New Boots!

Boots. Boots. Boots. I got new boots!

Go ahead, keep saying "boots" over and over. It starts to sound funny, and then you can't stop saying it.

Boots.

So for years, yes years, I've been toying with the idea of buying new motorcycle boots. Since I started riding back in 2003, when I bought my first bike; the Suzuki Volusia, my boot-o-choice has been the Altama 6300 Jungle Boot. Now that is a great boot. Leather construction mixed with breathable nylon, good arch support, and the only footwear that I ever bought that came with instructions on how to avoid jungle rot and reminders to check the boots each morning for poisonous creatures. After more than a decade of use and abuse, they still hold up. But the Altama Jungle Boot is not waterproof. I've logged many a mile in the rain wearing those boots, only to arrive with soaked feet.

So in conducting a search for waterproof motorcycle boots, I prioritized the selection criteria:

1. Water-resistance. Just because a boot claims to be waterproof, doesn't mean it holds up well.
2. Price. They needed to be less than $250. Anything more is difficult to justify.
3. Comfort. No toe pinching or ankle binding.
4. Design. Motorcycle gear often sells because of how it looks, rather than how it performs. When you're in the store surrounded by all those toys, making sure this criterium takes a backseat to the others is tough.

After conducting research online, the shortlist of candidates came down to:

• TCX Infinity GTX
• Tour Master Solution WP Air
• Alpinestars Scout 
• Axo Freedom GT
• Alpinestars Web Gore-Tex

Each made the list because of customer evaluations, water-resistance ratings, price, and design. The next step was trying them on, however, motorcycle stores are notoriously skimpy when it comes to offering a diversity of boots on the shelves. Most stores I visit have 1-2 dozen models. When you break that down into the types of boots; cruiser or adventure or street or motocross, stores can only afford to carry a few options of each. So when you shop for boots, be prepared to cover some ground and take some time.

By the way, I should take a moment to give credit to Revzilla and their product evaluation videos. These are great for getting summaries of all kinds of gear. I've frequently gone through their videos to see which product lines are best for me. In the case of finding boots, I learned to stay away from FirstGear boots (though I have the Kilimanjaro jacket) because they run wide, and I have a narrow foot. The videos earned my trust and Revzilla has earned my business.

So back to the boot search. Since deciding to purchase waterproof boots, I visited most every motorcycle store on the Seattle Eastside as well as the Seattle Motorcycle Show, but everything I tried on didn't feel right. This included boots not on the shortlist but fit all the other criteria.

All that changed today when I drove up the road about five miles to a dealership to see what they had to offer. There wasn't much in the front, but in the back, all the way in the back, was the clearance table. And on the table: two pairs of waterproof boots; the Alpinestars Scout WP and Gaerne G-Adventure boots. They were both priced equally for clearance.

A little dust never bothered me when it comes to gear; let someone else be the early adopter. Getting a good deal on a proven product is more important.

Incandescent lighting makes the photo look
yellow, but this is a good-looking black boot

After wearing one of each around the store and straddling an Aprilia Tuono V4, the Scout won the boot-off through superior comfort.

The Alpinestars Scout WP boot is a waterproofed, all-leather adventure boot. The toe is reinforced for up-shifting and the ankle and shin areas offer internal protection.

The sole is a stiff rubber compound stitched to the uppers. Treads are fairly deep and defined, as the photo shows. Admittedly, the Gaerne sole felt better; the heel cuts at a 90-degree angle, which helps keeps boots on the foot pegs. A lot of motorcycle boots have smooth transitions between toe and heel, but I like having the heels 'hook' on the pegs.

It's a good-looking boot. There's definitely a Mad Max feel to it without being too flashy. In fact, other than the gray buckle straps, there's not much that stands out. Alpinestars often sets its logo in high-contrast colors on its gear, but the logo on the Scouts is merely black embossed.

Ski boot buckles

The Scout secures closed using two methods; from foot to shin it uses three adjustable buckles that resemble light-weight ski boot buckles. According to Alpinestars, the adjustments are made using a "micro-adjustable memory system." The boot 'tongue' is a v-shaped mesh liner to keep water from sneaking in above the ankles.

