BMW F800 Forum banner

800 in the rain

4K views 35 replies 17 participants last post by  Superduper 
#1 ·
These tires shoot wet all over my feet like crazy, got a fender extended and it makes no difference.
I’m curious what kinda boots folks wear, I think I’m in the market for some good, comfy waterproof boots.
 
#2 ·
I'm stating the obvious but unless your ridding pants go outside your boots water will always run down your leg and inside your boot makes no difference how waterproof your boot is. This combination works for me. Wolf textiles and RST "adventure" boot.



The boot is tall so gives a big overlap between the bottom of my ridding pants and the top of the boot that and being able to form a tight seal at the cuff of my trousers keeps my feet dry.

 
#3 ·
What MGD109 said, plus … remember that proper length riding pants will be too long when you are walking around. The bend in your knees, especially on our sporty F bikes, will hike your pants way up high and water will always get into the boots. I wear Darien AD1 pants, about 3 or 4 inches longer than my jeans, and SIDI books.

Good luck.
 
#4 ·
I've run into similar wet feet problems with this bike. I've found that Gortex is the only defense and that it needs to be tall enough so that the overlapping pants keep water from going in the top. Motorcycle specific boots are the one piece of motorcycle protective equipment that I have never purchased. Instead I have had great luck and great multitasking use with military/police style boots. I wear the Danner Men's Kinetic 8" GTX Uniform Boot. Very comfortable for walking and standing, yet the perfect level of stiffness in the upper and sole for protection and grip. Of course they are also Gortex lined up to the 8" mark, so no water gets in. Plus they cost half of what motorcycle boots cost.
Outdoor shoe Walking shoe Sportswear Work boots Boot
 
#13 ·
I've run into similar wet feet problems with this bike. I've found that Gortex is the only defense and that it needs to be tall enough so that the overlapping pants keep water from going in the top. Motorcycle specific boots are the one piece of motorcycle protective equipment that I have never purchased. Instead I have had great luck and great multitasking use with military/police style boots. I wear the Danner Men's Kinetic 8" GTX Uniform Boot. Very comfortable for walking and standing, yet the perfect level of stiffness in the upper and sole for protection and grip. Of course they are also Gortex lined up to the 8" mark, so no water gets in. Plus they cost half of what motorcycle boots cost.
View attachment 352161
+1
 
#5 ·
I had a pair of Sidi City that worked well for years. I replaced them after the 3rd sole wore with Sidi On Roads.
Buy a quality boot and be happy.
In the olden days I wore a pair of rubber over boots that insured dry warm feet with lesser boots. Use the veggie bags from the market over your cheaper footwear to ease the putting on process.
 
#6 ·
Been using AltBerg boots over the last 10 or so winters or so :-

https://www.altberg.co.uk/

They don't claim to be water proof but I've never had any issues with them as long as they're cleaned and polished with traditional boot polish occasional.

They are traditional boot makers, cobblers if you like, based in Yorkshire and make various types of boots for walking, riding, military type ...

Current pair are now past their best so planning to order new pair next year.

Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk
 
#26 ·
Been using AltBerg boots over the last 10 or so winters or so :-

They don't claim to be water proof but I've never had any issues with them as long as they're cleaned and polished with traditional boot polish occasional.

......
My brother is a keen hill walker and swears by Altberg boots. As Nigel states don't claim to be waterproof but according to our kid they absolutely are, he is lucky to be close enough to the makers to be able to get a factory fitting and alterations have been needed in the past. Should he ever win the lottery he will use their made to measure service. (over £1000 apparently). He is very surprised I've never bought a pair of their motorbike boots. Only reason is I prefer moto x/adventure boots with latch type buckles rather than laces or velcro and zips.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Superduper
#7 ·
I use Tourmaster Epic boots. https://www.tourmaster.com/inc/sdetail/epic_touring_boot/101/4487

Footwear Human body Boot Synthetic rubber Font


I also have the Tourmaster Solution 2.0 Air boots. The difference is like night and day...with the Epic boots being worth every penny. Both are waterproof, and I think the Epic technology will perform better in the winter rainy months. It has the OutDry technology that has performed flawlessly in Seattle's rain. I was out riding Friday in some downpours and my crotch got a little wet...but my feet were totally dry. My feet don't get sweaty in them either.

