Category Archives: motorcycle boots

Traveling with Dirty Engineer Boots

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Photo of my boots courtesy of Bamaboy

I flew home from Alabama yesterday. I decided to wear the Chippewa Engineer Boots that I “played” in during my visit with Bamaboy. Because it was so blasted hot, even though the boots got a bit wet, they dried quickly. The dust created a fine “dirty” patina on the boots, which attracted some attention.

One of the staff at the hotel asked me as I was leaving, “do you work construction?” She was obviously staring at my boots. I just smiled and said, “yeah, sometimes.”

When I got to the airport, Bama came by to give me something I had forgotten and left in his truck (I swear, if my head weren’t screwed on, it would fall off.) He also noticed the boots and gave me a compliment. LOL!

As I went through airport security, two ramp agents also were going through behind me. They both watched me take off my 17″ Chippewa Engineers, put them in a plastic tray and send them through the x-ray. On the other end, I sat down to put them on. They both sat next to me to tie their work boots and each said, “nice boots!” These are the non-steel toe variety, which are light on the feet and feel great.

As I walked down the hall, a shoe-shine guy looked at my boots and said, “I can clean those up for you! Have a seat.” I politely declined by saying, “Man, I like ’em this way!”

I wandered down to the gate, and caught up on the news on the TV. An older gentleman sat down next to me. He looked at my boots, then at me, and said, “do you ride a bike?” We talked for a while about motorcycle riding. Turns out he was a motorcycle racing team member back in the day. I enjoyed our conversation — initiated by the boots.

I boarded the small regional jet, and actually slept all the way to Charlotte. The connection was quick; no waiting. I read a book on the way home to BWI. While I was waiting for the parking shuttle at my home airport, a guy walked up to me and said, “man, those boots are cool! What kind are they?” I had a short but pleasant chat.

Dirty boots seem to get a lot of attention. It’s what guys wear!

See the full gallery of photos from our visit on my website, here.

Life is short: wear your boots!

Bamatality

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Bamaboy’s Chips, left; BHD’s Chips, right

Greetings from Alabama. The meeting I helped to lead ended mid-day yesterday, and after that, I hung out with a buddy who goes by the screen name “Bamaboy.” Yep, that’s right: the real, the honest-to-goodness muddy-booted photo genius himself. I have had the great pleasure of getting to know him and developing a fond friendship.

Bama must have read my previous blog post about how I get lost easily. He sent me a hand-drawn map, showing the precise route from the airport to the hotel where I am staying, as well as the conference facility where my meeting was held. He offered and followed through in very tangible ways to make my visit enjoyable.

We had a nice lunch, and talked about a lot of things. We share similar outlooks on life and what’s important: honesty, integrity, commitment to family, and loyalty to friends.

After lunch, we went on a mud-hunt. All we could find was dust! The places where Bama thought there might be mud were all dried up due to lack of rain and very hot temperatures drying the soil.

So we splashed up some water and got some dust on the boots in dried-up mud spots while laughing a lot. Bama is a great guy with a wicked-funny sense of humor. I truly enjoyed our visit, even though the mud wasn’t around. The company is what mattered most. I very much appreciate his time, friendship, and fun. How truly wonderful it was to have had the pleasure of enjoying his southern charm and hospitality.

Life is short: combine business and pleasure when you can!

Photo by Bamaboy of BHD kickin’ up a splash

Bad Biker Boots

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In the old style of ’50s bad-a** bikers who wore engineer boots, those are the boots I chose to wear yesterday when I led a short motorcycle ride. These are my old and very comfy 17″ Chippewa Engineer boots. I have had them for over a decade. They have been through mud, crud, and have come back for more.

I wore them with jeans over. I don’t always wear jeans inside my boots. Actually, when I wear traditional blue jeans, I wear them over whatever boots I choose to wear that day. If I want to wear boots outside my clothing, then I choose a pair of breeches, such as what motorcops wear, and pull on tall cop boots over them.

Yesterday’s ride on Maryland’s backroads and byways was organized for some of us who just wanted to get out for a little bit, orient new riders to the process of safe group riding, and have some fun. The weather was pleasant (and thank goodness the clouds didn’t tinkle through the ride, though it was sprinkling at dawn). Riding with your buddies is a great way to relax, and after this past week I sure needed it!

Life is short: ride and have fun!

Memories From More Retired Boots

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You are seeing the heel of a Corcoran Field Boot. I decided to put these boots on with a pair of tactical police pants last week to see how they went together. I had forgotten how comfortable these boots really were.

