Category Archives: motorcycle boots

Organized

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So here’s the back of my newly reorganized garage. My bike, a few of my less-often-worn boots (mostly Fryes), my biker jackets and most-frequently-worn chaps. The boot storage is relatively new. I wrote a step-by-step instruction guide on this storage method which was posted on the hotboots.com website.

The motorcycle helmets (I have several) are inside the house. I don’t want gas vapors from my truck or my partner’s car to damage the helmet lining, which many reputable motorcycle magazines and experts have warned about.

I mentioned in a blog post the other day that my partner and I spent some time reorganizing the back of the garage so I can park my bike back there. I’m glad that worked out, so my Harley is warm and snug against winter’s wrath, but remains available should I want to go out for a ride when weather permits. I have, however, discontinued using my bike to ride to the Metro in the morning. It has just been too blasted cold.

Before I put the bike in it’s new storage area, it got a good washing. Lingering dirt and road spray could lead to premature dulling of the paint, or worse: rust. The battery is on its trickle charger. The fuel is stabilized. My lovely Harley is in its “winter nap” mode. sigh….

I have been “accused” sometimes of being over-organized. I guess that comes from leading a multi-tasking life. I have to be well-organized to get everything done and be everywhere I need to be! But ask my partner — he will tell you honestly — if I didn’t have my head screwed on, I would probably lose it. Thank goodness for calendars and lists (and his patience). I’m not one to use one of those technological gadgets such as a PDA or Blackberry. I’d probably lose it, and resent paying monthly service fees to keep rich companies richer. Plain old lists work fine for me. (Some day I’ll blog about my sticky-note office!)

I guess you could say that my website is evidence of my being hyper-organized. If that’s the case, well, so be it. At least I know what I have, what I like, and where it is! For the real evidence of my personal organization, though, just watch me at a public hearing sometime….

Have an organized day!

Wescos: Old Friends And Memories

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Yesterday, I was rummaging around our attic, which my partner has claimed for his own, looking for something, but discovering something else: a old pair of traditional 18″ Wesco “Boss” Engineer Boots. I picked them up, looked at them closely, and thought, “what the heck are they doing here? My partner doesn’t wear boots — least of all Wescos.” My partner is definitely not the Bootman in the family.

I figure he just picked them up from our bedroom sometime and put them away, thinking I wouldn’t miss them. Well, he was right — they have probably been there for 7 or 8 years, buried under boxes, but for some reason, now were uncovered and visible.

I took them out, removed the boots I was currently wearing, and pulled them on. It was a bit of a struggle — the tall boot shafts were tight on my legs. Oh yeah, dummy, unbuckle the strap! That helped. Then I sat to muse for a while, to try to remember when and where I got them. My curiosity piqued, I got on my computer where I have anally kept track of every financial transaction I have done since 1983, and found the purchase. I got them at Mr. S. of San Francisco in December, 1989.

I remember that visit — I had been in San Francisco for months doing earthquake relief work following the big Bay Area quake of October of that year. I finally had my first Saturday off, and I set out to explore the city. I walked for what seemed miles through what I learned was called “South of Market” (SoMa). And along the way, there was this leather store… intriguing. I didn’t have much courage to go into such a place, but the boots in the window really caught this biker’s eye.

So I went in. I was frightened, awed, mesmerized, and aghast, all at the same time. I was almost ready to bolt from the place when a guy came up and asked me if I’d like to try on the boots. Okay, no one else was around, no one who may jump out to attack me seems to be hiding behind that rack in the corner… so I tried ’em on. They fit great! The sales guy said that the boots were on sale for just $200. I just had to have ’em. I was stuck in the city without boots suitable for the cold, damp, wet weather. (Cowboy boots only go so far…)

Then this really good-lookin’ guy about my age walked out of a dressing room. He had tried on a pair of leather pants — man, he was gorgeous! He only had the pants on, nothing else. His chiseled, well-defined chest, muscular arms, and great smile just captivated me. Then, not even seeing me staring dumbfounded, he walked past me, picked up a pair of Dehners, and slipped them on his feet, carefully tucking the leather pants into them. Man, umm, umm, umm. What a view!

My attention on the guy was rather obvious, though, because the sales guy smiled, laughed, and whispered to me that while that guy wasn’t for sale, he knew he was single….