The fit is different between the two boots. The Epic boot feels like a higher quality boot and forms itself around my foot nicely. The Solution boot is totally different in cut, and feels like rubber galooshes when walking.

Chris
 
#8 ·
Just splurged some money and got the chartreuse bmw one piece rain suit, legs are extra long for the bend which is nice. Light weight suit. I have a pair of tourmaster foot covers which work, but boots would be better IMO. Should have never of sold my old BMW boots, they were great.
Guess I’m looking for waterproof gore Tex gloves too, over gloves are a pain. Mittens.
 
#9 ·
the astar smx5 works good also in the rain even if are not wp. in summer I used to wear the perforated smx5. here, in sicily, the main problem is the hot weather not the rain. but wearing the sport non wp astar boots I have ridden in france and in the north of italy under strong rain and I haven't had any problem.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Superduper
#10 ·
That’s one of my main issues, Miami is stupid crazy hot, and the rain can be stupid crazy heavy, out of nowhere.
I know goretex stuff is the way to go, but too much money for me at this point. Breathable would be nice but full on waterproof is a must.
 
#11 ·
I used sport boots. There are some wp sport boots (astar, dainese, etc.) but these boots are not really comfortable because the wp liner makes the boot rigid, so I always preferred the non wp models which are alway protective enough against the light rain. To improve the protection against the rain it’ possible to grease the boots, it’s an old method but it works pretty good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Superduper
#12 ·
I have adopted a mix of riding gear that worked great over the years. A one piece liner from a heavy duty riding suit, a light weight one piece riding suit that is mostly mesh and for rain, a set of Frogg Toggs. The Frogg Toggs are relatively inexpensive and can be pulled on with ease over the suit. If a tear appears during it's life time an easy repair is a bit of tape. Not sexy but, it works very well indeed. as for the boots, a simple waterproofing over the leather does the job.
 
#14 ·
If you like the idea of waterproof "military/police style boots", I highly recommend stopping in at Big 5 Sporting Goods to see what they have. I used their boots for years. Comfortable. Waterproof. Some of them are part textile and breathe really well...yet are waterproof. If what you want isn't on sale, just wait. It'll go on sale in a few weeks.

You don't think of a "sporting goods" store as being a place to buy boots or shoes, but this one is. I asked the manager once about it and he said the shoe department is the largest money making area in the store.

Chris
 
#16 ·
TCX Sportour waterproof - had a pair for about 4-5 years.
They've come through a couple of 6 hour **torrential** thunderstorms in the swiss and french alps, with rivers of water on the roads, and still kept my feet dry.
They do come up small with the goretex lining though, best to go a size up.

Boot Work boots Synthetic rubber Font Athletic shoe
 
#21 ·
Waterproof gloves are a different issue. I don't believe such a thing exists. Lots of folks on here, and elsewhere, will try to convince you the glove they use/sell are 100% waterproof. Be wary. I've tried most brands available over the years. Your hands will eventually get wet no matter what you are wearing. I've ridden in lots of frog-stranglers and had dry, warm feet and torso at the end. But hands … ALWAYS wet after enough hours.

Good luck.
 
#18 ·
A couple times a year, I wash my riding gear. Once dry, I'll put a tarp on the garage floor and spray it with some waterproofing spray. That includes the gloves.

The Gerbing T5 gloves even tell you that though they have a waterproof liner, to spray them to keep them from soaking up water like a sponge and getting waterlogged. I find the same thing with all my riding gear. It may have a waterproof liner, but the outer layer will get waterlogged, become extremely heavy and take forever to dry out...unless I spray it with the waterproofing spray.

Lots of people like Nikwax. It's undoubtedly good stuff, but cheaper alternatives are available without the premium name. I go to Fred Meyer and buy the waterproofing spray they sell for camping gear. You get wet hiking and camping too...you're just not moving as fast. If you are old enough (60 yrs old), you can get 10% off on their senior discount days. A can will cost about $8.



Gore-tex is good. The less expensive Hipora works well too...again, with a thorough spray of waterproofing spray. It costs a lot less too.

