Dirt boot recommendations?

[Cincinnatus]

I picked up two pairs of Alpinestars Toucans and love them. Great fit, comfortable shifting & riding, comfy for walking around in them, too.

Retails for $500, picked these up for $200/pair.

I was wearing them when I broke my ankle and they probably saved me from more damage, so there's that, which is nice.

I've got a pair of Gaerne Fastback Endurance in 11/45 that aren't comfy for me (heel has a wedge), if they fit & you want to try them, LMK.

 

[matty]

I was wearing them when I broke my ankle and they probably saved me from more damage, so there's that, which is nice.

I've got a pair of Gaerne Fastback Endurance in 11/45 that aren't comfy for me (heel has a wedge), if they fit & you want to try them, LMK.

I think I remember reading about when you broke your ankle (Buck Island trip?) I thought you were a beast then, for powering through, but now that I've broken a few bones in my feet, I KNOW you are beast....or at least a much higher tolerance of pain than I have

And thanks for the offer, but this fella wears a 43.

 

[Cincinnatus]

Yup, Buck Island camping with SFMCJohn, Cabrito, & Fluffy Bananachunks.

̶F̶̶e̶̶a̶̶r̶ Pain is the mind-killer, pain is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my pain. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the pain has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.



Yeah, it hurt like a bastard, and I kept on falling after that because I couldn't focus because of the pain. So, yeah, a high tolerance for pain plus I refused to give up the trip, plus screw it up for the other guys. I went thru the mental scenario of having to get an ambulance & have one or more of the guys get me to a paved road and figured I wasn't in THAT much agony. arty

 

[SFMCjohn]

I picked up two pairs of Alpinestars Toucans and love them. Great fit, comfortable shifting & riding, comfy for walking around in them, too.

Retails for $500, picked these up for $200/pair.

I was wearing them when I broke my ankle and they probably saved me from more damage, so there's that, which is nice.

I think I remember reading about when you broke your ankle (Buck Island trip?) I thought you were a beast then, for powering through, but now that I've broken a few bones in my feet, I KNOW you are beast ...

wear good boots story deserves a pic:

Cincinnatus, leading the charge up Buck Ridge on his mighty BMW GS-A.

the beast, Cincinnatus, leading the charge with his broken foot … and finishingl the trip thanks to his Alpinestars. arty

 

[Cincinnatus]

Not sure I'm "leading the charge" when SFMCJohn got up there ahead of me and was able to TAKE THE PICTURE....

 

[mjj]

I ended up returning both the Forma and Gaerne previously mentioned, but for esthetic reasons. Actually the fit of the Gaerne was a bit off. Somebody was complaining about finding a good fit for their huge calves, so I will complain about finding one for my skinny toothpick ones. They both seemed fine, sturdy, protective.

I ended up with A* Tech 7's (not the Enduro). I like the fit and they seem completely adequate, but I was not able to use them on my street bike. The toe is much too big and the boot too inflexible to fit under the shift lever to upshift. OTOH they do work on the GS, snugly, but the GS shift lever is adjustable.

Unless you plan on competing or taking your Super Adventure to the trials course I'd say this level of protection should be plenty.

 

[KooLaid]

I ended up returning both the Forma and Gaerne previously mentioned, but for esthetic reasons. Actually the fit of the Gaerne was a bit off. Somebody was complaining about finding a good fit for their huge calves, so I will complain about finding one for my skinny toothpick ones. They both seemed fine, sturdy, protective.

I ended up with A* Tech 7's (not the Enduro). I like the fit and they seem completely adequate, but I was not able to use them on my street bike. The toe is much too big and the boot too inflexible to fit under the shift lever to upshift. OTOH they do work on the GS, snugly, but the GS shift lever is adjustable.

Unless you plan on competing or taking your Super Adventure to the trials course I'd say this level of protection should be plenty.

Wear knee guards. Unless you're really tall, the bottom of the knee guard should fit inside the boot and take up some of that space.

Speaking of boots, a week ago a buddy took his dual sport out to do a street ride with some other buddies. This lead into hitting the trails on the way back and he ended up dropping the bike on his foot in the rock gardens.... in his work boots. Ended up breaking it and will be out of work/income for 4 months. Thing is, he already owns decent dirt bike boots but chose not to wear them.

 

[mjj]

Wear knee guards.

And sunscreen?

Thanks for the tip. Will look into knee guards.

I'm still struggling a bit with the shift lever. If I do a twisty motion with my leg, I can get the toe under and upshift, but it sure don't feel natural or smooth. I thought I could reset the lever by one spline to give more room but then the lever bolts interfere with the engine case. I can adjust the lever to be *longer*, maybe that will help.

All this is on the street; I haven't even hit any challenging terrain. Is it supposed to be this difficult?

 

[matty]

I ended up returning both the Forma and Gaerne previously mentioned, but for esthetic reasons. Actually the fit of the Gaerne was a bit off. Somebody was complaining about finding a good fit for their huge calves, so I will complain about finding one for my skinny toothpick ones. They both seemed fine, sturdy, protective.

I ended up with A* Tech 7's (not the Enduro). I like the fit and they seem completely adequate

Fellow toothpick calves here. I've been looking mostly at the Sidi Crossfires, only because I know that Sidi's fit me really well, but since you've tried 3 brands how do the others fit? True to size? You said the Gaerne was a bit off, in what way?

Regardless, I have plenty of time to wait for clearance deals post holidays, though I'd prefer that wasn't the case.

 

[mjj]

If I am to speak to the fit on spindly pins, I’d say the Forma felt most comfy. The Gaerne, I don’t know. Maybe they were just sized large, but I felt swimmy in them. The A*, aside from the issues I’m having with shifting, fit my shape fine. They’re so stiff! But given the purpose, that doesn’t seem bad. And, the shifting is feeling better with practice.

I gave myself permission to order several, and return anything I didn’t like. Maybe you can try that approach.

 

[KooLaid]

And sunscreen?

Thanks for the tip. Will look into knee guards.

I'm still struggling a bit with the shift lever. If I do a twisty motion with my leg, I can get the toe under and upshift, but it sure don't feel natural or smooth. I thought I could reset the lever by one spline to give more room but then the lever bolts interfere with the engine case. I can adjust the lever to be *longer*, maybe that will help.

All this is on the street; I haven't even hit any challenging terrain. Is it supposed to be this difficult?

Sounds like something is bent. Or you've got some really thick toe box boots.

What bike?

 

[mjj]

It’s an ‘09 F800GS

 

[matty]

I ended up picking up a pair of Sidi X3's off of a fellow BARFER, unfortunately, I seem to have taken a step backwards in recovery, but hopefully it's a minor set back and I'll be able to put on the right boot within a couple of months

 

[KooLaid]

I ended up picking up a pair of Sidi X3's off of a fellow BARFER, unfortunately, I seem to have taken a step backwards in recovery, but hopefully it's a minor set back and I'll be able to put on the right boot within a couple of months

I saw those, congrats on the snag. I would of gotten those as a spare if you hadn't lol.