I gathered my compsure and began to get up when Mr. Leatherman looked at me and said, “nice boots — you should get a pair of leather jeans to go with ’em! Ride a bike? So do I!” Again, I was all mush-mouthed and stammered, but to make a long story short, I did end up buying a pair of leather jeans, too, and Mr. Leatherman waited with me and chatted while my jeans were being hemmed. He explained to me some things about leather gear that I didn’t know before (and was afraid to ask! Remember, this is before the Internet was available.)

I put my jeans on with the new Wescos. My new friend nodded his approval. He decided not to buy the Dehners, so he put on his old boots — which were Wescos, too. We paid for our purchases, put our old clothes in a bag, threw on our leather jackets, and walked proudly out of the store down the street to get some dinner. I remember thinking to myself, “I’ve arrived as a Leatherman… here I am in boots and leather walking with another guy in leather here in SoMa.” What a powerful feeling. I really think this was the specific situation where I “came out” as a Leatherman — meaning, I wore my leathers and boots out and in the open more often from then on.

But for those thinking something more happened, it didn’t. My new friend had a date that night, and I knew I had a very early call the next morning, so we embraced, parted ways, and said, once again, “good to meet you, nice boots!”

Life is short: wear your boots!

Doubled Up

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As much as we could have been called “lazy bums” yesterday, today we made up for it and doubled-up our work. Today, we got everything done on our list, plus more.

We went to church early, and I was wearing my dress Nocona ostrich inlay boots with a nice pair of slacks and dress shirt (no tie; I just don’t wear ties unless I absolutely must). After returning home, I changed clothes, and put on jeans and Justin roughout cowboy boots while taking my aunt and her friends grocery shopping.

It was a beautiful day, perfect for yard work. There was a lot of it, but we feel our yard and gardens are ready for winter now. (If you’re interested, I wore my Thorogood Station Boots for this work.) I even got to spend a couple hours in my gourmet kitchen (while Dan Post cowboy booted), making a five-apple pie and focaccia from scratch for dinner. My partner loved it! Nice crunchy crust, with tasty toppings.

In between, as I multitask regularly, I took several phone calls from seniors requesting rides to the voting polls on Nov. 4, and organized them using an on-line database that I built and posted to a secure side of one of my websites to align those needing rides with drivers and requested time slots. My co-organizers can access the database and update it real-time, so we all know what the others are doing. It’s a cool way to make all this happen and avoid double-booking or missing someone.

Man, I’m tired and a bit sore. But today was highly successful and we got a whole lot done. After I showered and changed before dinner, I put on my very comfy Chippewa Firefighter Boots, just ’cause. I would have liked to have been out riding my Harley, but I try to balance fun with work and community commitments. I feel good about all we got done today. I anticipate I will retire early tonight, and sleep soundly. I’ma pooped!

Lookin’ Up at Lugs

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I have always liked photos of guys in boots taken from a low angle, so you can see the boot and a lug sole. I really like lug-soled boots for the traction they provide when I ride my Harley.

This is a cool shot, I think. The boots are new, as well. My partner is a fairly frequent user of a website called “bargain outfitters.” He had purchased something, but needed to spend $10 more to get free shipping, which would have been more than $10 for what he wanted. He hunted around, and lo-and-behold, he found a pair of cheap Chinese-made black harness boots with a lug sole with the Harley-Davidson logo on the shafts. And they were only $10! (Well, $9.95, but who’s counting?)

I checked around, and found these boots sell new at on-line boot retailers for about $100, so my partner got me a great deal! And to think, he said that the last thing he would ever buy me is a pair of boots. I didn’t remind him of that when he gave them to me. I just smiled, said thanks, put them on, and then took him in the back room…. oops, this is a G-rated blog. (smile)

See more photos of these boots on my website, here.

So come on, guys, Lug-Up! REAL BIKERS WEAR BOOTS!

Life is short: wear your boots!

Harness Booted Biker

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I dunno, there’s just something that catches my eye when a biker has on harness boots. These ruggedly good-looking harness boots shown in this photo were a gift from a friend who lives in Ottawa, Canada. I have worked with him professionally for more than 20 years. I enjoyed several visits with him.

Out-of-the-blue about a month ago, he sent me these boots. They are made by Boulet, a Canadian bootmaker with a fine reputation.

I like the color, especially. It contrasts well with blue denim jeans. The rubber sole makes them great for use on my Harley.

