I have never worn boots and just got a klx250s. I ordered some new boots of eBay, put them on and sat on my bike. I have a size 12/13 size boot and i'm not sure if I'll be able to even shift gears. Any recommendations on what I should wear?

 

Good boots are stiff until you break them in a bit.
Also get the shifter for a honda xl650, its a little longer.

 

it will take a while to get use to them, but you will.
It is 100% safer to wear boots.

While they are new and clean wear them around the house some to help break them in.

 

I wear size 14, i moved the shifter up a spline and its ok now. Put your boots on get them soaking wet, like "stick your foot in a bucket of water" wet... then cut the grass with a push mower. I got Thor quadrant boots, they are quite comfy now. I got the ATV sole on mine. They have saved my feet/shins many times.

 

Sidi Crossfire's are comfortable straight out of the box,

Reasonably easy to walk around in for MX boots as well.

I'd be surprised if they don't last 10 years.

 

I got Fox Tracker boots, and yes they are great, but really unless I'm trying to keep up with a bunch of guys on narrow trails, I wear my work boots. The shifting will come eventually, as you learn to slide and pivot your boot under the shifter. As was mentioned, move the shifter up to accommodate the boot, and then learn to shift with practice.

 

The exact boot recommendation probably isn't as important as just getting a quality boot that fits you. And when you do, many find the shift lever on the KLX to be too short. I swear the danged OEM shifter was made for someone with tiny feet...boots or not. The shift lever for the Honda XR650L from MSR is just about perfect for the KLX. Something to keep in mind when you start riding with boots...or maybe even without boots.

 

Oh and I just realized that it was your first post, so get over to the new members page and give us a proper intro. That's an order! LOL

 

I rotate my shift lever up a spline or two, makes all the difference in the world. I wear mx boots for trail rides and steel toe work boots for the other rides.

 

As mentioned, ones that fit and are comfy. Even now if i ride with just shoes on, and then go in the dirt with boots it takes some getting used to.

For what its worth, I love my Tech 8 alpinestar's