Totally agree, my Altbergs are now 17 years old, they have been back to the factory once for resoling and are still going strong, mind you they are a lot more expensive now than when I bought them!! Mine were £124.99 + p & p, how things have changed
I would agree with Speeder the Altburg boots are really good, the fitting service is top class if your feet are slightly different in shape, size etc. I have Alpinestars Supertech R myself, although I did consider the Daytona boots, they are about the best, the ones I had in mind were almost £800 though, mind you if they save serious damage occurring to your foot and lower leg should heaven forbid the worst happens, then its money well spent in my mind. I am intending to buy the Daytona boots in the near future as my Alpinestars are getting pretty worn out.
ive a pair of Altberg boots which are around 8 years old and have covered 70..000 miles in mostly dry weather and they look like new, they’re also good to walk in but couldn’t be described as sportie to look at.
https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/85773 TCX X-Street, all day comfy, especially for walking, and they have protection
I just ordered (not here yet) the Alpinestars Belize. Leather and with a waterproof liner, about $300. These will be my main boots, but I also still like my Fly Racing Milepost vented boots (no smelly socks) which are about $125.
I bought a pair of Daytonas when I got my Tiger in 2003. The Tiger is still going great but the Daytonas have now given up. The soles wore out but the zips are still perfect. As someone else has said £350 to replace is a bit rich so I got a pair of Ebay rigger boots for £25 instead. I'm not going to be riding for the next 15 years (76 now) so something not quite so durable is fine for me. The rigger boots also seem to be well water proof which is a bonus.
Gasolina makes dedicated riding boots, custom-fit, for the price of a good pair of RedWing Heritage boots. Custom-fit. You send them your measurements by their instructions. If they’re leather and cover the ankle... https://gasolinaboots.com/
LeatherLegs.net https://www.leatherlegs.net/ I wear these over my chukka boots (yeah, they’re leather too).
That’s the original textile Raptor jacket. Pockets, pockets, and more pockets! I’ve a grey one with the black where yours is yellow. Had it since 2004, and put 100K miles on it. Doubt I’ll ever need another. They also made the Leather Raptor. My dealer had a couple they never sold. The price was steep, and I just couldn’t justify it, but one of the leftovers was the same size as my textile Raptor, but being Leather, and not broken in, it felt snug enough to give me more pause, so it stayed on the rack. I tried it on many times. Many, many times. One day they reduced the price, and I had me my Leather Raptor! It was 10-11 years later, but meant to be. Good find!
Helmets and boots are a lot alike in that if they are not comfortable, if the fit is not right, you aren’t going to wear them. Think about how many hours you wear these items and spend accordingly. My better half doesn’t understand either when I go spend $500 on a helmet, or $300 on a pair of sturdy boots or shoes. But I’ve been wearing the same boots and shoes for 15 years and likely will be wearing the same for the rest of my life. An occasional re sole, and they’re like new again. Meanwhile she’ll buy a dozen pair of tennis shoes and cheap department store boots or shoes a year and complain about how they hurt her feet and she can’t wear them. All the while tripping and falling over small objects because she hasn’t any sturdy footwear on her feet. She has a broken foot now from a fall last week. How many thousands of miles do you ride a year? How many hours is that in the saddle? (With your head in the bell?) Spend accordingly, as can be afforded. Reassess your priorities.
Good luck with you boot search, Daytona. I currently have or have had four of the brands that others on this thread have recommended and I highly recommend each of them: Rev It!, TCX, Alpinestars, and Harley-Davidson. Cyborgbot recommended the Harleys and don't count them out just because they're Harley and you don't ride one. I've had numerous H-D riding boots over the years and they've all been comfortable and protective right out of the box. And they have a number of different styles these days. I love m Rev It's--they are the non-waterproof version of the Royale's that DanielB recommended. I liked my black pair so much that I bought another pair in brown and I wear the heck out of both of them. One of the things I like is that they have a low wedge heel that works well on my pegs. Rev It makes a number of styles so there are lots to choose from. The TCX's I have are riding sneakers and are surprisingly protective and very comfortable both on and off the bike. Let us know what you settle on!
When i first got into biking i was going to get a pair of steel toe boots but after a friend said they weren't recommended as if you were involved in a accident the steel could cut your toes off..that kind of put me off!
I'd tried on a pair of Daytona Road Star touring boots,but because the zip goes around the foot a bit, for some reason (it could be because the zip was on the outside) i could only get the zip to go half way,i ended up getting the Daytona Spirit GTX which i actually prefer,it's sold as more of a summer sport boot (zips on the inside) as part of the leather is perforated to cool you, saying that I've been out in some cold conditions and never had cold feet..Edit they are also fully waterproof
I've had a pair of Dainese Goretex boots for well over a year now. I tried loads of pairs on at Infinity Motorcycles and J&S Accessories but these were comfortable from the start. More importantly they have proved to be fully waterproof and they have been well and truly tested.
I wear only the Best Tall Motorcycle Boots on the market all my life, IMHO. I love Alpinestars, and they have always been an investment I did not regret. Comfortable, easy to use, waterproof, and with a cool design - that's all Alpinestars.
I have a pair of Forma Adventure boots for when I'm riding my Tiger that I absolutely love. Comfortable enough for a thousands-of-miles cross country tour, on and off road. Also comfortable enough to get off the bike and hike through the national parks I visit without needing to change into hiking boots. Great traction, great protection, walking comfortable, waterproof... I can easily see myself getting another pair of these if these wear out at some point. I also have a pair of TCX Drifter boots for when I'm riding my Victory, and adv/motocross-style boots would just be out of place. I love these also. Very comfortable, decent protection (not as good as the Formas). I've also done thousands of miles touring with the TCXs (all on road), and would probably get another pair if these wear out at some point. I would place a caveat here, and say that the TCX boots are not as comfortable for hiking as the Formas. Fine for walking around, but I wouldn't want to wear them for a 5 mile hike in Big Bend NP, as an example.
I have dreadful size 10 feet with a high arch/instep and crunched up toes that won’t lay flat. The cheapo boots I bought about 18 years ago have suddenly started rubbing on the top of my toes where the inner to cap ends so I assume my feet are changing for the worse after 67 years. Most of the boots I have tried (at a reasonable price for the low mileage gentle riding I do) are so tight, I can’t even get my foot in past the ankle point of the boot. I have some lovely but tired W4 boots for trail riding but they would be way too bulky for chuntering around on the roads and I don’t want to look like a duff sportsbike exile on a Bonneville. The search will have to continue - ideally for cruiser boots with soft toes, like my shortie summer boots.
