Posted by Phil Boutros on August 18, 2009, 12:51 am
<snip my long-winded post>
I had two new products on this ride. Both are usually more
associated with sportbikes than cruisers, but I find that it's
generally easier to find quality gear when shopping in those shops.
Here we go:
Alpinestars SMX-5 Boots (http://tinyurl.com/p6e2kx )
These come in the regular version, a vented version, and a waterproof
version. I went to my local shop to try them on, and found that, much
to my delight, they are cut very narrow. Lots of the reviews I found
on the web has a few complaints that they are quite narrow. I,
however, have very narrow feet, and if I found footwear that is long
enough, it is usually too wide.
I orderded the waterproof version of these, thinking that it would
then make then decent boots year-round. The shop did not have these
in stock, but they paid extra to order them air for me, and they
should have been here by Thursday. Unfortunately, when the Purolator
guy came by, the boots were nowhere to be found. The Purolator
website claimed that they made it to Vancouver early that morning, but
that there was now a "mechanical error". I bought the non-waterproof
version instead, and waterproofed them with some Nikwax "Aqueous Wax"
(http://tinyurl.com/qldtuc ). I hit rain on the ride, and my tootsies
stayed nice and dry.
These are simply fantastic. Compared to my Red Wings, they feel like
sneakers. I wore them for a few hours on Thursday to break them in,
and didn't even notice them at all on the 6 hour ride on Friday. They
have vents that don't seem to do that much, so they may be a little
warm in summer heat, but they offer great protection features, and
should last for years.
Oxford Compact Tankbag (http://www.oxprod.com )
(NOTE: This particular model does not appear to be in their current
line up, but it is very similar to the expendeable bag (but smaller,
obviously) and is also still for sale many places))
This item was also great. It comes with two side pockets, a
transparent map holder on top, and magnets strong enough to stay on
the FXR's tank (over the dash and without the stupid front strap) even
at 70+ MPH. Also included is an unzippable base that has just a map
holder on it. It also comes with its own rain cover, which apparently
also has a clear top section so you can still see your map. Nice.
It was very handy to have things like earplugs and sunglasses
available right in front of me instead of having to dig through the
saddlebags. Also, it pulls right off and has a carry handle if you go
somewhere where you are worried about someone messing with your stuff,
as opposed to the saddlebags.
The fine folks at WebBikeWorld have written a more thorough review of
this item than I ever could at:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-luggage/motorcycle-tank-bag.htm
Two thumbs up for me for both products, so far.
Phil
--
AH#61 Wolf#14 BS#89 bus#1 CCB#1 SENS KOTC#4 philb@total.net
http://ah61.com http://philb.ca EKIII rides with me. http://eddiekieger.com
WWJD? JWRTFM.
hackerkey://v4sw5CU$hw7ln4pr7ck4ma9u7LMw2m7l7Si982Ct4b8en6a3Xs7r2p-5.38/-8.77g4
Posted by Invisible68 on August 18, 2009, 1:56 am
> <snip my long-winded post>
> I had two new products on this ride. Both are usually more
> associated with sportbikes than cruisers, but I find that it's
> generally easier to find quality gear when shopping in those shops.
> Here we go:
> Alpinestars SMX-5 Boots (http://tinyurl.com/p6e2kx )
> These come in the regular version, a vented version, and a waterproof
> version. I went to my local shop to try them on, and found that, much
> to my delight, they are cut very narrow. Lots of the reviews I found
> on the web has a few complaints that they are quite narrow. I,
> however, have very narrow feet, and if I found footwear that is long
> enough, it is usually too wide.
> I orderded the waterproof version of these, thinking that it would
> then make then decent boots year-round. The shop did not have these
> in stock, but they paid extra to order them air for me, and they
> should have been here by Thursday. Unfortunately, when the Purolator
> guy came by, the boots were nowhere to be found. The Purolator
> website claimed that they made it to Vancouver early that morning, but
> that there was now a "mechanical error". I bought the non-waterproof
> version instead, and waterproofed them with some Nikwax "Aqueous Wax"
> (http://tinyurl.com/qldtuc ). I hit rain on the ride, and my tootsies
> stayed nice and dry.