An hour later, my partner asked, “what are all those black things on the floor?” I looked, and notice that the heel on my left boot was crumbling apart. Day-yum!

I don’t quite know what it is, but this is the second pair of military boots I have owned that have had a rubber heel crumble. The first pair whose heels crumbled were Bates “Floataway” Patatrooper Parade Boots. Now these!

There is a type of rubber product between the heel plate and the bottom of the sole that apparently dried out and as soon as I put weight on it by walking, it just crumbed apart. So once again, I have another non-functionable pair of boots.

I spoke with a friend who is a cobbler, and he is familiar with the boot and this situation. He said that he could not resole the boots due to the way they are made, and advised to throw them away. Are you sure? Yep. Day-yum!

While I wore these Corcoran Field Boots on a number of skydives, these weren’t the boots I had on when I achieved my record, so they don’t have a particular significance other than being darned comfortable boots. Tell ‘ya the truth, much more comfortable than traditional Corcoran II jump boots.

My favorite memory while wearing this particular pair of boots is really a funny story. I was skydiving near Sacramento (California, USA) on a windy day. I was able to control my chute and land on dry land, but my fellow skydiving buddies landed in a rice paddy. I went to look for them and when I found them, they were sunk in muddy, wet goo and holding their arms high in the air. They were being held at gunpoint by a farmer. The farmer was from Vietnam, and must have had flashbacks at seeing guys in Camo landing by parachute on his land. We negotiated our way out of that situation, and laughed about it for years after.

These boots are gone, but not forgotten. I wonder now what other of my military boots are going to fall apart next….

Life is short: wear your boots (as long as the soles aren’t crumbling!)

Memorable Boots Retired

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These are my old Harley Harness boots. I have owned them for about 20 years. They were the most comfortable boots I had in my collection. I wore them as work boots.

My memories of these boots and what I was doing while wearing them include:

  • renovating most of my properties

  • building our house

  • mowing the lawn — about a zillion times

  • doing lots of dirty-work out in the yard

I was wearing these boots when I was replacing the wiring in my mother-in-law’s house on Memorial Day weekend. After a few hours, my left heel was aching. That was unusual. I took the boot off, and noticed a big hole in my sock and some blood on it. I discovered that I had worn the inside of the boot so far down that the nails that hold the heel onto the sole were poking out. The skin on the heel of my foot had been cut.

I changed boots, of course. No Bootman worth is salt would travel with only one pair of boots.

These old favorite boots are not possible to save. I tried putting in a gel insole, only to discover that the nails tore it up. I tried to hammer the nail heads back down, but couldn’t get a hammer inside the bottom of the boot (and believe me, I tried!)

I have to tell ‘ya, I am very unhappy to have to “retire” these boots. I can’t throw them away. I am thinking of bronzing them. These boots have been on my feet for some of the hardest work I have ever done. My fondest memories while wearing them is that I had them on most days when I was building our house. Another fond memory of when I had them on is when my partner carried me over the threshold into our house when we moved in.

My partner thinks I’m nuts to get all nostalgic over an old pair of boots. He told me just to throw them out. I can’t quite do that, so I’ve hidden them away… for now.

Life is short: wear your boots!

Law Ride: A Cop’s Influence

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I saw these nice-looking Chippewa Hi-Shine engineer boots with lug soles on a handsome cop last year at Law Ride.

There was something that just caught my eye about these boots. The man filling them and his uniform was attractive, but nice looking uniforms on a fit cop all look nice to me. He was among a very few who wore a leather jacket. That was an added element of attraction.

But still… I kept looking at those boots. What was interesting to me (in my self-conversation) was that I already had two pairs of these boots, so why was I attracted to yet another pair of the same boots? I dunno. I really don’t know. Don’t try to ask a Bootman what attracts him to boots. It’s just one of those things I live with (and really don’t mind!)

Soon thereafter, I took a pair of my own Chippewa Hi-Shine boots to a cobbler, and asked him to put lug soles on them. He did, but to be honest, I wasn’t all that happy with the results. He installed a sole plate — a rather thin addition to the sole. He did not remove the old sole (which was still in good shape) and replace it with a new Vibram 100 sole. The cobbler looked at me as if I were from Mars when I asked if he would install a thick Vibram 100 lug sole on top of the existing nitrile sole. Instead, he just put on the sole plates, thinking that’s what I wanted. Nobody really wants a double-soled boot (so he thought).

