Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Any of https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_cat/456

Or some daytona.
Or tcx
https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/30361

I have those sidi ST. They are good.

@hugo7 I suppose it all depends if you wanted to sell/ trade to a dealer, they prefer OEM for the most part (or give better £££) if you would sell it privately, go with whatever.
If you plan on keeping it for the foreseeable and will devalue it enough just by age and mileage, go with whatever fancy aftermarket stuff you fancy.

Altberg made to measure.

I have SIDI B2 gore-tex. Absolutely superb can't fault 'em

My B2's just....won't die. Trying to find a reason for a change and simply can't find it.

My Gaerne MX boots are nearly dead. Dirt bikes fricking ravage boots, I've only had them a couple of years. Definitely saved me from a broken ankle on at least 3 occasions though.

Meanwhile in California. Duuuuuuuude!

Check out the vid.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-motorbike-stunt-20170305-story.html

Crazy , irresponsible and crazy.

Cheers for the boot suggestions. I guess I'm just trying to work out what my budget is. £200 is sort of the tipping point at the moment.

Altberg made to measure.

I know people really rate them, but they just remind me of the police. If I didn't have the Indians their old school trekking style ones would be a good option.

Think I might try on a pair of SiDi and try for that pair on ebay.

Otherwise those RST do look like great value.

I have some Puma Brutale Gore Tex boots which look good (subtle, for bike boots), are comfy and have been completely waterproof (Just don't tuck your trousers into them like I did in that rainstorm in France, filling them up with water)

https://www.jsaccessories.co.uk/buy/Puma-Brutale-Boots/4802.htm

I had a bit of a session on sportsbikeshop to get some new trousers and boots, so thought I'd post my initial thoughts on what I got. Bear in mind that this has just been tried on, not ridden.

Trousers:

RST Pro Series Ventilator 5 Jeans

• Pictures speak 1,000 words - they are exactly what you think they are and
  
• tonnes of features
  
• Fit is loose but not baggy.
  
• Liner is warm
  
  
  

RST Interstate 3 Leather Jeans
Pros:

• Very nice
  
• soft leather
  
• well cut
  
• good knee pad position
  
• Look great
  
• boot cut enough to take boots save for those with extreme shinpads, but don't look too "boot-cut"
  Cons:
  
• leather on the back of the knee bunches a bit (I now understand why most have fabric)
  
• non-adjustable knee armour
  
• no pockets for hip armour
  
• can't take boots with extreme shinpads
  
  

Richa Cafe Leather Jeans:
NB. I got a short leg version.
Pros:

• Lovely matt finish
  
• soft leather
  
• pockets for hip armour
  
• adjustable knee armour
  
• can take boots with extreme shinpad
  Con/Neutral:
  
• Bootcut width - it's very wide, too wide for me, but in a reg. leg and a longer legged person it might be better.
  
• Short zip
  Cons:
  
• short leg just didn't look great on balance.
  
• too low at the back (you'd have to try with your jacket)
  
  
  

Boots:

Merlin Sprint Waterproof Boots £80
Had this a few times with Merlin stuff, some is ace but some is just a bit off. These fall into the latter and had an odd fit.

TCX S-Speed Waterproof Boots £190
Pros:

• Bang on point, reviews/pics tell it all.
  
• Felt on par, if probably not better than the SiDi B2.
  Cons:
  
• HUGE shinpad affects trouser choice.
  
  

TCX X-Five Waterproof Boots £190
Cons:

• stitching on pedal pad looks cheap, so unsure of quality.
  
  

Sidi B2 Gore-Tex Boots £230
Pros:

• look good - nice blend of technical vs discrete
  
• slim so could probably fit under a lot of normal jeans
  Cons:
  
• not convinced about Velcro securing/fastening around the inside ankle (more noticeably on the right) - the TCX felt much more secure.
  
• no Velcro tab on zip
  
  
  
  

ahh! I give up on this forums list system!

tl;dr RST Interstate are awesome poser leather jeans, TCX S-Speed boots are VGFM.

My biggest issue with textile trousers was that leather just felt safer while I was wearing them, regardless of the actual abrasion/rip/tear qualities.

After touching all three my biggest issue with textile trousers was that leather just felt sooooooo fucking good to touch.

However, none of those ^ have a removable quilted liner and I'm not sure if they deserve to be commuted in the rain. So the boring pros are sort of winning.

On the shoe front, my colleague made a good point when I was going through the boxes. Essentially, my Indians look like cool work boots and can be worn casually. Frumpy tourers a la:

..look like the sort of things office ITC engineers wear. Whereas a technical boot, just looks like a technical boot...
...so if you're buying a boot you can only ever wear on a bike just get something that is a proper bike boot.

Although the Puma BQ suggested does look cool.

Does anyone make a decent, non-plasticky looking, reasonably priced electric commuting bike/moped yet?

Zero FXS, but still fairly expensive

Nice, but yes, expensive.
I want something like a honda c90, but electric, just to get to work and back on. It would be plugged in every night, so it wouldn't need a huge battery range.

RIP John surtees

The electric brompton is due this year. Probably going to be expensive but it could be interesting. Met a guy riding a 70cc monkey bike this week, he's been riding it for 20 years, reckoned he'd be all over an electric brompton.

Thinking about it, doesn't really fulfil your needs. I'm going to be looking into it because I just want one to pop to the shops and back.

Aha...

https://www.ekobikes.co.uk

Our local Firezza has some electric vintage Vespa copies which look quite nice

I pass a guy on something that looks like this on my commute sometimes

By the way, when I say "pass", I don't mean going in the opposite direction. Painfully slow.

First sunny Saturday in ages, went down to our underground 'secure' parking to find my bike gone and chains chewed apart by angle grinders. :(