Thicker soled boots?

[Ulsterkiwi]

Greetings ladies. I have a question on behalf of my (very much) better half. She is a new rider. Started on a cruiser but has just gotten herself a Honda CB500X. The seat height difference is 7-8cm. She is not flat footing any more but nor is she tiptoeing (168cm tall). She is reluctant to put a lowering kit on the bike as that will affect handling, not so much of a limitation now but as she gets to know the bike better that will become more of an issue.
It has been suggested boots with a thicker sole might make that 1cm+ of a difference. Currently she uses Forma Slam Dry lace up boots. She likes the shorter style and the feedback from a softer boot. She has been looking online and will be calling to the local shops over the next wee while. Realistically there is going to be limited choice locally, retailers can only carry so much stock. I thought it might be worth asking on here if any of you had a similar experience or would recommend a boot that might address the issues?
Thank you in advance for any suggestions and to the guys who hang out on this forum who will post "funny" replies, haw haw haw.:rolleyes:

[Tazz]

You can get boots resoled ;)

When she gets to know the bike better not being able to flat foot both feet will also be less of a limitation.
When you're stopping and kicking the stand down, one foot.
When you're at an intersection flicking through gears or sitting on rear brake to stretch hand/s, one foot.
When you're out the the country the ground is rarely flat....one foot.

Another option to the boots is taking a bit of foam out of the seat or changing the shape so it is a little narrower. I have one bike I loose a bit of height with because the seat is quite wide and not tapered well. It is however, comfy as fuck, so I am not touching it :laugh:

Or...

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[Stirts]

The Daytona Lady Star GTX Boots
Has a raised platform inside the boot which adds 2.5cm of height to the heel area and 8mm at the toes. Combined with a chunky sole, this gives the rider about an inch and a half of valuable extra height. I know they're not ankle boots but better protection anyway IMO.

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/daytona-lady-star-gtx-boots :D

Edit: Yes they are farking expensive!

Otherwise I would go with what Tazz suggested and get some re-soled

[nzspokes]

+1 for fitting a new sole. A good cobbler will be able to do it for under $100. If they use the right sole and keep the instep clear then the peg to seat height wont change. She will just need to learn to take her feet sideways off the pegs if she doesnt already.

If you were in Auckland i would say go to Cols Cobble shop, he is brilliant.

[RGVforme]

Greetings ladies. I have a question on behalf of my (very much) better half. She is a new rider. Started on a cruiser but has just gotten herself a Honda CB500X. The seat height difference is 7-8cm. She is not flat footing any more but nor is she tiptoeing (168cm tall). She is reluctant to put a lowering kit on the bike as that will affect handling, not so much of a limitation now but as she gets to know the bike better that will become more of an issue.
It has been suggested boots with a thicker sole might make that 1cm+ of a difference. Currently she uses Forma Slam Dry lace up boots. She likes the shorter style and the feedback from a softer boot. She has been looking online and will be calling to the local shops over the next wee while. Realistically there is going to be limited choice locally, retailers can only carry so much stock. I thought it might be worth asking on here if any of you had a similar experience or would recommend a boot that might address the issues?
Thank you in advance for any suggestions and to the guys who hang out on this forum who will post "funny" replies, haw haw haw.:rolleyes:

Not everywhere your better half is going to stop on her bike will be dead flat either most roadsides esp in town by shops camber off to the left.The side we get on and off the bike and tend to go for first if we start to get the slow speed learner woobles on lol.:crazy:

We cant always choose where we get to stop but most times we can.

I suggest a little tilt the bike over from one foot to the other practice just sitting in the driveway.

Moving her butt a small bit to each side of the seat towards the lean.Not taking the full weight of the bike of course taking into account the bike to rider size ratio perhaps at play here also but just enough to be flat footed on the ground on one side then the other.

The goal here is that she should be as comfortable coming to a stop onto her left foot as her right to allow for any slight difference in road level using the other foot as support if needed.One foot flat one foot tippy toe.

Agree with Tazz the more she rides this bike the feeling of unease that comes from not having both feet flat on the ground will go away.

Perhaps just like with sex you can make up for the 1cm shortfall by adjusting your technique.:p

Good luck and welcome to the fold...:drinknsin

[mossy1200]

http://shop.motowerk.com/Honda-Lowering-Kit-HND-CB500X-F-R-LK.htm

5cm lowering kit

Would need kickstand shortening kit also.

[Big Dog]

A few years ago the resounding answer would have been if you need an extra cm of seat height drop the forks through the clamps 5mm. Put it back up when she is more confident.
Is there a reason no one suggests that any more?

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[nzspokes]

A few years ago the resounding answer would have been if you need an extra cm of seat height drop the forks through the clamps 5mm. Put it back up when she is more confident.
Is there a reason no one suggests that any more?

Sent via tapatalk.

Because it can turn the handling to quicken which is not fun times for a new rider.

