The Best Motorcycle Boots for Every Style of Rider

While the Terrain 3 is billed as an ADV boot, we dig this TCX for daily riding comfort that incorporates engine heat protection, a beefy shin plate, a full reinforced cup around the heel and ankle, and both the buckles and the outsole can be replaced.

The Terrain 3 also has a waterproof membrane fabric, but unlike a lot of burlier waterproof ADV boots, during our testing, our feet didn’t broil in these kicks, even on scorching summer days. TCX also builds a flatter toe box for a better shifter feel. And even though they’re protective, the use of leatherette and the stitched-down sole have more of a hiker vibe that’s reasonably handsome.

Aether’s founders ride. You can tell that from the first time you take their amazing Moto Boot out of the box because they have heft as well as obvious elan. Sure, these 100% vegetable-tanned Italian leather beauties look like they should be paired with a Hermes tie and a Brioni suit, but there’s real function baked inside, too. First, the midsole is reinforced but also designed to allow enough toe flex for easy walking. That said, the forward portion of the outsole has pared-down lugs, so they don’t over-grip the pegs when you need to move around, to stand, brake, or slide a foot to the ground.

At the ankle D30 armor protects against an impact. And of course, they have a reinforced shift pad at the top of the toe box. Aether also adds accented waxed blue thread to tie down the Vibram outsole, so you get a hit of sharp style, and that outsole is replaceable, and Aether guarantees their boots for life.

We get it. If you’re riding to a fancy dinner, the last thing you want is to show up looking like a Marvel superhero. REV’IT!’s Ginza is all about not looking moto-tastic, even though the maker builds in an injected ankle cup that protects against twist, and then bolsters the sides, armors the ankle and toe, and puts a shift pad atop the right toe box as well.

Even with all that bolstering, these feel like your favorite Red Wings, and happen to look just as good.

One way you can tell a moto boot was built by people who ride: Peg feel. The Dartwood’s outsole was built to grab your bike’s pegs, whether those have rubber inserts or metallic teeth, and the shifter feel is outstanding, thanks to a thin toe section. The Dartwood, like the Ginza, fools you into thinking it’s just a street shoe, too, by looking like a pair of blacked-out Vans, but the entire shoe happens to be completely waterproof, and it gets D30 armoring at the ankle.

That miracle material stays soft and pliable to let you move but turns to near concrete on impact to protect delicate bone and muscle. And for that same reason, TCX includes a molded polymer midsole that prevents the shoe’s base from collapsing while still allowing toe flex so the Dartwood is completely walkable. TCX also cribs from the world of cycling by adding a lace-grabber at the top of the tongue to prevent errant laces from getting caught in your moto’s engine.

If you’re lucky enough to have track access, that’s great, but just like you wouldn’t try that in a pair of jeans, you shouldn’t aim at apexes without the right protective footwear. Plus, a boot like the Torque 3 happens to be comfortable enough for street riding.

Dainese, which has its roots on the track, builds this boot from the sole up, using a thermoplastic plate at the midsole to prevent distortion, and adding armoring at the shin and the inner leg to protect against engine heat. But the real key (and why you shouldn’t wear a street boot on the track) is the addition of magnesium sliders at all three sides of the heel and across the toe. Counterintuitively, that’s not for impact; it’s to prevent your lower leg from “grabbing” the track.

In a slide, you want to keep sliding, which dissipates energy. You get hurt when your body sticks to the pavement because then the entire force of the crash has to go somewhere—and that’s bad. The Torque 3’s magnesium armor plating is designed to take that hit and continue the skid, so your body bears less brunt. And all that plating is replaceable, too.

Provided you’re keeping the shiny bits upright, you’ll appreciate subtler details, including an air-induction system designed to cool your dogs and flex at the Achilles and front of the ankle for easier walkability.

In a reflection of just how far REV’IT! pushes development, their Expedition GTX has its own branded Vibram, called Apex. This multi-zone shoe bottom has a zone for traction, another for braking and another for better stability. But, truly, REV’IT! went to the nth degree for this entire boot, aiming for as much freedom of movement as possible, but still achieving CE Level 2 protection. Partly that’s because they use phase-changing SEESOFT armor that allows movement but stiffens on impact, as well as hard armoring where you need even more impact protection, like at the shin—where freedom of movement isn’t an issue.

The injected ankle cup prevents roll-over, and what the brand calls Dynamic Support Frame secures the calf, heel, and foot to prevent an Achilles hyperextension if you have to suddenly put a foot down during a fall. Even with all of this protection and full Gore-Tex waterproofing, REV’IT!’s incorporation of a Boa closure makes getting these kicks on or off easy, and that also means a simple release of the tongue pad and a pull on the Boa lets your dogs relax at the coffee or fueling stop.

An affordable but also protective tall adventure boot that’s still walkable? Yeah, it’s a tough combo to find, and what we’ve experienced from cheaper models is that they’re about as movement friendly as a pair of ski boots. That is: They’re not.

The Leatt Moto 4.5 is a slight step down from their 5.5, but even so, you’re getting a ton of protection and function. The entire heel/Achilles hold-down prevents hyperextension during a crash and holds the boot rigid from side to side but still allows the fore-aft flexion you need to walk and hinge to your lower leg during riding. The 4.5’s also built with lots of exterior protection, with a zone of hard TPU wrapping the toe box and around the base of the shoe and heel.

Leatt made sure that ADV riders will have plenty of grips, too, with softer rubber at the midfoot for peg adhesion but a firmer material at the back of the heel and the front of the toe, so you’ll have more durability where the boot contacts the ground when you’re walking.