High heels and v-stroms don't mix

[Little Bike]

Originally Posted by atomicalex

For those who need math....

Each shoe with a heel has an angle built into the top of the heel. This is the heel pitch. The purpose of heel pitch is to extend the leg visually. However, in most shoes with heels of more than 1:8 total pitch (think roof pitch), the heel pitch is greater than the total pitch, and this leads to the foot sliding toward the toe. This makes it impossible to put significant weight on the heel, or to transfer significant load to the heel contact surface. As a consequence, these shoes are often the ones that are uncomfortable to wear. Shoes with a heel pitch that is lower than the overall shoe pitch will not visually extend the leg as much, but will be more comfortable as the weight is distributed more evenly over the sole of the foot, and consequently over the sole of the shoe.

Looking at Little Bike's boot, if the interior sole profile is the same as the exterior, it is overpitched, and she could not possibly get weight down on the heel.

An image to assist:

I love it!

[Little Bike]

Originally Posted by DC2wheels

Little bike. Nice story.


But, no pictures? No witnesses? Don't worry, it never happened.

Your secret is safe with the 200,000+ folks here on ADV.

It's great because you all get it! When I told a friend in the party she got this very concerned look on her face and asked me if I was OK to ride home.

[Little Bike]

Originally Posted by manfromthestix

What can I say, I find it exciting that a woman has the interest, apptitude, self-confidence, skill, etc. to get out and enjoy these kinds of things AND still be an attractive WOMAN. As it should be. I think our society is guilty of selling women short in so many ways, and sadly many women buy into that bullshit. We have four daughters so believe me I'm familiar with this crap . Gotta look like Barbie and be totally helpless 'cuz the Big Hunk of Man will want to come rescue you and ride off into the sunset with you on the back of his white horse; if you aren't Barbie-esque you'll be sad and lonely; buy this and this and this and this and that to help reach you're true potential! You never see a chainsaw (or tractor, truck, etc.) ad with women operating the things. I love seeing women driving big rigs, running heavy equipment, and giving their man a ride on their motorcycles!

Speaking of tractors, that's the one thing my wife can't do around our farm. We have a big old International tractor with a bush hog on it and she can't get the clutch pushed in; she just doesn't weigh enough to put enough pressure on it. This pisses her off, says maybe we need a tractor with a hydrostatic clutch so she can drive it. I like that tractor, otherwise she'd be out bush hogging the land while I scrub the toilets. We recently built a "loafing shed" (for the horses)/tractor shed and she was using the pneumatic nail gun even though it's about 1/4 the size of her and the recoil knocks her around pretty good; never a complaint. We had a heck of a time finding a bike to fit her and ended up with a Suzuki TU250X which she loves for it's retro-styling:





She can almost flat-foot it so that makes her feel more comfortable. I'll suggest she wear some high heels and then maybe she'll try riding my 1150GS! I like this bike too, it runs great and handles very well, has fuel injection (gets like 100 MPG) and a front disc brake, but at 250cc I don't feel it's safe on the open highways and she agrees. It's fun to bop around the back roads on but for long trips she enjoys riding pillion, says she gets to see more that way.

I just love this forum; of COURSE there is someone looking at it that can explain the design and physiology of high heeled shoes! Lovely name, too; my wife spells hers with a "C".

Doug

I'm glad you're raising your daughters right! That's one of the reasons I like riding my bike to school. I get girls asking me if I ride a motorcycle and when I say yes they usually say "cool" I'm hoping that the girls are seeing that you don't have to fit into a mold expected by society.

[DC2wheels]

Originally Posted by Little Bike

I'm glad you're raising your daughters right! That's one of the reasons I like riding my bike to school. I get girls asking me if I ride a motorcycle and when I say yes they usually say "cool" I'm hoping that the girls are seeing that you don't have to fit into a mold expected by society.

Our daughter Jen (25 y.o.) started riding when she was about 18. Loves everything about motorcycles. Wants to do an Iron Butt with me in 2013.



Yeah, guess you could say I'm proud of her.

[Little Bike]

Originally Posted by DC2wheels

Our daughter Jen (25 y.o.) started riding when she was about 18. Loves everything about motorcycles. Wants to do an Iron Butt with me in 2013.



