Combat Boots?

[Botch]

So, will ANY MC racing boots protect your ankle if a car runs over them? I have two sets of boots (the Oxtars mentioned above for winter, and my beloved BMW Airflows for summer) and neither would prevent my ankles from breaking, perhaps "racing" boots are different (I've never even tried on a pair).
I rode in my old workboots for several months while I waited for my damh special-order size-13 boots to come in, and I felt pretty protected (which, in retrospect, means nothing )

 

[wrightme43]

No I think luck more than anything determines what gets broken when run over with a car.

My dad ran me over with a van when I was about 5. Nothing broken but it did slap my face into the pavement pretty good.

(he was good and high) didnt even notice.

 

[Shamus McFeeley]

Go to your local surplus store and get a pair of the tan bellville boots with the vibram sole. You can even get them in steel toe if you want. I used a pair of these for riding on dirt for a long time before buying a pair of fox trackers. Wrecked many times, never a broken bone.

 

[Rushiku]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I think I'll stick it out for a while with the combat boots. I think they're the 'older' soles, slick as hell on ice. I found that out, to my bruised bottom's surprise, after returning to frosty Northern Illinois. But, man, they made some noise when setting 'em down in drill

I kind of like the look of the Icon Field Armor boot. A little on the ski boot lookin' side (what's with those buckles?), but...I don't know, should I be shopping on looks? Probably not (unless I like the look of a peg leg...hard to shift with, I'd imagine )

 

[wrightme43]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I think I'll stick it out for a while with the combat boots. I think they're the 'older' soles, slick as hell on ice. I found that out, to my bruised bottom's surprise, after returning to frosty Northern Illinois. But, man, they made some noise when setting 'em down in drill

I kind of like the look of the Icon Field Armor boot. A little on the ski boot lookin' side (what's with those buckles?), but...I don't know, should I be shopping on looks? Probably not (unless I like the look of a peg leg...hard to shift with, I'd imagine )

I had a pair of the Icon Field armour boot. They were extra suxxor.

 

[Avalon786]

How you like them apples??? LOL LOL LOL ROTFLMAO

:thumbup:

Steve

Okay WTF, my avatar was changed to the pic of those boots and i did not do it!!! I did LMAO when i saw it when i logged in, i think i'll leave it that way

 

[OneTrack]

Any boot is better than no boot at all, as we agree. However, as an aside, I should mention that in my first crash in circa 1965, where a car pulled out of a side road in front of me, resulted in me "torpedoing" the car with my head and right shoulder, with my bike sliding underneath the car. I had tried an emergency stop, but being England, the road was wet and very slippery, so off I went.
Anyway....I was wearing my army uniform with the new DMS rubber-soled high-top combat boots and one of them came off with my impact with the car, even though the boot did not impact anything.
I was told later on that severe accident trauma (I was knocked out and had a severe concussion) causes the feet and hands to instantly and violently shrink in size, which is why even tightly fitted boots and gloves fly off. In my case, very snuggly laced combat boots.
IOW, it wouldn't have mattered WHAT I had on my feet at the time.

 

[rbesr]

I normally wear the TourMaster Response boot for riding but in really hot weather, I wear Air Force issue hot weather boots. They provide plenty of protection plus don't burn up my feet and ankles. I feel they'll give adequate protection in most situations. Let's face it, if the hit is hard enough, nothing is going to save our body parts.

 

[Keits]

Any boot is better than no boot at all, as we agree. However, as an aside, I should mention that in my first crash in circa 1965, where a car pulled out of a side road in front of me, resulted in me "torpedoing" the car with my head and right shoulder, with my bike sliding underneath the car. I had tried an emergency stop, but being England, the road was wet and very slippery, so off I went.
Anyway....I was wearing my army uniform with the new DMS rubber-soled high-top combat boots and one of them came off with my impact with the car, even though the boot did not impact anything.
I was told later on that severe accident trauma (I was knocked out and had a severe concussion) causes the feet and hands to instantly and violently shrink in size, which is why even tightly fitted boots and gloves fly off. In my case, very snuggly laced combat boots.
IOW, it wouldn't have mattered WHAT I had on my feet at the time.

Umm...(a little OT) that sounds completely horrible and even that is a bit of an understatement. Did you have a helmet on? Any other safety gear? Or was that before any was invented??
(sorry, just couldn't help myself) Im reminded very much of my dad telling stories from from 40 yrs ago.

 

[sportrider]

I would say in MINIMUM over the ankle boots, I wear work boots while commuting to work, they come up to my lower shin. I used to wear my riding boots to work but I don't want to wear them out commuting, I save them for the canyons. in my opinion my work boots seem like they would offer more protection in a get off then my riding boots, but I think the odds of the riding boots hooking up on the street and causing ankle damage is far less because of the sliders on the boots. so I guess the best thing would be not to go down, but if it happens I'd rather be wearing any type of boot then flip flops or tennis shoes!!!

