Advice on Off Road Boots please

[allthegearnoidea]

I am going on the BMW Off Road course this spring and am planning a trip to Morocco in early summer. I have always been happy with normal touring boots and my current Daytona roadstars have been great.

However, I will have to hire some off road boots for the off road course and will be doing some off road in Morocco.

I'm beginning to think that I should buy some off road boots and would appreciate some advice.

Apart from the obvious protection what are the main pros and cons of off road boots? How are they off the bike?

I quite fancy the BMW GS boots but are their other pairs that I should consider?

Its interesting when researching something like this that you can find sales blurb for the boots and some reviews but very little by way of overview of how this boot "type" compares to other boot types.

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mav]

Off-road boots are typically taller, heavier and rarely waterproof - but you get a lot more protection than road/touring boots. You might want to consider the Sidi Adventure boots which offer pretty protection, and are waterproof due to gore-tex lining. I have these boots, as well as dedicated off-road boots, and they're much more comfortable to walk in and also have a much better sole.

 

[RobGreaves]

Off road boots

I've been to the BMW ORS school twice now and first time I hired a pair of their boots - cheap, good protection but a little uncomfortable and let in water (as do most offload boots when going through deep water)
Second time I picked up a pair of the BMW GS pro boots from them at half price - an absolute bargain and a fantastic pair of boots - warm in the cold weather, excellent protection and very waterproof.
Can't recommend them enough if your gonna be doing some off roading

 

[deangsadv]

Shameless plug but I have pair of gs pros size 43 in the for sale section, if they are of interest let me know.

 

[pympster]

I recently bought a DRZ 400 for using on the byways near me. I use the Sidi adventures for road riding, they do not give enough support if you are riding off road IMHO. I fell off and twisted my leg pretty bad under the DRZ wearing the adventure boots, sure it stopped my leg from breaking (said the lovely lady in A&E) but the cheap and chearful proper enduro/motocross boots I bought are much much more sturdy. But they are not waterproof and are less comfortable to walk around in! The GS Pro boots are pretty nice, and relatively comfortable to walk in, but with all offroad boots, wear waterproof socks

After my experience on my DRZ I'm not going to go back to normal road boots, if a drz falling on my leg nearly broke it while wearing semi off road boots, I hate to imagine what normal road boots would do with the weight of my GSA. I hope this helped

 

[jontym]

What size gs boots are you after ?

 

[Sgt Bilco]

Another plus for Sidi Adventures perfect for long trips and if you are riding to Morocco, they will be much better than proper off road boots as they are completely waterproof.

I think they have great protection and they did me proud on the TAT in 2011 when my KTM kept resting on me at speed

It's always a trade off I guess but it's better to be comfy, warm and dry than feeling like you have fucking great lumps of lead strapped to your feet.

 

[boatman]

+ another one for the sidi adventure boots worn them from -3c to 40+c
deffo one of my better purchases ( not crashed them but they seem a quite reasonable compromise) and are very comfortable compared to motocross boots

 

[allthegearnoidea]

Thanks for these comments guys I think what you are saying that it is a trade off between comfort and protection. I am just struggling to know which side of that trade off I should land I am going to do a couple of off road courses this year but I will also be riding down through France etc and then spending a fortnight in Morocco before riding back up through Spain.

I fancy the protection of the full on off road boots but as said here I don't want to be uncomfortable dragging " fucking great lead boots " around if I get off for a beer

The Sidi Adventure Gore tex look tasty and are advertised as waterproof but the GS Pros do look a little more sturdy.

I am going to ask the guys in Wales whether the Sidis would be acceptable but if they are I think that's where I'm heading

Does anyone here have any experience of long distance touring in the GS Pros If so I would love to know your views.

I can get the GS pros for £252 new or £170 secondhand. The Sidis seem to go for £315.

I ride a 2012 GSA, oh and I'm a size 43 if they come up regular sized.

Any other views would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Fanum]

Hein Gericke Tuaregs worked for me for a good few years off-roading in Morocco.....inexpensive (£159) and comfortable

 

[Losttheplot]

Alpinestars tech 8's are my boot of choice.

Comfortable and warm, if not totally waterproof.

They kept my legs safe during 3 attempts at weston beach race on sidecars.

 

[fully]

has that lady in the photo got an arrow on her belly?

 

[Greg Masters]

has that lady in the photo got an arrow on her belly?

I think it's a road map.

 

[tanneman]

Have a look at trail boots. It offers good protection but is more flexible in the sole area therefore making it comfortable to walk in. I use Gaerne Balance Classic which is waterproof and like a pair of slippers but with proper protection. The Balance Oiled is the same but a bit more expensive. I choose these because it fits my feet. I have and odd size feet which is somewhere between 45.5 and 46 and not all makes of boots fits me. To me it is important that safety wear should fit comfortably for you spend long hours in the gear. Here is a review of it on ADVrider.

 

[Michael R1150GS Adventure]

dont forget you cant feel the pegs/gear lever/brake lever with good off road boots on.
Feels a bit weird when you are used to road boots.

Also, some boots dont allow you to lift your foot up (to change up for example) resulting in you needing to rotate your whole ankle section to change gear.

Mine are like this, but they are fine when standing up.

Its all about getting used to the sensation. You may need to fit a brake pedal extender to compensate for not being able to find the brake lever!

 

[IJGser]

BMW Santiago's, fully waterproof, you can walk in them and sturdy enough for light of roading. Possibly the best BMW Assesorys I've ever purchased


Sent from my iPhone whilst driving and even with autocorrect I can't spell!

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

BMW Santiago's, fully waterproof, you can walk in them and sturdy enough for light of roading. Possibly the best BMW Assesorys I've ever purchased


Sent from my iPhone whilst driving and even with autocorrect I can't spell!

I've always worn MX boots, even on road bikes, I've got a thing about smashing legs and ankles up..........
However, I recently discoverd Sidi Adventures and now wear them as a road boot. IMHO they give a good compromise between protection and comfortable (and they really are 100% waterproof!). I'd defo use something like that (and have done) for Maroc. However, for proper off roading I always use my trusty Tech 8's as they offer another level of protection again (and I fall off a lot).

Why not just hire a pair off boots for the WMB day (get there early and get the comfiest, best fitting pair) and then get the Adventures for your everyday/touring/Maroc boot?

Andres

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I'm a big fan of Sidi's for off road excursions (I too use Daytona for road use)

For trailriding I have some Sidi Top Evolution boots which are mx/Enduro boots & protection is ace, just use sealskinz socks to make them waterproof

For Trials I use Sidi Trials (same height as Couriers/Adventure boots) & they are more comfortable, but they don't provide nearly as much protection for a faster crash on a heavier bike

That lower & lighter style of offroad boot is aimed at much lighter offroad use on say a Trials bike weighing 70kg & not travelling over 20-30mph

The choice is yours, but I have different boots for different jobs

 

[paintman]

I use Sidi's, great protection, but I struggle with up changes when the boots are wet and muddy, next time I will look for a boot with a bit of a lip to the sole so I can change up in under 15 mins.

 

[allthegearnoidea]

Thanks very much gents. Some really valuable advice. I'm going to try and find a local Gaerne stockist and then have a trip out to try the BMW,Sidi and Gaerne boots. I might ultimately settle on a hire pair for the BMW Off Road course and a slightly less tough pair of boots for my big trips. But I think I need to see how the boots feel on my feet now before going any further.

If anyone else has any further insights I would be grateful.

Thanks once again.