From: "Sanders, Eric"
> Subject: [DSN_klr650] NKLR: Moab Tunes
> >>"These boots ain't make for shift'n" by Verle and the Alpine Stars Hi Verle,
> I recently bought the Alpinestars Tech 8, and had a tough time
> shifting. I had planned to move the shifter up a notch or two on the
> splines at my 500 mile first service. But now that the boots are broken
in,
> I can point my toes, so there is no need to adjust it. They seem fairly
> comfortable to walk in also, although an epic "hike-out" wouldn't be fun.
> The way I have to walk in them makes me feel like a bad-ass....
Thanks for the encouragement. I have the Tech 6 boots. I started off wrong
by riding my R1100R thirty-five miles to the dealer to buy the boots and
forgetting to take the saddlebags. I figured out a way to carry the smaller
boots I was wearing but had little choice but to wear the Alpinestars home
(I tried not to notice if anyone was pointing and giggling). The BMW has
mildly rearset, high pegs with a droopy shift lever and I COULD NOT get my
toe under the shift lever. I managed to shift with the edge of my sole but
developing this technique in traffic was a new kind of challenge.
When I got home, I did move the KLR shift lever up one spline and even so
couldn't shift without undo deliberation. I bought these boots because four
days of desert and rock riding with two motocross racers made it obvious I
needed serious foot protection. I was thinking: "I'm protected! With these
boots I can't ride with motocross racers."
There's hope. I wore the boots in the garage while bending and squatting to
service both bikes, then wore them in the yard picking up trash from spring
winds, then went riding on the KLR and actually shifted gears with some
predictability.
> ...And damn do I look good when I peek at my reflection while riding past
> store windows! (I can't resist)
At 61 years old, I just look silly, but with a full-coverage helmet, who
will know.
Verle Nelson
Cedaredge, CO