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Posted: 12/7/2018 2:22:50 AM EDT
I bought a Ducati 620 a month or so ago and have gotten a few rides on it. Fucking love it

I've got a helmet, gloves, and jacket that I wear, but I've always wondered what people do for pants and shoes / boots.

Jacket, gloves and helmet all come off and you can have your street clothes under, obviously. No issues there. But are there riding shoes or boots that you can ride, walk around in and be comfortable in, etc and not have issues?

Obviously I'm attached to my apendages and skin and want to keep them intact. But I'm also looking for comfortable gear that I can wear out when i ride where i'm going and not standout as riding gear.

Is there a happy medium?
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 2:46:37 AM EDT
[#1]
I've got several pair of Dragon Jeans that are Kevlar reinforced blue jeans. I've got a pair of Klim and a pair of Joe Rocket riding pants that go over your street clothes. As far as foot wear goes I've always wore over the ankle boots with a low heel and non-skid rubber soles. I've had Joe Rocket,Bates,Bilt,Sedici boots.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 2:48:47 AM EDT
[#2]
For pants you can either get overpants to go over your daily wear or sacrifice a bit of safety and go for some riding jeans or similar. Those jeans won't hold up to high speed abrasions as well as proper riding pants but should hold up to low speed slides a heck of a lot better than regular jeans. Some even have some padding which would help immensely.

Boots are not something I am willing to compromise any more and I usually just pack along some shoes to swap out. Almost every injury/off I've had on and off road has impacted my foot in some way, the last being my foot getting caught and twisted underneath the bike causing a very decent ankle sprain. That happened in September and I can still feel it today. I had on some decent boots on and they definitely saved me from completely twisting my foot and breaking it with the support they gave. There are some riding shoes out there that give decent impact resistance in the foot area, but many don't offer any ankle support which is what I am more worried about at this point. If you wanted to go down that route, I'd just try and opt for as much support as possible.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 4:35:19 AM EDT
[#4]
When going for a ride, I ATGATT. When riding to work, I do all but pants. I keep a spare pair of shoes at the office to change into from my Sidis. Anything other than motorcycle boots will come right off in any sort of crash or get off.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 4:44:19 AM EDT
[#5]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
That happened in September and I can still feel it today.
View Quote
lol, September, just wait. Eventually and suddenly, you will feel everything, everyday, from the last 20 years.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 4:51:37 AM EDT
[#6]
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 8:57:15 AM EDT
[#7]
Draggin Jeans, or any quality Kevlar lined jeans. Or overpants. (I've never tried them.) I like TCX boot/shoe hybrids. Pretty comfortable but I won't be walking very far in them. If you need to walk, bring normal shoes with.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 9:01:00 AM EDT
[#8]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I've got several pair of Dragon Jeans that are Kevlar reinforced blue jeans. I've got a pair of Klim and a pair of Joe Rocket riding pants that go over your street clothes. As far as foot wear goes I've always wore over the ankle boots with a low heel and non-skid rubber soles. I've had Joe Rocket,Bates,Bilt,Sedici boots.
View Quote
+1 for Draggin' Jeans. I can tell you firsthand they work as advertised.  You can add pads if you want.

TCX makes several decent boots that are comfortable and not clunky.  Make sure they've got talus/malleolus protection.
My minimum is something like the X-cubed, think it's been replaced by the Vibe.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 9:17:07 AM EDT
[#9]
I have several pairs of reinforced riding jeans, but sometimes I'll compromise and wear normal jeans or pants.

The real answer is a one piece oversuit like an Aerostich.  I've stepped out of one to reveal black tie like a dark match James Bond or something.

Attachment Attached File


Oh yeah...  Good boots are critical.  Imagine putting a refrigerator on your foot and sliding down the road...

Attachment Attached File
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 9:26:28 AM EDT
[#10]
Astars missile suit
astars gp gloves
spidi xpd boots
xlite x803 helmet
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 11:38:42 AM EDT
[#11]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
lol, September, just wait. Eventually and suddenly, you will feel everything, everyday, from the last 20 years.
View Quote
Between that and a few too many drinks on Halloween I've had quite a few sudden and harsh realizations this year that I'm getting old.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 11:48:12 AM EDT
[#12]
Two types of pants for me. Winter and summer. They have the CE protection in the hips, knees...both are Olympic brand. For boots I wear a pair of Gaerne G Adventure boots

Not a brand loyalist, just bought what was on a deal.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 12:16:44 PM EDT
[#13]
I used to do everything but pants, because my dedicated riding pants are uncomfortable for anything other than riding.

Dumped my bike at maybe 8-10mph, scraped up my knee, and RIP $80 UA pants. (honestly losting the pants hurt more than my knee, which is still healing from 3 weeks ago)

I was wearing some cheap Oxford riding boots, and those will be the next piece to get replaced for something much heavier duty, because my foot still got beat and bruised up. If the bike (versys 650, 454lbs) had landed on my foot I wouldn't be surprised if I was wearing a cast instead of salomons right now.

I have my AGV (iirc) pants that I'll wear if I'm going out specifically to ride, but otherwise I picked up some Scorpion Covert jeans, some Leatt knee/shin guards, and CE Lvl II D30 hip armor pads. I've worn the jeans two days in a row as normal jeans and they're plenty comfortable, and then I wore them two days with the hip armor in - still, plenty comfortable, even with a P07 and TLR1

In-pant knee pads have never been comfortable to me, so the Leatts will not only provide a lot more protection, but I can just strap them to my bike when I go somewhere, or strap them on the outside of a backpack.