Yeah, guess you could say I'm proud of her.

That's awesome!

[manfromthestix]

I started my educational career in electrical engineering and ended up as a geologist for a number of reasons. When I was in the engineering college in 1976 there were three (3) women enrolled in the entire engineering college (not too many more in geology, sadly). Their advisors steered them toward "more appropriate" degrees like the MRS or teaching or "home economics". My little sister was one of the first women to graduate as a mechanical engineer from that school and it was a true struggle for her to break through those stereotypes. I have been bristling at the Barbie Bullshit for a long time. It's infinitely better than it used to be in some ways and so much worse in other ways; have you seen "Jersey Shores" or "America's Next Top Model" or "Real Housewives of..." or any of 1000 other horrid shows? That kind of stuff wasn't even around when I was a kid and now we are just inundated by it on 400 channels 24 hours a day. We see stuff on prime time TV that used to be considered pornography or just too vulgar for "polite company". I'm no prude, but c'mon already with this trash!

Like I said earlier, it's a real struggle to get the girls to see past all this crap to what really matters in life; they want SO MUCH to fit in and be accepted and there are more Barbie wannabe's than otherwise. We've had our successes and our failures... I celebrate women who live the lives they want without succumbing to those ugly, limiting stereotypes. Ride on in your heels and sequined top! Woooot!

Doug

[atomicalex]

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

Hmmm, maybe we should start a new picture thread - motorcycle women and their tools. I'd betcha we'd get more hits than "Toxic Britney"

Oh, sign me up! I need to go home and get a pic of my chainsaw, it's a Stihl.

[manfromthestix]

Originally Posted by atomicalex

Oh, sign me up! I need to go home and get a pic of my chainsaw, it's a Stihl.

It was the discovery that my Catherine owned a Stihl chainsaw that completely bowled me over, whooobabeeee!!

She'd never ridden on a motorcycle before we met, so we did a nice, long ride on my GS over dirt roads, up into the forest with a cooler full of picnic in the topbox, and back on a beautiful curvy scenic asphalt road. When we got back to my house I asked her how she'd liked it? She asked, "Can we ride this thing to Alaska?" That, on top of the chainsaw thing, was the final straw for me. I knew then and there that she was The One.



Doug

[LuluOfDenver]

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

Hmmm, maybe we should start a new picture thread - motorcycle women and their tools. I'd betcha we'd get more hits than "Toxic Britney"

I fully agree, except that although I am capable of operating a chainsaw, I can't manage to figure out how to post pics from my iPad to this forum!

[Kommando]

Originally Posted by manfromthestix

Like I said earlier, it's a real struggle to get the girls to see past all this crap to what really matters in life; they want SO MUCH to fit in and be accepted and there are more Barbie wannabe's than otherwise. We've had our successes and our failures... I celebrate women who live the lives they want without succumbing to those ugly, limiting stereotypes. Ride on in your heels and sequined top! Woooot!

Doug

Talk to them about developing self-confidence and self-esteem. A lot of young people these days seem to not have any, so they put up a front and act arrogantly.

Learn how to be the chief when it's the right thing to do, even if you have the smallest tribe...or grow the largest. Don't be afraid to march to the beat of your own drum, but also don't be too arrogant to recognize when somebody else has a better beat.

[hscrugby]

I just want to say two things.

1. AWESOME.

2. Which bikes DO high heels mix with?


I tried flip flops and my old CBR after doing some work. THAT was a HUGE mistake. Somehow I only destroyed the flip flop, and not my foot or self.

[livo]

High heels or not, 98% of v-strom drops happen at 0kmh/mph DAMHIK

Glad to hear there wasn't too much damage

[The Roadie]

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

I'm glad nothing more than your pride was hurt, especially no damage to the sequined top and the heels! I would have done the same thing, its just too must trouble to change shoes just for that little ride across the parking lot.

BTW manfromthestix I have a V-Strom, a Ford F150, 2 other bikes and a chainsaw

I love the women on ADVrider! There's a reason why we're called WOmen.. Hehe. A lot of backbone, and humor. Glad to hear you share the story! Love your attitude And glad to hear the bike escaped with minimal damage!