New rider from Berkeley

[r_ciao]

Anyone know a good store in the east bay where I can pick up some real riding boots?

If you want to go further east over the hill, Ace Motorsports in Concord (Duc dealer) has SIDI boots and there's a decent size Cycle Gear in Pacheco.  Depending on how frequently you ride, you should consider a battery tender.

[desmoquattro]

+1 on Scuderia and Desmoto!

And let's not forget the complete listing in the Local Resources thread.

[BerkeleyMonster]

There's Berkeley Performance Yama-zuki-ha, but don't bother.  Plan on driving a bit to get good stuff.  Go to Scuderia West in the city or Road Rider down in San Jo.  You buy the stuff once and unless you're Spidey you don't really need to buy it again for a while.  You want someone to help you get fitted.  Bring the socks that you'll be wearing when you ride--and I suggest something a little heavier like a hiking sock with some padding in the ball of your foot.  

As for maintenance Berkeley Honda/Yamaha has all the supplies you'll need for really basic stuff.  After that I go to Desmoto in SF.  They have all the Duc stuff and you get a 10% discount if you tell them that you're with us.  If you're interested Enzo and I will be doing a 6K on my bike for the gazillionth time soon.  I used to host big tech days whenever I did this, but it's too much of a pain trying to do valves when I'm getting bugged every five minutes.  So now I just invite one or two people to come over and watch.  I make you clean things on my bike while you watch.  And my bike has a lot of crud on it--juss' sayin'.  

mostrobelle, I would love to watch you do your 6K and I don't mind cleaning things as long as I get to learn. Just let me know when you're going to do it.