 

[Hellgate]

No I think luck more than anything determines what gets broken when run over with a car.

My dad ran me over with a van when I was about 5. Nothing broken but it did slap my face into the pavement pretty good.

(he was good and high) didnt even notice.

Well that explains it all!

 

[mdr]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I think I'll stick it out for a while with the combat boots. I think they're the 'older' soles, slick as hell on ice. I found that out, to my bruised bottom's surprise, after returning to frosty Northern Illinois. But, man, they made some noise when setting 'em down in drill

I kind of like the look of the Icon Field Armor boot. A little on the ski boot lookin' side (what's with those buckles?), but...I don't know, should I be shopping on looks? Probably not (unless I like the look of a peg leg...hard to shift with, I'd imagine )

I tried riding with a boot made for MX riders. Man, I don't know how they shift with those things on. Boot was so big I couldn't get under the lever to upshift. Even tried moving the lever to no avail. Maybe they have heel/toe shifters like I had on my Yamaha 100 twin. (Don't laugh - that was a long time ago and as long as you stayed off the interstate it was a nice bike. opcorn

 

[OneTrack]

Umm...(a little OT) that sounds completely horrible and even that is a bit of an understatement. Did you have a helmet on? Any other safety gear? Or was that before any was invented??
(sorry, just couldn't help myself) Im reminded very much of my dad telling stories from from 40 yrs ago.

:Flip:
Yes, I was wearing a helmet. Actually...I was the "odd man out" in our little biker group, as the other guys were still wearing the old "pudding basin" fiberglass helmets to emulate the racers of the day. I bought one of the new "space" or "fighter pilot" helmets that gave a lot more coverage and protection....I remember that it just seemed obvious to me to wear the best head protection available at the time. On impact, this helmet split from front to centre of the top along the right side. Had I been wearing the "pudding basin" helmet, I'd have been dead. Period. As it is, I broke my nose, shattered my right cheek bone and am left with double vision when I turn my eyes to the extreme right.
Our "safety gear" was usually a "Fonzie" style leather jacket, designed more for looks than safety. A t-shirt, a pair of jeans and zip-up "winkle picker" dress shoes completed the "look". I can't remember anyone wearing racing leathers on the street....nor racing boots either for that matter. Oh yes, there were the crusty old beggars who wore filthy old knee-length Belstaff waxed nylon jackets, massive gauntlets, farming boots and so forth, but they usually rode BSA Golden Flash or Royal Enfield Interceptor combinations or Vincents.

 

[andrewclaycomb]

The biggest advantage for street riding with a racing boot (besides obvious armor) is racing boots are so much lighter and actually vent. I rode for a couple of years wearing Harley boots. They were big clunky and expensive. i recently bought some relatively cheap racing boots from newenough (setup vision) and the weight difference is unreal. It's so much more comfortable on a long ride. My foot also fits under the shifter better.

 

[Wh0M3]

I agree with the shifting part too. When I'm wearing the combat boots I find myself shifting harder than if I'm wearing my thor boots. I'm not sure if it has to do with me being more used to one over the other, or not. I just know when I have my girlfriend on the back and I'm wearing my thor's I'm smother with the shifting.

But I do remember seeing a review for the 06' FZ6 saying something about the shift being klunky.... sorry I don't have an exact quote or remember what magazine it was from.

-PD

 

[madmanmaigret]

Just remeber those issue boots are "made and assembled by the lowest bidder" hope that helps you make up your mind.

 

[Cloned]

I have an old pair of combat boots that I wear, and I'm okay with the protection, but still want a little bit more for peace of mind. I tried on the Field Armor boots. They look cool and are actually pretty heavy in terms of armor. But there so darn big, I had a really hard time getting it under the shifter.

 

[Se7enLC]

I wanted protection, but I don't like the look of the typical motorcycle boots. They either look like galoshes or astronaut boots. I think it's probably the lack of heel and laces that does it.

So I got a pair of Harley Davidson "Brake Buckle" boots:

Full leather, steel toe. They have laces, but they have a buckle to keep them from getting caught on things. Zipper down the side for easy+fast removal. And they look bad-ass.

 

[MarinaFazer]

On big thing I like about my Sidi boots is the achiles protection. It limits movement of the foot, and protects from rear impact.

+1 on Sidi boots. I bought a pair of Vertrabra boots (they don't make anymore and now they're the Vertigo's if I'm not mistaken). They're comfortable for walking with regular socks, I feel much more protected and the only drawback are the plastics which are red and one is silver, but if you care enough, just paint over it!

BUT

when I wear them with jeans, I put the jeans over the top of them and the calf part just doesn't fit right...I wear black socks to work but without my leather pants to be in the boot, they seem big in the calf...are they too big for me? Everything else fits fantastic! I guess they're just made to be worn with leathers :thumbup:

 

[Rushiku]

Those Kick A$$!

Edit: What size do you consider your feet to be and what size boot did you get? If, by chance, you wear Birkenstocks, what size on those as well?