kit, a lesson which I learned myself, and which probably everyone else in the thread has learned as well, which is why we're all advising you get proper kit of decent quality.
I'm not going to sit and argue all night, nor am I dismissing ankle length boots (I own some) or Kevlar jeans (I own some). I do wear both, just not often. They're a compromise. I have them because it's better than wearing jeans and trainers - they're by no means as good as proper gear and I absolutely would not rely on them to commute in.
What I'm driving at is that the fact you're on a 125 doesn't really matter. The capacity of your bike doesn't mean much when it's on its side and your ankle's underneath it, and when that happens you want to be in decent boots! Just buy decent kit of the right type for your ride. Riding motorcycles is dangerous and how well dressed you want to be for it is up to you.
But commuting means spending a lot of time on the bike, and spending a lot of time on a bike invariably means getting knocked off it.
It also means knackering all your cheap kit, a lesson which I learned myself, and which probably everyone else in the thread has learned as well, which is why we're all advising you get proper kit of decent quality.