[Berries]

A few years ago the resounding answer would have been if you need an extra cm of seat height drop the forks through the clamps 5mm. Put it back up when she is more confident.
Is there a reason no one suggests that any more?
The Oompa Loompa court case.

[Big Dog]

Because it can turn the handling to quicken which is not fun times for a new rider.
Wouldn't of thought 5mm made that much difference. But i stand informed.

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[nzspokes]

Wouldn't of thought 5mm made that much difference. But i stand informed.

Sent via tapatalk.

Yerp, steepens the head angle, changes trail etc.

[Ulsterkiwi]

Yerp, steepens the head angle, changes trail etc.

this is what we were independently advised. Dealer offered a variable lowering kit. Anything between 0 and 70mm. Kit comes with an adjustable replacement side stand. They also drop the forks in the clamps to make the bike sit evenly. Still bound to affect the handling though.
Already a big change for her coming from a cruiser onto a much faster steering machine.

Wife is a newbie but has already worked out the people in the factory have probably put some thought into the bike being set up the way it is and changing that is not necessarily a good thing. Hence the query about changing distance from her hips to the ground via boots.

Cheers for the reply!

[Nurse Ratched]

I had...still have:rolleyes: ...this same problem, even with the seat trimmed, but have found a pair of boots that have made a lot of difference. They're not bike boots but have a thicker sole, reinforced toe and heel and lace up to my lower calf. I can now get the ball of one foot on the ground at a time. With both feet down, am not fully on the balls of my feet but more than tip toe. My second pair are bike boots and more supple but don't give me quite enough height. Am going to get added sole on them.
Practice, practice practice has made a lot of difference but I'm sure my legs have stretched as well:cool:

[RDJ]

My Princess Bride had a similar problem, and found that buying Sidi boots with a good-sized heel, solved it. Pricey, but worth it. Good luck!

[WristTwister]

You can get boots resoled ;)

When she gets to know the bike better not being able to flat foot both feet will also be less of a limitation.
When you're stopping and kicking the stand down, one foot.
When you're at an intersection flicking through gears or sitting on rear brake to stretch hand/s, one foot.
When you're out the the country the ground is rarely flat....one foot.


Instead of looking at thicker soled Louboutin boots, maybe think about posture - tilting to the side with one foot down and/or sitting further forward in the seat for example. When I'm stopping and using the back brake, my left foot is the first to touch the ground so I leave my right foot on the peg.
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I also agree with what I think Tazz might be saying, if you need to flick a gear while stationary, tilt to the right (with your right foot flat on the ground of course!). It took some getting used to, but I think I feel more stable with one foot planted flat on the ground now - compare to having both feet down but only on the balls of my feet.

[PrincessBandit]

see my post in Lowering Suzuki Gladius in the Bike Mechanics section. Had them for 6 years and totally worth it. It's possible there are photos somewhere here; I'll have a look.

......Bike Gear forum, Platform Inserts thread (it goes back a few years to 2009), post 22. Sorry don't know how to do linkys on ipad.

[pritch]

Still bound to affect the handling though.


If both ends are lowered the same it shouldn't effect "handling" to a noticeable degree, but it could limit cornering clearance. Whether that was a factor or not depends on how enthusiastically she punts it through corners.

The additional sole treatment is common but some boots lend themselves to this better than others.

[Ulsterkiwi]

If both ends are lowered the same it shouldn't effect "handling" to a noticeable degree, but it could limit cornering clearance. Whether that was a factor or not depends on how enthusiastically she punts it through corners.

The additional sole treatment is common but some boots lend themselves to this better than others.

true.

the BH has decided on a compromise. The variable lowering kit is being fitted and boots were discovered which are comfy and add a few mm more to the reach of her legs (Sigma, cheers Wgtn Motorcycles). The variable kit has been sold on the idea that as her confidence grows and with it the tendency to be more spirited in the riding, the ride height can be altered to suit.

Thank you all for the replies, really appreciate the input, some of the boot solutions are very impressive!

[Ulsterkiwi]

thread dredge!

so the lowering kit for the bike was not a huge success. Even with dropping the forks a bit the suspension ended up being compromised and the bike did not handle nearly as well. What to do?
Well having had my own bike worked over by Mr Taylor of KSS, we got in touch with him.
Solution? A replacement shock which lowered the ride height of the bike BUT retained full stroke length and therefore performance was not impaired at all, the original linkage was used.
While there the bike also had the forks resprung, emulators fitted and were dropped to balance the geometry.
Result? Quite a few $$ but a bike which now handled way better than it had ever done but dropped 25mm in seat height. The BH was very happy.

Last piece in the pie, a bit of work courtesy of the cobbler on Dixon St in Wellington. Neatly done, slightly improves the grip from the original soles and both feet very firmly on the ground.

Good job the bike is a keeper though! :rolleyes:

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