Roadstar GTX Boots Review
by
Jeff Gough (GrayMia)

...I've had my Roadstar GTX Boots from http://www.helimot.com/catalog/boots/index.shtml for two days now. I was going to wait and post a review of them after my long distance trip in April. But it struck me that I should go ahead and post my thoughts now.

To get a feel for the boots and kind of break them in I decided to wear these boots around all day. Straightening up the garage, vacuuming the house, cleaning, everything, all day for two days. Now this is a big deal for me because I have a royally screwed up left ankle/ foot thing. Comfortable shoes are a requirement if I want to be able to walk the next day.

These boots are just that COMFORTABLE. Other than some tightness from being new, these feel almost as comfortable as my New Balance 991's. That's when it struck me to right this review. I mean, what's the most important thing about a motorcycle boot? Of course you want the armor, and the ankle support, the padding on the toes, etc. but mainly you want it to be comfortable or you’re not even going to wear it. The level of comfort in these boots is completely unexpected and a welcome surprise.

Soon as you pull them from the box, the first thing you notice is how well they're constructed and how sturdy they feel without looking enormous. If you press hard on the thick leather you can "feel" the armor in the shin and at the ankle bones. The Gore-Tex lining is done well with no binding in the closures and the leather surrounding it has ventilation holes. The boots have zippers on both sides to help ease your foot into them and make the fit around the ankle more secure. They also have Velcro to adjust the back for larger/ smaller calves. I had to fight it a little to get the heavy duty zippers up and over my ankle, but once on the fit was snug but not impeding.

The next thing you notice is how soft and quiet they feel. I stepped out onto the hardwood floor and expected to hear a loud thump/clank noise as the boot struck the surface. But No! Quiet and soft as a whisper, just as quiet as a pair of tennis shoes.

To test the feel of the steel plate (or shank?) in the bottom of the shoe I climbed onto my strada and stood in the pegs. That's a nice difference compared to work boots, good even support, while it’s completely unnoticeable when walking.

So that's it I thought. What more do I need to know? If they're this comfortable and feel this supportive right out of the box, and the quality is plainly visible, what else do I need to do to test them? Well, the only thing I could think of is a crash test………. So I think I’ll just stick with the comfort thing for now...

I paid $389.00 for them, and if I had tried them on before I bought them, they could have got me for double that.

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