Chris
 
#33 ·
A couple of times a year I apply neatsfoot oil into my leather jackets, pants and gloves. Boots I keep polished with the good old Kiwi shoe polish. I've been doing this forever. Never use any silicon or synthetic based water proofing on leather. It does more harm than good. Leather isn't water proof and nothing you apply will make it water proof. Treat leather clothing like you would your skin, keep it moisturised.

My sister put me onto neatsfoot oil back in the 1980s. She had horses and used to compete in dressage. All her leather horse gear was kept in good shape using neatsfoot oil. I have a pair of leather riding pants that I bought in the 1980s. The leather is still as good new(except for a few scraps where I hit the road).
 
#19 ·
I went to Damascus House this morning as the sun was coming up. The temp was down to 26F when I left. I tried something different, and I could feel the difference.

I put a nitrile disposable glove on the right hand under my Gerbing T5 glove. If you've ever used heated gloves, you'll notice the right hand gets colder than the left. The reason is the gloves have a longer wire to them, and they lose some of the amperage? in the length of the wire. Anyway, the right hand was warmer than the left with that nitrile glove. Why? I think it is because it blocked some of the air flowing through the gloves.

I could've ridden all day with warm hands like that. Now where was all that heat coming from the engine when I needed it??? :D

Chris
 
#24 · (Edited)
........If you've ever used heated gloves, you'll notice the right hand gets colder than the left. The reason is the gloves have a longer wire to them, and they lose some of the amperage? in the length of the wire..........

Chris
Are you sure that's the problem Chris? I accept fully your reasoning that a longer wire of same gauge and construction will have greater resistance and therefore reduce the current being delivered to the load, but I was under the impression that the only time this has any real relevance to motor vehicle wiring is with the high currents (relatively) used to turn the starter motor over and in that application short cables are the order of the day to reduce any losses.

Anybody know the maths? I know it will depend on wire gauge and current load but realistically how much difference would you need in the length of two wires to get say a 5% reduction in current being delivered to a load on a 12 volt vehicle system?

Just my gut instinct but if one heated glove feels colder than the other then I think the problem is somewhere other than the length of the feed wire. I have used heated gloves (liners not proper full gloves) many years ago I don't recall any difference in the heat they gave out, the gloves are still in the loft (I think), when the Christmas decorations go away I'm going to dig them out and have a play. As I say it's just my gut feeling more than willing to be shown to be wrong and learn something.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BoxerBits
#23 ·
Once again, Gore-Tex rains king (pun intended) for waterproof gloves. The only challenge is the big hole that you put your hands in. The trick is to get a long gauntlet cuff and secure it either inside or outside of the cuff of your waterproof jacket sleeve. Over the cuff is necessary if your elbows are below your wrists, and under the cuff if they are higher than your wrists. It's the whole gravity issue of water running down the sleeves. Cinching the gloves at the wrists won't keep water out because of the wicking effect (capillary?) of water in the glove liner.

One other thing to consider (not an issue in Florida) is that you should NOT use heated grips in the wet. Gore-Tex is designed to move moisture through the membrane from warm to cold. Heated grips will suck the moisture right through the membrane into the gloves. Without the heated grips, moisture from sweat will move away from the heat of your hands through the membrane to the cooler outside of the glove. I learned this from a Rukka customer service rep when I called to complain that my new waterproof Gore-Tex gloves were soaked after a long ride in the cold rain. He asked me if I had heated grips right away. I've ridden thousands of miles in the rain since then with cold hands, but they have stayed dry.

Oh yeah, I also highly recommend a glove with a visor wipe on one of the fingers. I've found mine to be indispensable.

My neck is the only place water gets in. I swear by my Gore-Tex lined boots, gloves, jacket, and pants.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
#25 ·
Only ever noticed a difference in temperature between left and right hands, when doing a reasonable amount of town riding in colder months.

Depending on riding style, i.e. Clutch happy left hand, brake fixated right hand getting colder.

Always assumed it was simply down to operating the cold metal levers rather than a variance in cable lengths. Then again I'm not a automotive sparky, just ride a bike.




Sent from my moto g(6) play using Tapatalk
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top