Welcome to JohnnyRebs blog.
I took the name from a brand of boot popular with bikers, well made, comfortable, nice leather lining. The harness design I guess is copied from a boot worn by Confederate soldiers.
I could be being a little plagiaristic in the Kiwi context too, as I have a vague memory a motorcycling columnist in the Manawatu Evening Standard may have used the same nom de plume a few years back.
One drawback the boot has is its cowboy heel, not the most comfortable to walk, and stay upright, on. I've since changed brands to Milwaukee with a square, flatter heel. It also has a higher shaft, (the height up the back from heel to top of the boot), 12" compared to the JohnnyReb 11". Its not lined either, which is a bit of a let-down from the JohnnyReb quality, but offers more leg protection from engine heat, in a cooler way, to sound a bit double-dutch. You cant have things all ways. On my 2009 USA ride I suffered from baked shins from the hot air ducting off the ST1300's cylinders riding in a short 6" shaft boot. No probs 2010.
I get my boots over the internet from http://www.sheplers.com/, a Witchita based company. The range offered is large, and even with a NZ$45 air freight charge, the end price is half what you'd pay here..... if you can find the boot. Click on a box in the top right corner of their page, and you get the price quoted in NZD.
No worries about sizing on a product unseen, American design is very consistent, even on those boots made under license elsewhere. I get size 11W (W for wide fit, E means the same). Sometimes the boots are shipped from the factory first, but generally the delivery to NZ is within 10-14 days to my rural address.
I get my work boots there too now. The soles under American boots are outstanding, oil resist and pretty much non-slip on wet rocks.
I got a zip up the back pair of Milwaukee's thinking they'd be easier to pull on, but they arent, so dont go there. If getting boots on is heart failure territory for you, get a pair of boot pullers, also from Sheplers. Theyve got a handle, and a hook goes in the loop each top side of the boot, get into your boots without a belly-bend.
While on the subject of feet, you cant beat cotton natural fibre socks. They last double the time over synthetic material for starting to pong. Sheplers do a nice cotton 'Dan Post' boot sock that comes right up under the knee for under $30, half the price of synthetics you get from sports shops here, and they never fall down. If you buy them same time as the boots they get chucked in the box under the one freight charge.
Another trick I learned riding America, I use cotton socks everyday at home and at work for the same lighter comfort and slow pong reasons. Theyre getting hard to find under the barrage of synthetics, but you can still find them in places like Sunnies, or supermarkets and $2 Shop, $2 a pop. You have to check the label for % cotton.
