Glove and Boot Recommendations

Hey all! I'm about to take my three wheeler class and see that I'll need gloves and boots. I have neither.

I figured since I'm buying anyway, might as get something I can use on my Can Am.

What do you all wear? I'm looking for something fairly lightweight as I am in California. Keeping my feet dry is probably a bigger concern than warmth.

As a noob, not looking to spend more than say about $100 on gloves and $250 on boots. I've seen some stuff by Alpine that looks good. The SMX R1 boots look comfy. As do the Oscar Robinson gloves.

I wear size 13 wide or size 14 regular shoes and have pretty big hands.

Thanks for the help!

I use the Alpinestar gloves that are touchscreen compatible so I can change songs and interact with the GPS on my phone if needed. They are leather and mesh construction but do get a bit warm in hot temps.

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Originally Posted by senorgrand

Hey all! I'm about to take my three wheeler class and see that I'll need gloves and boots. I have neither.

I figured since I'm buying anyway, might as get something I can use on my Can Am.

What do you all wear? I'm looking for something fairly lightweight as I am in California. Keeping my feet dry is probably a bigger concern than warmth.

As a noob, not looking to spend more than say about $100 on gloves and $250 on boots. I've seen some stuff by Alpine that looks good. The SMX R1 boots look comfy. As do the Oscar Robinson gloves.

I wear size 13 wide or size 14 regular shoes and have pretty big hands. Thanks for the help!

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Wear something comfortable that you like. You don't need motorcycle gear since you won't be dragging your feet or your knuckles. nojoke

Lee Parks Design has some awesome gloves. http://leeparksdesign.com/

I like Tourmaster boots, currently wearing their WP Air boots, waterproof and breathable

thanks everyone -- I'm looking at several suggested products. Keep those cards and letters coming!

Fox Creek Leather, Made in USA. I have several pairs in different configurations. I like the out seam deerskin for moderate to warm temps.

https://www.foxcreekleather.com/gloves/

Each state has different requirements. Some states have no law that covers boots and gloves. You need to know what is required in the state you test. Assuming you are taking the test in California, here is part of what California DOT Motorcycle Handbook says;

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It is highly suggested you wear:
• Face and/or eye protection.
• Protective apparel, such as a
leather or long sleeve jacket
with reflective material, long
heavy pants, over the ankle
closed-toe boots, and full-
fingered leather gloves.
More information on wearing the
right gear and protective apparel
is covered in the following pages.

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It is more of a suggestion than the law. Don't show up in short pants, flip flops, and fingerless gloves. Any good quality boots that support the ankle should be OK and full finger leather gloves of most any kind. Good quality motorcycle boots and gloves might make a better impression on the instructors.

Around page 9 or 10 you can find what the handbook has to say about being properly dressed to ride in California.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/fo...l665mcycle.pdf

When I first got my Spyder I tried to use the footbrake and found that it was hard to flex my foot enough to easily push the pedal while wearing the boots I used on my GW.I looked into Motorcycle sneakers and bought a pair from Fly Racing(revzilla website),these are very flexible and make it easy to reach pedal.They are only water resistant but I have found that as long as your moving your feet are shielded from the rain but when I put my rainsuit on I also wear booties that cover the sneaker and they dont get wet at all in even total downpours.On a side note they look cool and you can wear them all day off or on the bike.They aren't clunky and have good ankle support.As far as gloves go I haven't found a pair yet that I like.

Check out Bates boots. They have a couple motorcycle-specific boots which I did not care for the styling. I bought another model that is a 6” lace-up with a zipper. Apparently a popular choice for beat cops. They are light, comfortable and waterproof. Great for walking in too.

For boots I wear a pair of summer hiking boots. Sturdy construction and lots of mesh for breathability.

Two things are in your favor.

You live in CA which is mostly moderate temperatures.

You are NOT required to buy specific motorcycle gear to ride.