I'm comfortable that this setup will do well enough in a slide. I've got a good jacket, gloves, and helmet, really the only thing left is boots, and after this and seeing my friend break their ankle, I'll be going to as much protection as I can get without blowing out my bank.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 12:46:03 PM EDT
[#14]
I can vouch for Dainese, it’s what I wore when I got smacked by a truck and ended up sliding onto a median before smacking the curb.

I don’t know the model of the jeans or boots. The boots were the inside the pants race boots, no twisted ankles or damage to my feet. I was walking fine after the wreck. The jeans are obviously Kevlar with the bigger knee protectors. My knee was banged up and bruised pretty good and I walked with a limp for a few days.

If I wore jeans with the thinner knee protection it would have been pointless. ATGATT
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 5:26:41 PM EDT
[#15]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I have several pairs of reinforced riding jeans, but sometimes I'll compromise and wear normal jeans or pants.

The real answer is a one piece oversuit like an Aerostich.  I've stepped out of one to reveal black tie like a dark match James Bond or something.

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/69748/image000000_08_jpg-763652.JPG

Oh yeah...  Good boots are critical.  Imagine putting a refrigerator on your foot and sliding down the road...

https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/69748/IMG_20180309_215031_jpg-763675.JPG
View Quote
+1

The one-piece oversuit is also the best I've found for commuting on the street.    I've tried actual riding pants and overpants and they're a lot more hassle than the one-piece suit that you can just wear over your regular clothes.  Plus, a one piece suit won't open up in the middle and expose your belly and waist.

Otherwise, I'm just wearing regular jeans, riding boots, jacket, helmet and gloves.

I keep a pair of regular shoes at work to slip into when I get there.  Aside from the safety, the hard soles of real riding boots makes riding so much nicer.
Link Posted: 12/7/2018 11:15:21 PM EDT
[#16]
Aerostich R3 Light and Forma ADV Tourers here. (And a Shoei RF-SR, earplugs, and either Spidi, Rukka, or Racer gloves depending on the season/weather.)

The Formas are a recent change. I had been wearing A* Web GTX boots for a number of years. They were starting to get rather worn, and I wanted something more protective, without being too cumbersome for everyday wear. The ADV Tourers bit the bill perfectly - only wish they were actual Gore-Tex (though I haven't had any waterproofing issues yet).

Commuting, I keep a pair of shoes at work. Normal everyday riding, both the Formas and the older A* are fine to walk around in for a while. If I'm touring or going somewhere I expect to be off the bike for hours, then I pack a pair of shoes on the bike (or in a backpack, when I didn't have panniers or a topbox).

Prior to getting the 'Stich, the last thing I was wearing was an iXS two-piece suit. Commuting, I would wear the jacket with a set of Rev'It overpants. Touring or weekend riding, it would be the jacket with the matching riding pants (with a full-circumference zipper).

I still have a pair of Draggin' jeans, but don't wear them anymore. (Hell, since getting my first 'Stich, I haven't worn anything else, excepting my one-piece leathers for sport riding.)

I only rode for about a month before getting dedicated riding boots. Within about a year or so of riding I had switched from lower boots to more full-length boots. (Though I know some wouldn't consider the Webs to quite be full-length, but more 3/4. The ADVTs are taller, though still not quite as tall as the full Forma ADVs or hardcore ADV/DS boots.)

ETA: And to me, ATGATT means ATGATT. I don't care if I'm riding 7 miles or 700.
Link Posted: 12/8/2018 5:15:24 PM EDT
[#17]
^^^^Same here, all of it!

My street gear:
Schuberth C3 Pro
Aerostich Roadcrafter 1 piece (colder, wet weather) or RevIt Cayenne Pro 2 piece zipped together (hot weather) and mathcing rain suit
Dainese 4 stroke gloves
Alpinestars Supertech-R boots (sportier bikes) or Alpinestars Toucan boots (ADV bike)

Track gear:
Shoei RF1200
Alpinestars Missile suit
Alpinestars GP Pro gloves
Alpinestars back protector (forgot model)
same Supertech-R boots

If you are riding to a place rather than just riding, the Aerostich is hard to beat since you can wear street clothes underneath and take it on or off in seconds.  They also make separate over pants that zip all the way up the side so that you can get them on or off without having to remove your boots.

That sounds like a lot of gear, and it is, but 1 crash and you made all your money back vs a trip to the hospital, let alone the pain and suffering of injury.
Link Posted: 12/9/2018 9:04:23 PM EDT
[#18]
I wear either regular full lace boot or Sidis.

I'm bad about the pants, usually just jeans.
Link Posted: 12/9/2018 11:25:46 PM EDT
[#19]
Pants are the most common thing people skimp on.  That's why I like full leg zippered overpants that you can take on and off very quickly, like Aerostich, Motoport, and Olympia.
Link Posted: 12/10/2018 8:15:57 AM EDT
[#20]
Motoport overpants and Gaerne Balance boot(3 pair rotated and are also my general everyday work boots for 5-6 years)
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