My new lever

[ledany]

I realized that my left foot is aching, when I walk bare foot in my home, I feel the upper bones of my left foot coming into place when I leave the chair or the bed. I guess that the reason is that I ride with ordinary shoes, rarely bike boots (we are in Paris, we have to be stylish  ).
So I decided to change the lever and that's how it looks like :



People may not like this lever because you have to lift your foot from the peg to use your heel but I don't mind, I'm rarely in a race mode 

The very good thing about this is that I can ride with the velvet shoes without ruining the shoes ! 

[bscrive]

Ledany,

Riding with anything other than boots is not good practice.  Look at any of the motorcycle videos where the guy gets in an accident and he is not wearing boots.  You always see his shoes flying off in different directions.  There is being fashionable and there is being smart.    Broken feet are not fashionable. 

[Jess from VA]

Velvet shoes.   

Be careful, or I'll post the injured foot picture again (with all the flesh peeled off).

I have heel toe on both my valks, and would not ride them without them.

I still wear boots.  (same as below, only 8 inchers)

You know, swat style (cordura uppers, leather lowers) in a 4.5-6 inch boot can be about as comfortable as tennis shoes.  And come in waterproof too.

Even have zippers, so step in and zip.

[ledany]

@Brian : you are right, better safe than sorry. Still, I don't want to dress in combat mode (no airbag, in summer I use the Shoei J Cruise instead of the Shoei Neotec etc.). The thing is when you are so lightly dressed as I am, you don't compete and you drive carefully. I know crap happens anytime and everywhere but my ratio is that when I ride in my neighborhood, I know the dangers, the spots where you have to be peculiarly cautious (20 km range).

@Jess : I can't wear these boots at work and I can't imagine to carry two pairs 

There is a god for scoundrels, when this happened (april '14), I was wearing the full BMW gear from head to toe 

[Kidd]

well, geez Jess , what kind of boots are these ??  The name ?

Velvet shoes.   

Be careful, or I'll post the injured foot picture again (with all the flesh peeled off).

I have heel toe on both my valks, and would not ride them without them.

I still wear boots.  (same as below, only 8 inchers)

You know, swat style (cordura uppers, leather lowers) in a 4.5-6 inch boot can be about as comfortable as tennis shoes.  And come in waterproof too.

Even have zippers, so step in and zip.

[Robert]

I'd like to see those shoes after riding in the rain a bit  ???

[Jess from VA]

well, geez Jess , what kind of boots are these ??  The name ?

Google 4.5 to 6 inch tactical boots (cordura leather).  The choices are nearly endless.  Waterproof, hard toe, lace or zip.

https://www.google.com/search?q=4.5+to+6+inch+tactical+boots+(cordura+leather)&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZmOKo4KzSAhXo5oMKHTD2C_EQ_AUICSgC&biw=1424&bih=638

Once you find a pair you want, go to Amazon for best prices.

http://www.galls.com/quarterboots

http://www.galls.com/bates-5-tactical-sport-boot?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

http://www.galls.com/galls-g-tac-athletic-6-side-zip-waterproof-boot?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

http://www.galls.com/magnum-5-viper-pro-waterproof-boot?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

http://www.galls.com/rocky-elements-of-service-6-inch-side-zip-duty-boot?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

http://www.galls.com/rocky-6-tmc-chukka-boot?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

http://www.galls.com/nike-s-f-b-field-chukka?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

http://www.galls.com/5-11-tactical-6-shield-boot?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

http://www.galls.com/magnum-opus-5-inch-boot?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

http://www.galls.com/bates-4-gx-4-non-metallic-waterproof-boot?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

Any slip-on or Wellington is a poor choice as they will come off in a fall and slide, but these look nice.
http://www.galls.com/thorogood-6-quick-release-composite-toe-station?PMWTNO=000000000002077&PMSRCH=

This is just from Gall's site, there are many more.

I wear 8" Danners, magnums, and others, whenever I can.  The traction on all pavements is better than most traditional motorcycle boots.  And you can walk around all day in them and not get sore feet like I do on my bike specific boots.  

While a waterproof 4-6 inch boot will be better in wet, in a downpour, your feet will still probably get wet, running down the tops of the boots (unless you wear rain pants with a strap under the boot to hold them down).  For warmth and waterproof, you are better off with a solid leather (and not a nylon cordura) tongue, even if they claim it is a waterproof boot.  It's the riding 50-70 mph in the rain that makes many claimed waterproof, not entirely waterproof.

For cold, extended rain and trips, I wear my bike specific Alpinestar's or Sidi's.  The Alpinstars are great riding boots, but a half hour of walking/standing around in them is pure foot torture for me.  

[Dragunslayer]

Ledany,

Riding with anything other than boots is not good practice.  Look at any of the motorcycle videos where the guy gets in an accident and he is not wearing boots.  You always see his shoes flying off in different directions.  There is being fashionable and there is being smart.    Broken feet are not fashionable. 

What you don't see in some of those videos is that maybe there foot is still in the shoe

[zackod]

Nice Shifter.    If you experience transmission issues, and you are still under warranty, make sure you switch back to OEM prior to trip to dealer.   

[bscrive]

Ledany,

I also have a heel-toe shifter on my bike made by Kuryakyn.  I love the shifter and have not had a mis-shift in the last two years.

Jess,
I also use the combat style of boot when riding.  They are so comfortable and allow you to walk and not hurt your feet like a lot of motorcycle boots do.  The best thing about them is that you can get them so that they are waterproof.  No stupid booties to wear over your boots that can slide when you stop.

I think I will be in the market for some new ones this spring.  I will be in Port Canaveral next week and hopefully I will be able to find a store close by that sells them.

[Shrubbo]

Looks boss ledany! ... and my 2c, wear whatever you want... all the same going under a bus mate

[ledany]

  I learned today that Steve Jobs last words were : " Oh wow ! "  
And to tell the truth, I almost went under a bus in a corner a life before : slow speed all right but in a rush for the green light, wet road, cold tires, sloping road  
The bus driver heard the little shock and had the good idea to stop his bus in the middle of the crossroad giving me some time to pull back my front wheel from under the bus. No damages whatsoever  

[Kidd]

What do you mean , you dropped your bike , it slid  under a bus  and there was no damage ??

I learned today that Steve Jobs last words were : " Ow wow ! " 
And to tell the truth, I almost went under a bus in a corner a life before : slow speed all right but in a rush for the green light, wet road, cold tires, sloping road 
The bus driver heard the little shock and had the good idea to stop his bus in the middle of the crossroad giving me some time to pull back my front wheel from under the bus. No damages whatsoever 

[ledany]

Fortunately yes, no damage on my BMW R1100 R, or very few scratches, nothing really noticeable