Oh well, fa cosi sia. I learned. I wear those boots from time to time. As the year progressed and as I continued to chat with Mike, the owner of Stompers Boots, I felt rather badly that his business was suffering from the downturn in the economy. So as a Christmas present to myself, I ordered another new pair of Chippewa Hi-Shine engineer boots from Stompers. As a favor to me, Mike ran across town to get a cobbler to install a thick Vibram 100 sole for me (and I paid extra for that). Mike knew what to ask for, and I finally got what I wanted.

That cop last year influenced this Bootman, and I am very happy with the results. Very fine-looking tall black boots with a snow tire on the sole, so I have excellent traction when I wear them while riding my Harley. In fact, very early yesterday morning when I rode my bike to the University to swim for an hour, I had those boots on. I arrived at the empty parking lot and noticed that it had been swept clear of residual cinders and sand left over from the winter. So I began to do some practice on tight turns, trying to beat my record of a complete u-turn in a very tight space (within 1-1/2 parking slots). These boots provided the traction and stability I needed as I turned and had to put my boot down to avoid dropping the bike on the few times I turned way too tight. That boot sole planted firmly on the pavement held me up. If it slipped the slightest amount, I would have dropped my bike; that simple.

Funny how these influences go ’round. While last year I was really interested in that cop’s boots and got myself a pair, this year, several cops came up to me to ask me about my pair of these boots that I wore to Law Ride. I was happy to talk with them, answer their questions, and refer them to Stomper Boots, the best boot shop in the world.

Life is short: wear your boots proudly!

Dinner with Sneakered Bike Cops

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Last night, I went to dinner with a buddy who is a motorcycle police officer. We joined a group of other motorcycle officers who have arrived in town for Police Week.

The dinner was at a brew pub, which was located in Lower Slobbovia (a term I have used to refer to that state across the Potomac River from mine.) I rode with my buddy in his truck; he doesn’t own a personal motorcycle, and he didn’t want to ride as a passenger on mine. (When you operate a motorcycle all day for your job, the last thing you want to do is ride as anyone else’s passenger.)

When we were seated at the restaurant, the guys ordered appetizers and beers all-around, trying the various samples of microbrews that the pub had to offer. I just smiled and sipped a ginger ale. (I am unable to drink alcohol, and the appetizers weren’t something I could eat.) Dinner — a steak — was okay (not stellar, but chewable.)

I didn’t know anyone other than my buddy, but the others were friendly and easy to talk to. The conversation we had was about the usual stuff: work-related stories and stresses, experiences, family, and motorcycle riding. When the conversation turned to family, those who were married talked about their wives and children as a natural part of the conversation. When I was speaking and mentioning my partner was part of the story, I would say, “my partner, he…”. The other guys didn’t bat an eye or make any comments or seem to care that I’m gay and have a partner. If my buddy vouched for me, that was fine with them.

I enjoyed listening to they way they described how they use their motors on their jobs. Interestingly, six of my eight dinner-mates do not ride a motorcycle off the job. And further, none of the eight motormen gathered for dinner in casual wear (jeans, t-shirts) had boots on. Each one wore sneakers — even my buddy.

As the night went on, I finally asked about wearing boots. Almost all of them said, “fine for work; off the job, I want to be comfortable,” or similar. They said that the boots they wear for work were okay, but the boots were part of the uniform, and that was that. I guess that’s about the same as what I see among the members of my motorcycle club. They wear boots while riding, but often when they’re not riding, they wear sneakers.

Me? I was the only one in boots last night, but then again, I always wear boots. I don’t own any shoes. No one noticed, cared, or said anything. But no one ever does. Shown are the boots I wore (short Wesco harness boots.)

Life is short: wear your boots!

I Met the Me of 30 Years Ago

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30 years ago, when I was 21 years old, I idolized the biker image: The boots, leather, and the Harley. I worked over time to acquire the resources to assume that image, from buying various pieces of biker leather gear and boots, to even getting a Harley eventually.

Yesterday was a stunningly beautiful sunny day. It reached 78°F (25.5°C) with a low dew point. My partner and I awoke before dawn, snuggled for a little bit, then set about accomplishing a lot of tasks.

By 11am we were done, and I prepared an early lunch. Then my partner said, “we’re done–I know you’re itching to go ride your Harley, so go!” I flashed him a huge smile, gave him a hug, donned my unlined Wesco Boss Engineer boots, jeans, and my vest, and off I went. There was an open-house at a Harley dealership, which was my destination. My dress was “traditional biker” as it was too warm for leather breeches. I just felt like wearing my old comfortable Wranglers over my Wesco Boss boots. (I don’t wear jeans inside my boots every time I ride my Harley, though from this blog, it may appear that I do.)

