BEEN RIDIN FOR 5 YEARS NOW, JUST BOUGHT BOOTS FOR THE FIRST TIME...I CANT SHIFT WORTH A DAMN!...FRIEND SAYS I NEED TO RAISE THE SHIFTER BUT WITH BOOTS ON I CANT MOVE MY ANKLE AT ALL! WHATS THE SECRET?

 

you dont need to move your ankle..just move your whole foot....youll get used to it , and youll be glad you got them, even though they're not as comfy (depending on what brand/model you got) as your regular riding shoes/boots or whatever you wear, and yes..when i got my boots i did have to rease the shifter so i didnt have to tilt my whole foot just to get it under the shifter

 

Breaking in the boots first hehe. And probably adjusting the shifter up would help too.

I just got boots because of the bike, and on the quad I can't shift either. After tweaking the boots a little adjustment-wise I got some up-down motion back in my ankle and I'm working on breaking in the boots. On my bike the position is better for shifting but still tough, just gotta break the boots in.

 

R U GUYS SHIFTING WITH THE SIDE OF YOUR BOOT OR USING THE TOP AND ALSO THE BOTTOM OF THE BOOT TO SHIFT UP AND DOWN?

 

top, but sometime when speed or power shifting i dont get my foot all the way under and i just happen to shift with the spot where the sole of the shoe sticks over the "boot" itslef

 

When I first started riding with boots, I ended up buying another shift lever, cut it in half, cut the end off the stock lever, and welded the two together. After grinding and then repainting, you couldn't tell that it was a custom fabricated lever. I only lengthened it about an inch or so, and I also adjusted it up about 3/4 of an inch. Made a world of difference. It takes a bit of work, and thinking back, I could have just adjusted the position of the stock one. But, I think this set-up actually ended up being more comfortable for me.

 

I just got boots and had to raise my shift lever. It helped alot. When I go ridin' I always bring my old riding shoes just in case.

 

Highly recommend hitting the link below and ordering the Gaerne Boot Paste (clear). It is $7.95 a tube and will do three applications to a pair of boots. It does a great job of softening any leather areas on your boot not too mention that is protects and waterproofs the seams.

Ryan Young Products


Definitely recommend moving the shifter up. On the Raptor, I use to hit neutral all the time. I like Chad's solution too. I wear a size 12 boot and the shifter is too far back in the meat of my boot.

/NotuRaptor

 

When i first got my boots i didnt want to ride. I was holding the shifter up just enough were it wouldnt fully release. It was really hard to shift, i thought it was my quad untill i played w/ the linkage and moved the shifter up. What really helps is when you put your boots on leave them on until you have to take them off.