> These are simply fantastic. Compared to my Red Wings, they feel like
> sneakers. I wore them for a few hours on Thursday to break them in,
> and didn't even notice them at all on the 6 hour ride on Friday. They
> have vents that don't seem to do that much, so they may be a little
> warm in summer heat, but they offer great protection features, and
> should last for years.
Did you get the white or Black ones?!?!!??!
Invisible68
Posted by Phil Boutros on August 18, 2009, 11:00 am
> Did you get the white or Black ones?!?!!??!
Er...Black.
Phil...the "It's sort of a theme..." Asshole(tm)...
--
AH#61 Wolf#14 BS#89 bus#1 CCB#1 SENS KOTC#4 philb@total.net
http://ah61.com http://philb.ca EKIII rides with me. http://eddiekieger.com
WWJD? JWRTFM.
hackerkey://v4sw5CU$hw7ln4pr7ck4ma9u7LMw2m7l7Si982Ct4b8en6a3Xs7r2p-5.38/-8.77g4
Posted by EZ on August 18, 2009, 2:05 pm
>Alpinestars SMX-5 Boots (http://tinyurl.com/p6e2kx )
...
>These are simply fantastic. Compared to my Red Wings, they feel like
>sneakers.
Wow. That's really cool. Wish I'd read this article before I replaced
my Red Wings with a pair of Wolverine's. It seems that when I gained
50 pounds over the years, my feet spread out, and my size 11 feet
became size 12 feet. Red Wing store put 'em on a stretcher (the boots,
not my feet) for a week, and still no joy.
Anyhoo, we'll see how the Wolverine's turn out. They're waterproof,
GoreTex, and conservative enough in style that I could wear them to
work if I wanted to. I think Wolverine makes HD boots, too, not that
that matters.
--
_____ _____
| ____| |__ / Larry from St. Louis, MO
| _| / / SENS, MAMBM, MISFIT, TOMKAT, EKIII
| |___ / /_ BS #269 DOF #(I forget)
|_____| /____| 105th Anniversary Edition Ultra
Posted by SteveT on August 18, 2009, 2:58 pm
: I went to my local shop to try them on, and found that, much
:to my delight, they are cut very narrow.
Those Yurpeen people have skinny feet. Us Merkuns have wide feet and
are forced to wear wide boots. I've had the same pair of Redwing
Gore-Tex without insulation for 20 years.
___
Cogito Ergo Spam - I think therefore I ham
XML Sitemap
> I had two new products on this ride. Both are usually more
> associated with sportbikes than cruisers, but I find that it's
> generally easier to find quality gear when shopping in those shops.
> Here we go:
> Alpinestars SMX-5 Boots (http://tinyurl.com/p6e2kx )
> These come in the regular version, a vented version, and a waterproof
> version. I went to my local shop to try them on, and found that, much
> to my delight, they are cut very narrow. Lots of the reviews I found
> on the web has a few complaints that they are quite narrow. I,
> however, have very narrow feet, and if I found footwear that is long
> enough, it is usually too wide.
> I orderded the waterproof version of these, thinking that it would
> then make then decent boots year-round. The shop did not have these
> in stock, but they paid extra to order them air for me, and they
> should have been here by Thursday. Unfortunately, when the Purolator
> guy came by, the boots were nowhere to be found. The Purolator
> website claimed that they made it to Vancouver early that morning, but
> that there was now a "mechanical error". I bought the non-waterproof
> version instead, and waterproofed them with some Nikwax "Aqueous Wax"
> (http://tinyurl.com/qldtuc ). I hit rain on the ride, and my tootsies
> stayed nice and dry.
> These are simply fantastic. Compared to my Red Wings, they feel like
> sneakers. I wore them for a few hours on Thursday to break them in,
> and didn't even notice them at all on the 6 hour ride on Friday. They
> have vents that don't seem to do that much, so they may be a little
> warm in summer heat, but they offer great protection features, and
> should last for years.