According to some of the motorcycle rags what makes a good riding boot is a boot that protects your shins, ankles, heels and toes as well as has zippers or straps that keeps the boot on your feet during an accident. Further the boot should have some reflective material, fit comfortably and not slip when the rider stops at a red light or stop sign. Some additional pluses are a boot that is breathable and waterproof, and also keeps your foot temperature constant despite drastic changes in outdoor temperature.
Roadgear thinks they have boot that does all of that. Their 11" high XKJ boots have hard armor pieces for the skins, both ankles, the heels and the toes. In addition there are carbon-fiber looking Kevlar ballistic coverings for the armor, on the front, back and sides. A covered zipper runs down the inside of the each ankle. The subtle reflective material (Dynatec) is not noticed unless you look closely, or unless a light is shined upon the boot in which case brightness is reflected back at the light.
The sole has 5/16" wide V's pointing both forward and backward thereby preventing the rider's feet from slipping in all directions. See a picture of the sole in the second link.
I am hoping the breathable, waterproof Aerotex layer stays waterproof for years to come. I already have two sets of "waterproof" boots, Triumph All-Season boots & CruiserWorks Tour boots, that have lost their ability to keep my feet dry. To slant the odds in my favor I am only wearing these new Roadgear boots on trips, I am wearing the other two pairs of motorcycle boots, one at a time, for my daily commutes to-and-from work. So far I have only ridden a few minutes in the rain with the Roadgear boots. They have kept my feet dry, but on the other hand, my no longer completely waterproof CruiserWorks boots will still keep my feet dry for 3-1/2 hours. Sometimes I need boots that will keep my feet dry for 8-10 hours. If these Roadgear boots do not keep my feet dry that long while riding in the rain, I will have to go to some waterproof overboots and give up on the idea of having truly waterproof motorcycle boots.
One of the great additional features to Roadgear's XKJ boots is Outlast, a phase-change material that keeps the rider's feet at a constant temperature, i.e. warm when it is cool outside and warm when it is hot outside. It works great on both hot days and cool days. I have not tried them on a cold day so far.
Roadgear's boots are fairly comfortable to walk around in. I wish they had half-sizes, because size 11 was too small and size 12 is a little too big. I normallly take size 10-1/2 or size 11, but seem to need a larger size in the XKJ line of boots.
I was able to pick up a pair of Roadgear boots while attending Americade in June. The rally price was $199 and I did not have to pay shipping or sales tax. The normal price is $219 plus shipping.
At this point I would recommend them as a comfortable motorcycle boot with all the features anybody could want. To see pictures, or for more information click on the links below.
www.roadgear.com/catalog/...rod_ID=235
www.webbikeworld.com/r3/r...-boots.htm
Has anybody else tried these boots, or found boots with comparable features?
Fred
Roadgear thinks they have boot that does all of that. Their 11" high XKJ boots have hard armor pieces for the skins, both ankles, the heels and the toes. In addition there are carbon-fiber looking Kevlar ballistic coverings for the armor, on the front, back and sides. A covered zipper runs down the inside of the each ankle. The subtle reflective material (Dynatec) is not noticed unless you look closely, or unless a light is shined upon the boot in which case brightness is reflected back at the light.
The sole has 5/16" wide V's pointing both forward and backward thereby preventing the rider's feet from slipping in all directions. See a picture of the sole in the second link.
I am hoping the breathable, waterproof Aerotex layer stays waterproof for years to come. I already have two sets of "waterproof" boots, Triumph All-Season boots & CruiserWorks Tour boots, that have lost their ability to keep my feet dry. To slant the odds in my favor I am only wearing these new Roadgear boots on trips, I am wearing the other two pairs of motorcycle boots, one at a time, for my daily commutes to-and-from work. So far I have only ridden a few minutes in the rain with the Roadgear boots. They have kept my feet dry, but on the other hand, my no longer completely waterproof CruiserWorks boots will still keep my feet dry for 3-1/2 hours. Sometimes I need boots that will keep my feet dry for 8-10 hours. If these Roadgear boots do not keep my feet dry that long while riding in the rain, I will have to go to some waterproof overboots and give up on the idea of having truly waterproof motorcycle boots.
One of the great additional features to Roadgear's XKJ boots is Outlast, a phase-change material that keeps the rider's feet at a constant temperature, i.e. warm when it is cool outside and warm when it is hot outside. It works great on both hot days and cool days. I have not tried them on a cold day so far.
Roadgear's boots are fairly comfortable to walk around in. I wish they had half-sizes, because size 11 was too small and size 12 is a little too big. I normallly take size 10-1/2 or size 11, but seem to need a larger size in the XKJ line of boots.
I was able to pick up a pair of Roadgear boots while attending Americade in June. The rally price was $199 and I did not have to pay shipping or sales tax. The normal price is $219 plus shipping.
At this point I would recommend them as a comfortable motorcycle boot with all the features anybody could want. To see pictures, or for more information click on the links below.
www.roadgear.com/catalog/...rod_ID=235
www.webbikeworld.com/r3/r...-boots.htm
Has anybody else tried these boots, or found boots with comparable features?
Fred
