[Bob KellyIII]

Lately I've been amused by looking at cregs list and seeing people that are on their bikes in tennis shoes .... and although TRAGIC in itself it is also amusing
I guess they've never had their ankle bone showing ...or seen one from someone that was wearing tennis shoes !
I have.... that is why I don't even put to the end of the block and back without my boots on....
then the thought of the new Ninja riders came to mind and I thought man someone has to warn them.... DON'T even get ON the bike unless you have some ankle protection .... WHY ? well, picture this ... putting down the road
at 25 mph and something happens and you fall over and the bike is on top your leg and foot as your sliding down the road 30 feet.... now pavement looks relitively benign, smooth and you wouldn't think it would act like real course sand paper...BUT IT DOES ! you won't slide 10 feet before that sandpaper/tarmac has ground into your flesh... and the remaining 20 feet will be trying to ground down the bone ! ....
My Mother was on the back of a honda 50cc behind my dad and they left to go to town, a shore time later they returned and I could tell something was wrong... Mom was hurt big time. her foot was wrapped in a piece of my Dads T shirt and it was bleading badly we got her in the house and un wrapped it and the bone of her ankle was ground off flat, her knee was also chewed up real bad.... Dad explained they were going about 40 mph and went into the first left hand turn and the bike just slid out from under them... I looked at the bike and the rear tire was covered in oil.
the oil breather tube exited right in front of the left hand side of the tire in the rear. and guess WHO put in too much oil ? yah me ! I didn't know it only took a cup.. i put in the whole quart !
... well Dad and I loaded Mom into the car and he took her to the hospital and I stayed home to care for the ranch.... many hours later Dad comes home without Mom and explains that he'll go get her tomorrow, turns out it was 3 days later mom came home with her leg in a full cast... seams that the slide down the road broke the cartilage in her knee and they took out the cartilage.... ( years ago that was the standard practice) so she was crippled from that day forward !
I was young at the time , probably 10 years old max. but it hung with me for years....
seeing the bone and flesh ground away from a foot of one you love is no fun!
.... and to this day when I see someone on a bike in low top shoes it gives me cold chills ! .... I've fallen and fallen quite hard in my time, but I've always had boots on. and I'm still walking
......
So this is a warning to you new people to motorcycle riding NEVER get on a motorcycle ....even for a second without Boots on... something with ankle protection.... the time you don't, is the time you'll need it ! and you can bet your life on that ! ( because you are)
....
Yes I am adamant about foot ware ! LOL

so the question is what kind of footwear do you have on when you ride ?
is it just tennis shoes because your just going to the store for a second ?
Boots , or actual riding boots that are made to hold up that bike should it fall on your leg ?....
....
the most common injury in motorcycle accidents is to the legs and feet
next is the hands and wrists ( in motorcycle fatalities it's the head/neck)
....
so shoes with exposed ankles.
boots where the ankle bone is covered by thick leather
Motorcycle boots where from just below the knee everything is protected...
and even crush resistant ...
the choice is yours, it's your feet !
....
...lets hear your comments !

Bob..........