The boots took a little work to break in, including some stretching in the heel so they wouldn’t rub. But that’s all fixed, and they’re on my feet feelin’ and lookin’ smokin’ hot!

Storing Boots

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With over 130 pairs of boots in my collection (and I regularly wear most of them), places to put them has been running out. My partner is a very patient man, but he insisted that we do something about “all those boots” this weekend.

I had to find a place for 14 pairs of boots, and get them up off the floor (so my partner would not trip on them). I got this idea from someone who described this process on “boots on line” a few years ago. You simply install brackets on a wall, ensure the brackets are level, and then place a shower rod across them.

If you are like we are, you end up with a lot of cheap wire clothes hangars when you bring home shirts from the dry cleaner. I simply cut apart the hangars and crafted hooks out of them. I hang one end of the hook on the rod, and put the other end of the hook on a boot’s pull strap. Then just hang the boot.

This whole set-up did not cost much — just about US$40 for the brackets and rods. I was going to use shower curtain hooks for the boots, but my local HomoDepot was remodeling and didn’t have any. Not wanting to chase all over the place, I thought that I could cut apart wire hangars, which worked very well. It took a little bit more time to make the hooks, but it did not take very long and I like to save money when I can.

By the way, the new storage is in our garage. My partner doesn’t really want to see more boots in our living space. I already have a rather large set of shelves in our basement on which I keep 50 pairs of boots, and then the rest fit on shelves on one wall of my walk-in-closet. (We have “his-and-his” walk-in closets. Since I built our house, I made sure we had lots of closet space).

For now, all the boots have a home when I’m not wearing them. And best yet, my partner is happy.

Crossing The Bridge

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Day One of my “Staycation” found me fulfilling a promise to someone who I befriended 25 years ago but with whom I had lost touch until she Googled my name and contacted me a few months ago. She and I had become friends at an organization where she worked and where I “cut my volunteer teeth.” We became close, but then as I got busy with a job that took me traveling around the world, and she changed jobs so I didn’t see her at the place where I had been volunteering, we drifted apart.

That’s how things go in life — you meet people, form a bond, have fun, but then as life changes, you promise to keep in touch but, alas, sometimes that doesn’t happen. Of course it’s easier today with email, but still you have to put effort into it.

She lives about 90 miles (145km) East of me, on the other side of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Bridge. This bridge is huge — when the first two-lane bridge opened in 1952, it was the world’s longest steel structure at 4.3 miles (6.9km). It still serves as the only major overwater connection between the two halves of Maryland, my home state, which is divided by the Chesapeake Bay. A second parallel bridge opened in 1973 and has three lanes.

Usually the “old” two-lane bridge has east-bound traffic, and the “new” three-lane bridge has west-bound traffic. Today, however, authorities had closed one lane of the two-lane bridge, so they reversed one lane of the other bridge to go east-bound as well. And that’s the lane that you get routed to if you use an electronic toll device, called “Easypass,” which I have — attached right to the front of my Harley.

It was kinda spooky to be riding my bike in one lane with two lanes of oncoming traffic immediately to my left on this large bridge. The maximum height is 186 feet (57m), which if one has a fear of heights, can be daunting. (Fortunately, as a skydiver, heights don’t really bother me — it’s the landing LOL!). As long as you look forward and where you’re going, you don’t really see that all there is below you is water.

I found my way to my friend’s business. She operates a little café in a small, rural town among corn fields and farms. She fed me lunch, we caught up about our lives, how they have changed, what we’re doing, our past dreams and current realities. I suspect we’ll be in regular communication again, as I will be doing a website for her cafe to give her business an internet presence.

A very pleasant day and a good ride. Nice weather, light traffic, warm sunshine, but most of all, the rekindling of a friendship.

Life is short: Enjoy! Oh — wear your boots! I did. (Though I can’t say the gang of retired cops I bumped into at a gas station in Stevensville were booted. It was very disheartening to see retired cops riding big motorcycles with a full-face helmet, shorts, and sneakers. Uggghhhh… just stupidity. Oh well, I don’t ride with them; it’s their skin they’ll lose when someone hits them. And of all people, they ought to know better!)

Leather: Boots Make the Man

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A guy getting into leather must have boots. Tall, black boots are most common, and look best with leather gear, especially when the gear is tucked into the boots and you can see the boot shafts.

