New Boots

This adventure bike means that I will be heading off the beaten track a bit more. I really don't want to wreck my road riding gear by taking it into the dirt and anyway, bits of that kit are designed for off road use anyway.

Take my boots for example. 

My road boots are Sidi  Vertigos that I bought way back here. They are great on the road bike but they will get trashed in the bush. I began looking for some suitable replacements about a month ago. I wanted something that could be walked in, as well as providing decent protection. Waterproof would be nice but at the end of the day, nothing is truly waterproof so that wasn't a deal breaker.

I liked the look of the Forma Adventure boots but couldn't find any to try on locally(or at the right price).

Forma Adventure boot.

 I did find an end of stock TCX Track boot that was at a good price at one of the local bike shops. It was my size but I wanted one size larger to allow for foot sewlling when my feet get hot (because it will get hot in Oz) so I left them be.

TCX Track boot

I tried on some AlpineStar Corizal boots at the AMA Warehouse and liked the fit, style and the way the buckles latched but they didn't have the right size either.

Searching around the interwebs I found a pair in the size I needed (US10) at BikeBiz in Sydney (at a much cheaper price too!). A few clicks of a keyboard and they were winging their way north to me.

First wear of the boots was on last week's Tenterfield ride.

AlpineStars Corizal boots.

This is what they look like after two days riding.

Good looking(IMHO) and comfortable almost right away.

 Initially, they were very stiff which made it hard to brake or change gear but they very quickly softened to allow the right amount of movement. Hopefully this doesn't mean they won't have enough ankle protection but in saying that, I didn't want a pair of MX boots that would be all protection and no walking comfort. There is always compromise somewhere if you want them to be real world comfortable.

Not sure about the waterproof abilities yet as this wasn't really very testing weather, nor was the crossing deep. My feet felt nice and cool though as the water splashed the boots.

I was a smidge nervous about going AlpineStars again as the last pair of AlpineStars road boots I had (admittedly, bought in 1998), the sole came off. So did the sole of my Bro's last pair of AlpineStars. His were of similar vintage (SMX I think) so lets hope in the  last decade and a half  er, TWO DECADES (shit has it been that long?!!) their quality has improved somewhat.

I will keep you updated on what these boots are like in the long run.

The next bit of kit I want is a well ventilated adventure jacket/suit. My RST suit, being black, is just too hot to stand around in and shows the dust terribly. I suddenly understand why most of the adventure suits are some form of browny-beige! Watch this space as I search out a suitable er...suit...but don't expect a BMW product. I don't plan on selling a kidney to buy one.....

Oh. 

I didn't realise it at the time but my last post was the 400th since I started this blog back in 2010! I wonder how many original readers there are? Rarer than Unicorn poo I would imagine!?

Cheers.

Damn! I loved that bike AND those boots!

Attempted Ride

With a slight respite in the weather and a mere day or so at home, I attempted a ride along some of our silky ribbons of tar earlier in the week. This ride resulted in  a rescue mission by the Minister for War after my front appendage developed a bulge about 30km from home.

That tyre is only 23mm (slightly less than 1") wide and shouldn't have that kink in it. Interestingly, once at home in the garage it proceeded to EXPLODE with all the force of a 30-30 gunshot, almost causing the Minister to wet herself. Glad I wasn't riding it at the time and she was standing in a waterproof part of the house!

On another note, my lovely new R1 hasn't been out of the shed except for a brief run to the bike shop to peruse summer jackets and boots.

I am pleased to say that a pair of Sidi Vertigo boots are in the safe hands of the USPS and hopefully winging their way Down Under as I type this.
On a slightly negative note, I have ordered an AlpineStars T-GP Plus Air Jacket from two large North American motorcycle shops, only to have them both reply after several days that they do not, in fact, have them in stock and promptly returned my money. Nor can they get them any time soon. Bugger!

I have just placed an order with www.ridersdiscount.com , who assure me that they do in fact, have the jacket in stock and will whisk it all the way to Down Under for just 25 bucks! I will wait with fingers crossed that there is no "we apologise" email!

As far as I am concerned, this jacket is required equipment here in Queensland as at this time of year as it is bloody humid. I must be getting old, as the thought of sweating my arse off while riding the R1 is not at all appealing. Add to this that my leather jacket is still at the cleaners and it is a no brainer. No protection = no riding.

The other thing keeping me of the motorcycle is my helmet. It smells like an old ladies house with its combination of air freshener and mouldy, musky damp and I cannot see how to fix it, short of hitting it with the pressure cleaner. This may be terminal for the helmet and I am a bit averse to shelling out the $650 it will cost here in Oz for an Arai Vector 2 helmet. Although, the Vector 2 has a completely removable liner, which, if my current helmet had the same, would solve the problem that I currently have (and will no doubt have in the future here in Queensland), so maybe it will be in the my best interests to just "bite the bullet" and shell out for a new lid.

Either way, I am looking forward to my parcels turning up in the post......