Discerning Quality and Value in Motorcycle Gear

Rideblog01I have been riding a motorcycle for some 35 years. I have acquired a lot of gear to wear when I ride over the years … jackets, vests, chaps, pants, boots … you name it, I have it.

When I was a novice biker, like most young guys, I looked around at what other bikers were wearing and admired the tough-looking style and appearance of leather gear and boots. I admit, I was (and am) “a bit more enthusiastic” for leather than most other guys. But I was young, had a tight budget, and have always been frugal, so I was looking for what appeared to be good-looking gear but within my budget. Or shall I say, I was looking for “cheap.”

Leather gear is priced…
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Motorcop Compliment

We have been enjoying unseasonably warm weather in our neck of the woods. With daytime temperatures in the high 80s (~31C), my Harley has been my constant companion and form of transportation. Glad to be back on the saddle again.

While I was out and about, a local motor officer rode up next to me and we soon came to a stop at a traffic signal. He looked over at me, recognized me, smiled broadly, and said, …
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“How” Questions About Boots

Here are more examples of actual, as-written, as-searched, boot-related “how” questions that direct visitors to my website or this blog. Some questions are serious, some are strange, and some are amusing. If you are wondering, I can “see” the questions that direct visitors to my website/blog, but I cannot tell who the visitor actually is. I respect privacy. I figure, though, if at least one person is asking via a search engine, then others may have the same questions.

Here goes…
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Boot Collection At Work

LucpythonthumbNow becoming a weekly series, here are the boots that I wore to work this week, which continue to follow my self-promise to wear each pair of boots in my collection without repeating any of them, for the duration of the line of boots that both fit me and fit my work environment. (For example, I can’t wear muddy engineer boots to work in an office.)

I wear cowboy boots when I drive my four-wheeled vehicle in cold but dry weather, and motorcycle boots with soles that provide better traction on slick pavement when I drive my truck in wet and cold weather — and of course when I ride my Harley which hasn’t been much lately as the weather has been uncooperative.

So here are the boots I wore to work this past week:
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Putting the Boot Collection To Work

LucbluethumbAs most visitors to this blog and my website know, I own a lot of cowboy boots and motorcycle boots. As of today, I own 200 pairs of boots. Yep, that is quite a few. I made a pledge to myself to wear a different pair of boots each day so that I wear every pair of boots I own (and that still fit me). If it works out right, I will wear a different pair of boots each day for over six months.

For the last two weeks, here are photos of each pair of boots that I wore to work. Note, I change boots when I get home from work, and wear different boots on weekends, so what you see below are only the boots that I wore Monday through Friday in my office. (These are photos from my photo collection. I did not have time to take actual photos of each pair of boots every day):
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Freedom to Be Your Own Man

OhmyI get frustrated sometimes and am frequently puzzled by the large number of men who are directed to my website and this blog when they enter queries about how to dress, particularly with boots. I follow some of their queries to other websites, such as men’s style blogs and forums, or even “yahoo answers” or “wiki how” — all purportedly filled with expertise about what to wear or not wear, how to dress, and whether or not to wear boots, leather clothing, or boots with suits, khakis, or whatnot.

Why the obsessing? Particularly by men? I know that women obsess over that shit, but guys? Really?

My overall feeling (besides puzzlement and pity), seriously, is relief. Why am I relieved?
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