It may be an obvious point, but must be made, as quoted in my Guide to Leather Gear: Boots are essential for anyone getting into leather. Sneakers worn with leather just look silly — even black ones. But you do not have to spend a fortune. Usually those first starting out get a pair of plain black harness boots, which are readily available from a variety of on-line retailers. You may want to consider a pair of engineer boots, which have a more “tough-look” style. The best and most affordable choices are made by Chippewa, Carolina, or Red Wing. Some guys just wear plain black combat boots that you can find at any Army-Navy surplus store. All are fine — but the point is that if you are going to wear leather, you must have boots and no substitute.

Usually someone who is interested in leather already has boots, but just in case you don’t, this is where you must begin. I know from reviewing the logs of my website, many are looking at the tall cop boots that I have. But also, many look at the simpler black harness boots, too. And plain ol’ harness boots will work fine with leather. That style of boot gives a masculine “biker” appearance.

It is not necessary to buy a pair of Dehner Patrol Boots. While boots made by Dehner are legend, unfortunately, the legend has worn thin as the stock boots are made for pencil-thin-legged guys and the shafts of the boots are made with a plastic material called “Dehcord” which cracks and breaks. In order to wear Dehner Boots with leather or a uniform, you likely will have to have them made custom to fit, which can be done, but at a cost of about US$800 when made of European calf leather (a much better, longer-lasting option). Don’t get them for your first foray into the leather community. Invest wisely in alternatives with which you will be happier and more comfortable.

Instead, for cop-style boots, consider Chippewa Hi-Shine Engineer Boots which have a classic, masculine design, are made of all leather (including a leather lining), are exceptionally comfortable, and are affordable. (It’s easy to order from them on-line from anywhere in the world.) Consider this: if you intend to wear them with leather, order them one size smaller but in EE width. A wider Chippewa Boot has a wider calf circumference, which will accommodate leather more comfortably (as I am wearing, photo right).

There are a number of decisions one can make regarding the types and styles of boots to get and wear. First off, you should plan to wear them often, rather than just once a year to a leather event. Therefore, the boots should fit well and be comfortable. If you have not had your foot measured for shoe size in a while, go to a shoe store and get measured. Feet tend to get wider and spread as one ages. Sneaker sizes are not equivalent to boot sizes. Go get measured!

I tend to get boots that fit my measurements, which is a standard 9-1/2D. However, in the past few years I have been getting a 10D because I plan to wear the boots for a long time, and anticipate that my feet will get wider as I age. I don’t want to end up with boots that I invested in purchasing that I can not wear. Meanwhile, I use gel insoles and thick cotton-wool combo socks to accommodate the extra room and absorb sweat.

Another major concern about fitting boots correctly is the measurement of both the lower leg and the calf circumference. Here is what I say about it in my Leather Gear Guide:

Lower leg: Custom gear may include custom boots. If you order custom boots, a critical measurement is the distance between where your knee bends down to the heel across the back of the leg. You don’t want boots that are so tall as to rub the back of your knee when you sit down, else suffer a terrible sore.

Calf circumference: Also called “calf width,” one very important matter to ensure custom boots fit right is knowing the circumerference of your calf. Stock boots may fit okay in the foot, but if they are too tight on the calf, you will be uncomfortable, or you may not be able to pull the boots on tall and straight. If you plan to wear boots with leather or cloth uniform breeches inside them, get that gear on first, and then have measurements taken over what you are wearing to accommodate for the thickness of the leather or fabric. Wrap a tape around the calf about 4″ below the knee, and again about 8″ below the knee.

Custom Boots are made to measure not only your leg and calf, but also your foot. A quality custom bootmaker, for example Wesco Boots, will have a form for that purpose. Have a friend trace both feet onto a template that is sent to the company from which you order the boots and that is used to make a pair of boots that will fit you perfectly. (BTW: DON’T order custom or stock boots directly from Wesco or Dehner; you can save 10% – 20% on exactly the same product if you order them through a boot specialty retailer)

I have much, much more information on how I choose boots on this page of my website. Have a look!

Now, if you’re serious about leather, start with the boots. Check back tomorrow for more on essential leather gear.

Boots & Leather Website Milestone

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I was doing a routine scan of my website to check for broken links. The software provides a report on the number of images, links, and other things when it is through running. I noticed that my website reached a milestone when I ran that scan: the software reported that I now have 5,008 images on it! Wow! Who woulda thunk?

