I've had my Tech 5's for years.....spend the money on good boots...you'll never regret it. They can be re-soled, parts replaced, etc. Like was mentioned, after riding with them, you'll feel uncomfortable in anything else. It only takes one spill to end up with a fused ankle...after that, your rolling in a golf cart, instead of riding a quad.
J.

 

I have a pair of Oneils that I have three seasons on and I find them very comfortable and they provide great support....cost me 120 bones.

 

14 !!?? Christ, I can hear the circus music in the background! Your poor wife. :-)

 

If you have ridden bikes most of your life when you get into an ackward situation you are going to have a tendancy to stick your foot out for balance. I was the same way and ended up driving over my foot with tennishoes on and it wasn't pretty. Bad thing is, I had my Tech 8's sitting at home. Buy the best boot you can, you never know when that DS may get the urge to bite you.
I like the Alpinestar Tech 8's because they have a removable bootie inside that you can take out and wash. Those boots can get pretty stinky after a while. They're also VERY comfortable.

 

HEY another size 14!!! Please tell me what boots you were able to find in that size that were comfortable. THANKS. It's a pain finding anything in that size.

 

i got 4 years out of a $120 pair of Thors, now the soles are worn out where they ride on the pegs, one is missing a buckle, and the other missing 2 buckles, and some stiching is finally coming apart. but they've been good to me for 4 years and many hundreds of hours of wearing. I think I'll just get another pair of the same ones.

riding boots are great for a number of reasons besides safety,
no more sand in the shoes at the dunes - its funny watching everbody not wearing them dump their shoes every time you stop,
you can wade up to your calf in mud and not get mucky in your socks,
cause of the buckles they're quick and easy on and off after you get them grubby and are ready to change before driving home,
the smooth soles shed mud quick and easy once you've been off the bike and then got back on, so you don't carry all the clods that aggressive boots would,
boy the list goes on and on....
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Can anyone recommend a good comfortable flexible riding boot? I have a good pair of Thor MX boots that I wear when I ride my dirt bike, but if I wear the same boots on my DS650 I miss more shifts than I make. I can't feel the shift lever at all, and the boots are so dang stiff that I am forced to go at trail riding pace, instead of race speed, because of the troubles with shifting.

 

"My wife has always said that the size of you feet is directly proportionate to some of the other extremities..."
Short stroke=high rpms
I have an old, I mean old set of axo's the only problem with them is that they have held up so well it's hard to justify replacing them.
Desertviper, guys used to soak the leather in wd-40 to loosen boots up and help them break in.

 

I would guess that you use the spray on type of WD40, and spray the outside of the boot [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]. I might just try that with my Thor MX boots, because I've had them for a year and they're still as stiff as a pair of ski boots. They may not get any better with WD40 though, because a lot of their stiffness is due to plastic gaurds that cover the inner side of the boot.

I actually spent a few hours today trying on several different riding boots (it is easier to try on boots afterhours if your wife works at the store[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]). I looked at every boot they had, and tried on the three best brands. The stiffest and least flexible of them all was the Thor T30 MX boots I already have. They are comfortable and seem to work good for riding my dirt bike, but it will take another three years of use to get them flexible enough to wear for racing my DS. Fox makes a good looking boot with some nice features, but the fit was HORRIBLE. I thought I was going to get a blister just from walking one lap around the inside of the store [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]. In my opinion the best boots for flexibility, and fit, were Fly 805 Enduro riding boots. They have tread on the soles so they should not slide off the pegs as easily as my slick soled MX boots do, and I can walk in them without feeling like I have ski boots on. I brought home a set today, and have already adjusted the buckles and walked a mile on the treadmill to start breaking them in. I think these are going to work, and at $89 they are $40 cheaper than the too stiff Thor MX boots were.

 

my buddy has 16EEE size. special order at most places. he went riding with us one day. he rode a warrior that I used to have. he is so big that he had to sit on the back of the seat to keep his knees out of the bars. the front end was barely touching the ground. he could not turn it. it was a sight to see. needless to say, he loves the ds.