:ani29: Boots: in my 55 years of motorcycle/Spyder riding...I have never purchased specific branded boots like HD or CanAm. Those $79 Engineer boots that you can find work more than sufficient. For an extra $10 or so, you can even get steel toes.

If you prefer lower cut...then lower cut hiking boots are more than sufficient. I have started wearing those since I moved to AR.

:ani29: Gloves: Likewise for gloves. Any mc shop will have nice light weight gloves for warmer weather. $29 - $49 will buy good stuff. I have a pair of fingerless and another pair of full fingered light that I use for warm weather riding. You can also find medium, heavy, and gauntlet type for colder weather riding. Once again...gloves are gloves...you don't have to pay an extra $100 - $150 for a decal on the leather.

Enjoy your class. :yes:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ARtraveler

Two things are in your favor.

You live in CA which is mostly moderate temperatures.

You are NOT required to buy specific motorcycle gear to ride.

:ani29: Boots: in my 55 years of motorcycle/Spyder riding...I have never purchased specific branded boots like HD or CanAm. Those $79 Engineer boots that you can find work more than sufficient. For an extra $10 or so, you can even get steel toes.

If you prefer lower cut...then lower cut hiking boots are more than sufficient. I have started wearing those since I moved to AR.

:ani29: Gloves: Likewise for gloves. Any mc shop will have nice light weight gloves for warmer weather. $29 - $49 will buy good stuff. I have a pair of fingerless and another pair of full fingered light that I use for warm weather riding. You can also find medium, heavy, and gauntlet type for colder weather riding. Once again...gloves are gloves...you don't have to pay an extra $100 - $150 for a decal on the leather.

Enjoy your class. :yes:

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:agree: For really hot weather I have these fingerless gloves https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ARtraveler

Two things are in your favor.

You live in CA which is mostly moderate temperatures.

You are NOT required to buy specific motorcycle gear to ride.

:ani29: Boots: in my 55 years of motorcycle/Spyder riding...I have never purchased specific branded boots like HD or CanAm. Those $79 Engineer boots that you can find work more than sufficient. For an extra $10 or so, you can even get steel toes.

If you prefer lower cut...then lower cut hiking boots are more than sufficient. I have started wearing those since I moved to AR.

:ani29: Gloves: Likewise for gloves. Any mc shop will have nice light weight gloves for warmer weather. $29 - $49 will buy good stuff. I have a pair of fingerless and another pair of full fingered light that I use for warm weather riding. You can also find medium, heavy, and gauntlet type for colder weather riding. Once again...gloves are gloves...you don't have to pay an extra $100 - $150 for a decal on the leather.

Enjoy your class. :yes:

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Plus 1 on that. Been riding for 60 years and I wear regular engineer or harness boots. Wear soft deer skin work gloves from the gardening debt of Lowe's which are about $15 a pair during most of the year and Hollofil gauntlet gloves during the colder months.

I got almost five years and 62K+ miles out of my Tourmaster mesh gloves and just replaced them with a pair of Tourmaster Summer Elite 3 gloves, https://www.tourmaster.com/inc/sdeta..._glove/122/416. They come as large as 3XL.

Another vote for Bates boots. I have very unusual feet. (Size 10 1/2 6E) Bates are very comfortable, lightweight, warm and dry. As far as gloves, I like unlined deerskin. I find that deerskin is soft and warm and don't need lining. The unline gloves makes it easy to find the little buttons needed to change things on the bike. Olympic makes a good unlined deerskin with a good size gauntlet to keep the wind from blowing up your sleeves..... Jim

Vote for Bates boots. You can get them cheap on Amazon and they are great. They are even a bit wider than normal shoes and are very comfortable.

I still wear my Cruiserworks from my Goldwing days when I wear boots.

I have ridden 2 wheel for awhile and found that different gear works best for different bikes and people.
Start with simple school required, state legal required and ride some to figure what works for you.

I wear hiking boots and deerskin or elk skin (Alpinestar) gloves.

The deerskins are great used em for years
https://www.aerostich.com/clothing/g...eerskin-gloves