But then again, I guess having 132 pairs of cowboy boots and motorcycle boots as well as a large assortment of leather gear and cataloging them on my website, www.bootedman.com since March, 2005 — more than three years now — has resulted in lots of photos of my boots and gear. And that’s not to mention all of the photo galleries of cop boots which attract the largest number of visitors about one subject than any others. The photos from the DC-based “hotboots” parties of past years also bring a number of visitors, but since those event gallieries are old and the parties are not being held at least for the summer (and I don’t go any more), there’s nothing new to add. I will, however, continue to build the cop boot galleries when I attend events, as well as any other event where boots are predominant on men’s feet that I may attend (which is seldom).

It has been really fun to learn HTML and website construction, which is self-taught. My website is still rather simple and static, but performs quickly and does what I set it out to do: catalog my boots and gear so I know what I have, and share my avocation with those who are interested.

Life is short! Wear your boots! (and leather)

Yes Sir, Officer!

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Today began like any regular work day. As I was getting dressed, I knew that I would be riding my Harley to the Metro to get to work, then when I got back to the Metro, I will be riding across the county to get some things for an elderly friend who doesn’t drive and drop them off on my way home from work.

Considering that I would be on my bike for a while after work, thus wanting to wear motorcycle boots (instead of cowboy boots which I usually wear to the office), I selected my H-D Police Enforcer Boots. While dressing, I tucked my dress pants into them. I can just pull ’em out when I get on the train. The boots look like well-polished dress shoes peeking out from under dress pants, and they are really comfortable!

I made my man his lunch, as well as my own, kissed him goodbye as he left, and soon thereafter, I mounted my trusty iron steed and rode off.

I wasn’t a mile down the road when I noticed a bike cop following me. He was just riding behind me. No signals, no lights, no motion to move. I wasn’t exceeding the posted speed limit. I thought he was just returning to his district station which isn’t far from the Metro station that I use.

When I turned the corner onto the street to get to the Metro parking lot, the cop made the same turn. I thought to myself, “hmmmmm.”

Then when I turned into the Metro parking lot and rode up to the special parking spaces designated for motorcycles… the cop rode up right behind me.

I had nothing to feel guilty about, but you know that feeling… when a cop follows you and then stops behind you, you can’t help but wonder what you did that prompted him to stop.

I killed my bike’s engine and dismounted. I took off my full-face helmet and turned around. The cop had a big grin on his face. The first words out of his mouth were, “it IS you!”

Now, what did he mean by that? Has he seen my alter-ego website? Have I met him somewhere or at a community meeting? Had I raised funds for a cop charity with which he was involved? Was he the cop who provided security at a recent public hearing that I presided over? I’m really bad with faces and names, but never boots. Trouble was, his Dehner Dress Instep Patrol boots were as undistinguishable as all the others on our county’s force… dirty, dusty, and well-worn. And I didn’t remember his name when I read his name plate.

If he had parked his bike so I could see his license plate, I might have known where I may have seen him. I know most of the county cops by their plate numbers. Well, anyway, the big smile radiating from his face and his hand thrust out to shake mine certainly shook off any fears that I had done anything wrong.

All he said was, “you’re the guy that Officer (name) told me about, who knows about boots.” He said that not only my boots tipped him off, but also my vest, which had recognizable patches on it.

Then he launched into a long discourse about his boots, what he doesn’t like about them (how hard they are to maintain, and that they get hot), and what he prefers as far as height and sole. He said that he really likes lug soles, such as were on his Dehners (see? He actually lifted his boot to show me.) He went on to say that he absolutely doesn’t want boots that have to be shined all the time. But he likes to have a good appearance.

He complimented my tall, black and shiny boots, and asked me where I got them. Unfortunately, they’re not available any more (but my deviant mind was saying, “Officer, Sir, I have a second pair that might fit you”). I recomposed myself, returned the handshake, smiled back, and then had a brief discussion about boots with this nice (but very chatty) cop.

Eventually he asked me about my recommendation on boots, and I told him what I had learned during my bike cop boot advising experience with another local force. I recommended he consider Chippewa Hi-Shine Engineer Boots and to have lug soles put on them at my local cobbler, who provides a significant discount to cops.

He thanked me profusely. By then, I had locked my bike up six ways from Sunday and was in the process of covering it. He helped me do that. He then wished me a nice day, and rode off. He left a huge smile on this Bootman’s face! Wow. Nice to be recognized for some expertise by someone who must wear boots for his profession.