When I got to my destination, I carefully backed up into a space on the street among the Harleys owned by fellow club members. Then this guy who was probably about 21 came up to me and said, “Cool! You’re the biker I want to be.” I gave him an incredulous look at first, but then realized he was dead serious. In many ways, he even looked like I did 30 years ago, including having long blond hair.

We talked for quite a while. He had just bought his first bike — a small Suzuki. Turns out that yesterday was his first solo ride, since he just got his motorcycle endorsement on his driver’s license on Friday.

He had tons of questions, and I was happy to try to answer. He told me that he wanted to take a motorcycle training course, but expressed disappointment that the courses he tried to sign up for were all full. I explained the “secret” — that the courses fill fast in April and May, but by June, spaces in the courses begin to open up, and the courses go on all summer. “Oh! Great! Do you teach them?” (Not nowadays, but years ago I did.)

He continued with more question, such as what boots and leathers to get first. He was proud of his first leather item — a traditional biker jacket — but didn’t have anything else. He glanced disapprovingly at his sneakers.

“What boots are you wearing? Where did you get them? Who made your vest? Wow — those patches are cool!” He babbled away, in wonder and awe. I patiently answered his questions, one by one.

I explained why not to buy leather gear from a Harley Dealer (due to the incredible mark-up), but why chaps are probably the first leather item to get after a jacket and boots. I suggested some decent on-line sources for leather gear. I talked boots with him, too, and laughed when he said, “man, you know a lot about boots.” (When a fellow club member heard him say that, he laughed and said, “you don’t know the half of it.”)

My young enthusiast said that he preferred engineer style boots, and said that his budget was about $200. That ruled out a new pair of Wescos. I explained the qualities of Chippewa engineer boots, and he seemed very appreciative of the boot recommendation, as well as the source.

I remember the day when I bought my first pair of biker boots to go with my biker jacket. Then I got my chaps… and after that, more leather gear and boots followed over the years. I wished this guy a great day, and he smiled, shook my hand, and said “thanks, man!” most enthusiastically. I’m glad I made his day. His reaction, questions, and bright, inquisitive demeanor sure made mine! He made me smile, because in him I saw the “me” of years ago.

Life is short: wear your boots! Be a mentor when you can.

Best Motorcycle Boots

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It’s funny, but when I wrote a blog post last week about the best motorcycle patrol boots, I have discovered that people searching for the general term “Best Motorcycle Boots” end up right here, on this blog. Update: See a newer, related post about “Best Value Motorcycle Boots” (click here)

Sooooo…. let me tell you about what I think are the “Best Motorcycle Boots” for all-around wear on a street motorcycle. (That is, not a dirt bike).

They are (drumroll…) Chippewa Firefighter Boots (model number 27422). Why boots made for firefighters? Why not engineer or harness boots, such as those made by Wesco, Double H, Red Wing, Chippewa, or others?

The reason why I make this statement are as follows:

  • Comfort: Hands down (or should I say, “feet down,”) these boots are the most comfortable motorcycle boots I have worn while riding, and I have ridden hundreds of thousands of miles for more than 30 years.

  • Durability: These boots have a steel toe and are double-stitched at all major points throughout the boot. If it’s made for wildland firefighters, it can endure the gaff of motorcycling.

  • Vibram® 100 sole: This thick, durable, “big lug” sole is like a snow tire on the bottom of my feet. It provides superior traction.

  • Flexibility: What adds to the comfort of the boot is that it is flexible at the ankle and the foot.
  • Leather lining: the lining adds to the strength of the boot’s construction, as well as its comfort. One would think that a leather-lined boot would get hot. But let me tell ‘ya, I have worn these boots on exceptionally hot and humid days that the DC area is known for in summertime. These boots just don’t get hot. Unfortunately, tall leather-lined boots such as Wesco Harness or Boss boots do.
  • Fit Technique: These boots have a unique fitting. A boot zipper is laced into the boot’s ten eyelets. There are various ways to do that, which can accommodate a wide variety of foot widths. Once the zipper is laced in properly, all you need to do from then on is close the zipper after pulling them on, and open it to take ’em off. (Note, it takes a while for the fitting to break in, but once it does, these boots are very easy to pull on and remove.)
  • Value: These boots are an excellent value for the price. And the best place to buy these boots at the most affordable price is Stompers Boots of San Francisco.

I own more than 50 pairs of motorcycle boots. I have ridden with ’em all. When it comes time to choosing a good quality boot that’s comfortable, durable, and suitable for a long, all-day ride with my club on my Harley, this is the boot that I choose.

For more information on motorcycle boots, Guide to Motorcycle Boots.