Above the buckles, the Scout has a big patch of Velcro to finish off the seal.

It will be fun to get on the road with the Alpinestars Scouts. They're a little stiff now, but should loosen up after a couple hundred miles.

Boots.

Creating the Logo for the Ride

BRAND = Who you say you are + What people think of you

Every good marketer knows this equation; it's one of the first things you learn, whether in school or on the job. And one of the primary ways people and organizations convey their brand; their identity, is through a logo. Creating one is what I set out to do for the Puget2Potomac Ride.

Vote for Pedro

My buddy Pedro, whom I told you about before--the guy who rode his motorcycle with a group of friends from Seattle to Barrow, Alaska, and then rode by himself from Redmond to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil--created a sticker logo for his Redmond-to-Rio ride. It's a really nice one and I've seen it on occasional motorcycles around town, most recently at the Seattle Motorcycle Show. It got me thinking that I could create something similar for my ride. The more I looked into doing it, the more I discovered that a lot of riders do this sort of thing.

The first step was to scribble out the logo requirements, which did not take long. The second step was finding a graphic designer. It's been several years since I had a copy of PhotoShop so doing my own was out. I know lots of very talented and professional designers, unfortunately, they would also be expensive, so I followed a friend's suggestion and tried Etsy.com.

A lot of small business graphic designers set up shop on Etsy and the range and quality of offerings is impressive. Eventually, I settled on St Louis-based Matt Cockrum. The deal was that he would render four different logos for $99 within 48 hours. I would choose one of the four for refinement and we would go from there. The rest of this blog covers the articulated requirements, the first draft logos, feedback, and the final rendering.

Requirements
Matt asks clients to answer a set of questions for getting started. I was going to include them here, but the questions with my answers really makes this entry go on for a while. Suffice to say that the requirements were specific, but still gave him a solid palette for creation.

Here's what he sent, two days after receiving the requirements:

Four choices

The fun and magic in the creative process comes with the surprises. And three of these (versions 2-4) were real surprises. The first version most closely aligned with my requirements. But after living with the logos (taped to a wall in the kitchen so we could all live with them for a couple days), it was the third option that really earned the most support.

After sending back one last set of changes, the final version arrived two days later, and I'm happy to say that I love the logo. It's really sweet. It captures the spirit of the ride and has just enough license to avoid distraction.

Now all I need to do is find a good deal on custom stickers.

Change in Topic

I was going to devote today's blog to the design of my logo. It's a good little story that focuses not only on the development of graphic, but also in brand definition.

But then the attack on the French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, happened.

Three armed men, with professed links to al-Qaida (They shouted their connections during the attack), stormed the offices of the publication and killed 12 people in a highly militarized attack. Early reports say the attackers were seeking retribution for publishing characterized images of Muhammad.

We're going to learn a lot about the victims in the coming weeks. We're going to learn a lot about the killers and their motives.

What we probably won't hear a lot about are the majority of Muslims who condemn the killings. And I'd be surprised if any foreign national leaders of Muslim nations denounce the attack.

I hope I'm wrong on those last two points.

For now, I'm just sad for the lives lost.

Je Suis Charlie

Je Suis Charlie

New hashtag to support France in wake of Charlie Hebdo attack #jesuischarlie (I am Charlie) pic.twitter.com/KfuEHT6ZZT

Spit and Polish

The logo is ready! And it looks really sweet. I've added it to this blog and my Twitter account. Next I'll be printing stickers.

So I've always coveted my buddy Pedro's Redmond-to-Rio sticker. He had some printed up for his ride to South America. The design is really clean and I always seem to see them in unexpected places. This December, I spotted one of his stickers on an adventure bike on display at the Seattle Motorcycle Show.

You can find Redmond to Rio on Facebook. Just search for it.

So after struggling with my own design concepts--I no longer have access to PhotoShop and was trying to pull something together using PowerPoint (don't ask)--a local graphic designer with no free time of her own turned me on to Etsy. There I found a St Louis-based designer named Matt Cockrum, and he's working on designs for me right now. He's got a great bold touch. I'm anxious to see how it plays out.

Check back to see what he designs.

