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Camping Equipment and all Clothing Tents, sleeping bags, stoves etc. Riding clothing, boots, helmets, what to wear when not riding, etc.
Photo by Hendi Kaf, in Cambodia

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Hendi Kaf,
in Cambodia




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  #16  
Old 13 Sep 2006
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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The heavy backpacking boot gets my vote

Here's my two cents after dropping my loaded klr650 and having my foot trapped under it.
The fancy leather, or even the military boots won't cut it if you drop (or crash) your bike. I've done this particular stupidity with two bikes (60k laydown and slow speed drop) and still have feet because I was wearing backpacking boots. Some of my friends also having done the asphalt inspection program (crash), and were wearing military or light riding boots. They came out much worse. My last dump would have resulting in a bad crush injury. As it was, I took some damage.
My criteria for a boot is that I can still hike good distance (have a bike break down on you and you will quickly and painfully find out why) and still ride comfortably in them.
My particular boot at the moment is a Gronnel heavy duty backpacking boot. It is the same boot I wear for ground search and rescue. That should tell you a bit about what extreme demands I place on my boots.
I have worn (out) Danner recons (2 pair. Soles gone in 3 months), Richile (two pairs fell apart like tissue paper), Zamberland, and Gronnel.
The last two were backpacking boots that stood up to the guff I give them.
For me, my feet are always plan "c".
Plan "A" is what expect to happen, plan "B" is what usually happens, and plan "C" is when everything goes to hell and you have to walk out. Plan "C" is a "must not fail" plan that you know you can count on. Live long enought and you will use plan "C" sometime.
Have the essentials you need to walk out of hell, including good boots, and have them with you at all times when travelling.

Peace,
Narly
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  #17  
Old 13 Sep 2006
bombarde's Avatar
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Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 25
My shoe size is 13-5E (U.S.) and from what I've learned, nearly all motorcycle-specific footwear is aimed at medium width (D in the U.S.).

So what to do...

I'm partial to steel or plastic toe protection, and yes, I know about people who've been damaged by steel toes in their shoes. Personally, my toes are not broken because I was wearing steel last time the bike went down. The leather covering the steel is gone and the black toenails did take about 8 months to disappear though.

There are many online retailers of tactical police and military footwear and while it's still very difficult to find 13-5E, extra-wide sizes are available in some product lines and these work for me.

I like laces and side zippers on my boots. It makes the fit much more exact and comfortable with waterproof construction also an option on some styles. The usual oil resistant materials are available.

They all take a bit of breaking in, but are quite comfortable on the bike and for walking.
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  #18  
Old 14 Sep 2006
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Ehime-ken, Japan
Posts: 273
"Allround-Footwear"

I am wearing a pair of hiking boots, too....just very convenient. A good place to order from is in my opinion Sierra Trading Post in the States. They've got lots of stuff that can be used for motorcycling, too. So far no negative experiences.
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