So, I bought my first bike, what gear do I need?

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by Fastguy

So what do motorcycle specific boots do, provide more ankle support? It seems that anything you do to stiffen the ankle would just cause a leg break at the top of the boot.

your ankle is a joint... it's gonna be more prone to injury than a bone... bones are actually pretty strong for the most part... ankles and wrists have a lot of other things that can go wrong also... ligaments, tendons or fluid in the joints... ect...

AFAIK... it takes longer for a broken ankle to heal than a broken leg too... and has much longer recovery time... the "splinting" process... ie pins and shit... isn't as easy either...


here's a decent selection of boots... it's sorted by type... but you can go back and browse by brand, type, and price I believe

http://www.newenough.com/boots/all_types/

[Evadd]

Originally Posted by Fastguy

So what do motorcycle specific boots do, provide more ankle support? It seems that anything you do to stiffen the ankle would just cause a leg break at the top of the boot.

yes, they provide more support and come up fairly high on the shin. that does a couple things: it spreads out the impact over a larger surface, which decreases the chance of allowing a break, and the stress is carried over to some larger, stronger bones that are less prone to breaking as was mentioned. when you tumble down the road, your extremities will likely be banging the ground with some serious force.

if you're worried about causing different fractures, picture it this way: lie on the pavement, and lift your leg two feet in the air. now, slam your bare ankle to the ground as hard as you can on its side. yeah, i don't want to either. now, put on a pair of the boots i have pictured below and do it again - you probably won't even feel any discomfort at all.

also, the type of protection the offer will help do things that ordinary boots don't: they usually come with a limited range of motion, so there is less twisting and over-extension or over-flexion of the ankle joint. in addition, they can help prevent or minimize crushing injuries b/c they have such stronger lateral support.

these are what i wear most often. see the lateral support brace and the plates in the back? they allow enough flexion/extension for walking, but limit it beyond natural movement. also, they allow nearly no lateral torsion which will sto you from "twisting" your ankle. they also help prevent a crushing injury, as does the front shin guard.

[Fastguy]

Originally Posted by Evadd

lie on the pavement, and lift your leg two feet in the air. now, slam your bare ankle to the ground as hard as you can on its side. yeah, .

Ok, hold on, brb









(guess I'm going gear shopping soon)

['73 H1 Triple]

I purchased a pair of A* ( AlpineStars ) SMX-4 boots in the late fall for half price ( $100). I finally got to wear them riding last weekend for a 110 mile ride. Extremely comfortable and no breakin required. I literally forgot I was wearing full motorcycle boots.

http://www.alpinestars.com/SMX_4_Boo.../p/222306.html

( mine are all black )

Jeff

[Fastguy]

Originally Posted by '73 H1 Triple

( mine are all black )

Jeff

I'd hope so, the blue would make you look like a smurfing smurfbag on your bike.

[HokieDNA01]

Boots and pants are very important. I have had 2 crashes on my bike and the only injury I have is my big toe. I was wearing armored riding boots similar to the ones shown in this thread and still hurt my toe (bent it backward so hard that it still hurts 3 years later). I think I would have broken my foot severely without the boots. I also slid on my butt for a ways and didn't have a mark/bruise on me with my leather/armored pants. If you don't want to wear full leather pants (and chaps leave your most vulnerable ASSets exposed) maybe look into some riding jeans such as Draggin Jeans or Icon Jeans. They are reinforced however they do not have armor to protect from impact.

Here are some links to the jeans....and you can get armor undersuits if you like the jeans look...


http://www.dragginjeans.com.au/index.htm

http://www.rideicon.com/product_group.jsp?category=1976

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by '73 H1 Triple

I purchased a pair of A* ( AlpineStars ) SMX-4 boots in the late fall for half price ( $100). I finally got to wear them riding last weekend for a 110 mile ride. Extremely comfortable and no breakin required. I literally forgot I was wearing full motorcycle boots.

http://www.alpinestars.com/SMX_4_Boo.../p/222306.html

( mine are all black )

Jeff

same boots I have... I've gone down in mine... sprained my ankle pretty bad... had I not been wearing the boots... I'd have a pretty fucked up ankle... and probably some hardware holding it together.

[marko138]

I have the SMX-3...I crashed in them last fall. No bubbles no troubles. Walked away...actually rode away. Fuck that crash.

['73 H1 Triple]

Originally Posted by Fastguy

I'd hope so, the blue would make you look like a smurfing smurfbag on your bike.

I did the smurf thing back in the 80s with my blue CJ-7 with white hardtop

[Fastguy]

I work 3 miles from my house, all residential neighborhoods. I work a shirt/tie type job so I am most likely looking for stuff I can wear over my office clothes and then change shoes at work.