Baby Got Back

So Christmas has come and gone, like a lead-footed rider pushing the Castrol Rocket across the Bonneville Salt Flats. We still manage to capture magic this time of year, no matter how fleeting, and I look forward to the new year with optimism that our efforts to imbue the kids with a sense of wonder will pay off for them later in life.

All three of our kids managed to make it into the double-digits believing in Santa Claus. It took a lot of work on our behalf; nibbling on the cookies and milk well after midnight, running around the house in the black of night with the jingle bells, and equipping our kids with the intellectual means for fending off naysayers. And we're happy to say we have one remaining who still believes, though this may be his last year for it.

I know parents who share our point of view; childhood lasts just a few years and most of us spend the majority of our lives as adults (not always as mature, but as adults). We want our kids to bask in the joy of childhood as long as they can. Santa is a big part of that.

There are plenty of other parents who do not share our outlook on Santa. Through the years, the ones who managed to equip their children with a lack of belief but not the mechanics to keep their mouths shut often caused our kids temporary frustration, but not long-term pain (as can be the case with crueler children). I believe this is due to the key requirement for belief: faith.

Belief requires a suspension of the facts in order to achieve an understanding. And you can't have faith without believing in something inexplainable.

Not so inexplainable is the discomfort that comes with riding a motorcycle over long distances. As much as I love my Tiger, a 50-year old butt sitting on a 6-year old seat gets a little painful even after 250 miles, much less 5,000.

So I was very happy this year that Santa Claus brought me an Airhawk 2 Comfort Seating System for Christmas. It will definitely come in handy for the coast-to-coast run this spring.

The Airhawk 2 mounted on the Tiger.

Rather than a gel seat or a lambs wool pad for my tenders, the Airhawk 2 will be providing a cushion of air (a cush for my tush) that both cools the underside and softs the vibrations. I'm looking forward to getting on the road for a long ride, even before the Puget-to-Potomac Run just to see if it makes a difference.

Sitting on the Airhawk 2 feels a little funny at first. The padding is created through multiple air cells with narrow vents between them, so as you shift in the seat, air is slowly squeezed from cell to cell, giving you a kind of squishy Jell-o feel under your butt.

There's always room for Jell-o.

As excited as I am to get on the road with the Airhawk 2, there are a few concerns nagging at the back of my head:

• The pad raises the height of my already tall motorcycle seat, and I already look like a doofus when I'm geared up and trying to pull my leg up and over. Doing that after a thousand miles will be... interesting.
• I've read some reviews in which riders say the air leaked out of their Airhawks after a few hundred miles. You add air by blowing through the valve (pictured above).
• The Airhawk attaches to the seat by means of two straps (pictured below). The hook-and-loop looks like it could be a little flimsy. I'd rather have a buckle.

Hook-and-loop attach mechanism.

Anxiety Busters

A friend asked me today how I cope with anxiety. The immediate response was: exercise; go for a run or walk, and avoid caffeine and sugar foods. But as I continued to think about her question, I thought I could do a lot better than those two answers.

For the few of you who read this blog, or know me, you'll recognize that I'm often on the move. Part of that is due to anxiety. And one of the reasons for planning a two-day stop at Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse is to see just how much I can allow myself to relax. That stopover combined with the ride across South Dakota and Iowa are sure to tax my ability to calmly be in the moment.

I don't know if anxiety is ever beatable, but it can be managed. Here's a list anxiety-busters that have worked for me from time-to-time and might work for you:

• Exercise through cardio-vascular activity
• Avoid caffeine and sugar foods
• Perform good deeds. helping others is a sure-fire way to get out of your own head
• Take a long, hot bath or shower
• Meditate. Own 10-15 minutes to clear the mind of distractions and worries
• Laugh 'til you cry
• Pitch in. Get busy on tasks that benefit others without having to be asked
• Listen to loud music and sing along
• Journal. Start every day writing longhand and stream-of-consciousness
• Find a buddy and hug it out
• Pray
• Monitor food intake. You may find that slight allergies or food intolerances put you on edge

I don't recommend talking out anxieties unless the person you are talking to is a certified therapist and you are paying them for the session. Friends will tolerate only so much verbal processing. Also, avoid self-medicating through drinking and drugs.

Peace out.