As the national brand ambassador for BMW Police Authority and an Advanced Riding Clinic instructor for Total Control Training, I teach, compete, perform demos, and train year-round. The translation for all that cool-sounding stuff is that I ride 700-plus-lb motorcycles in complex police patterns at the absolute edge of my abilities against a stopwatch, which demands excellent dexterity from my motorcycle boots. Then I do loads of teaching off-bike, which requires all-day comfort on my feet. And in both scenarios, I need foot and ankle protection for unplanned dismounts when I hit the deck from time to time.
This is where the “iron triangle” comes into play. When it comes to dexterity, comfort, and protection, you can usually have one or two but rarely all three. The sad truth is that, for many years, I wore police patrol boots for the dexterity and comfort they offered, knowing damn well they weren’t providing any meaningful protection if I dropped the bike. Not great.
After years of tradeoffs and frustration, I’ve finally found the best riding boots for my blend of competition, teaching, and traveling. They are made by a Southern California company called Indie Ridge. Before you roll your eyes and think this is an infomercial or paid testimonial, let me just say that the journey searching for these boots has been long and miserable. So now that I’ve finally found what I’m looking for, I can’t help but scream it from the rooftops.
The short version of the story is that I was yet again hunting for boots in online forums, magazine reviews, and product test videos when I saw an image of a cool leather high-top motorcycle boot. Then I noticed that the riding boots are CE rated for abrasion, puncture resistance, and transverse rigidity. As a bonus, they’re also waterproof. It appears I had found the Holy Grail of boots that offered dexterity, comfort, AND protection. Experience would be the test, so I ponied up for a pair and put them through hell.
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My initial purchase was about a year ago, and since then I’ve worn these boots at every competition, training, clinic, demo, ride day, you name it. I even stopped packing sneakers when I fly because they are so comfortable (and they don’t set off the metal detectors at the airport). Most importantly, the needed dexterity hasn’t come at the price of protection. I’ve probably dropped my bike around 10 times since I first laced them up, including situations where they’ve been pinned between the crash bar and the pavement while sliding at 30 mph. To date, I can look you in the eye and tell you I’ve experienced precisely zero injuries to my feet (my ego is a different story) and zero structural issues with the boots.
That’s something I’ve never been able to say about riding boots. So yeah, these boots work really well, and I wanted you to know. They are available in six styles (I bought The Commanche) in men’s and women’s sizes for $195.
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Source: RiderMagazine.com