Motorcyclists can, in theory, wear any type of shoe or boot when they go for a ride. While there are laws in many countries, which oblige motorcyclists to wear motorcycle helmets, there are no laws that deal with motorcycle footwear. Yet, it’s not a good idea to ride your motorcycle in normal shoes.
If you ride regularly, make sure to order motorcycle footwear instead. Here are the reasons why.
Why You Should Never Wear Normal Shoes on Your Motorcycle
There are various reasons for not wearing sneakers or normal boots when riding a motorcycle. While some of them may be rather obvious, there are things that you may not have in mind.
Laces Can Be a Risk
If your shoelaces get tangled or if you trip over them, you can hurt yourself. Now imagine your laces got tangled while you are riding a motorcycle or a cool scooter: It can either lead to you tripping when getting off of your bike or to your bike falling on top of you.
No Ankle Protection
If you wear your normal, everyday sneakers, your ankles aren’t protected. Human ankles are very fragile. Fractures can even lead to lasting mobility impairment. There is a reason why motorcycle boots protect your ankles: During a crash, you’re likely to hit the ground with your lower limbs, so there’s a high risk of breaking your ankle as a study revealed.
Too Soft
Nobody plans on having an accident, but it can happen a lot faster than you’d expect. The scenes at an accident site can be disastrous as there are such strong forces at play, which often lead to severe injuries or even death. Normal shoes are soft enough to just give in as soon as your feet grind the ground or hit something hard. Good motorcycle footwear can handle that kind of scenario, so don’t leave your physical intactness up to chance.
No Good Grip
In order to ride your bike safely, your feet should rest on the motorcycle pegs. If it’s raining or if your shoes are wet, staying on the pegs can be tricky. Slipping off, however, shifts your focus from the road to your feet, which could lead to an accident. The soles of motorcycle footwear come with a good grip that makes sure your feet rest on the pegs.
Shoes Can Fly Off
The forces during a motorcycle crash are strong enough to shake your shoes off your feet in a heartbeat. Of course, normal shoes cannot protect you, but rest assured that naked feet are in a lot more danger. Motorcycle footwear is set up in a way where it cannot slip off your feet.
Not Waterproof
There are hiking boots and snow boots that are waterproof. But normal sneakers are not. The cold airstream while riding could cause a potential danger if your feet are wet.
Scenario 1: Your feet are so wet and cold that they turn numb and cause you to crash.
Scenario 2: You manage to ride safely but suffer from an unnecessary cold afterward.
Motorcycle footwear keeps your feet dry and warm.
No Heat Protection
After riding your bike for a while, the exhaust pipe can turn hot. You don’t want to accidentally touch it. But if you do while wearing normal shoes, you’re certainly going to regret your decision. You’d burn your foot, and your shoes might even start melting. Motorcycle footwear comes with heat protection to protect you from accidental burning.
Good Footwear Should Be a Part of Your Gear
Good motorcyclists know how dangerous riding a bike can be – yet many think they’re too cool for safety gear. You need to be aware of potential risks and protect your body well before you hit the road.
