I know some of you have purchased Vortice and Vertigo boots, but I didn't want to spend that much.

Sidi just came out with the Cobra line, and they are just a basic Vortice without all the bling and a little less armor.

And, I needed a pair of ventilated boots, since my Sidi Mega Way Rain boots get pretty hot in warm weather.

So I ordered a pair of Sidi Cobra Air boots through Amazon.

Shipped by Motorcycle Superstore (whom I used to hate - but they apparently have greatly improved their order processing) at no shipping cost. Not bad, no tax, no shipping cost, pretty much lowest price I found on newenough, jake wilson, dennis kirk, etc, nobody was lower. And most charge shipping. And some charge tax.

So now I have ventilated boots so I better get a pair of rain covers for them.

Anyone else find good boots, in the under-$300 range, on quality, armored, boots?

I have some Alpinestars S-MX5s on the way...should be here this weekend. Will let you know. They are vented and at $219 I had to do it over the Sidi's

http://www.revzilla.com/product/alpinestars-s-mx-5-vented-boot

I have THESE, and love them.

* Last updated by: Kolk1 on 3/23/2011 @ 8:11 AM *

^^^That looks very practical for everyday riding, Kolk1. There is some ankle protection--nothing for shin but would work for me on the street. I just received the SMX PLus in white from Revzilla. Very cool. A bit tight on my toe and I have narrow feet. They will break in---but seriously, I won't be wearing these for commuting . All out sport riding and track, yes street---get real. I don't want to do much walking around in these. They are obviously not designed for walking. AGAT is a great frame of mind but most of us have to tailor our gear to our riding environment or else the gear becomes self defeating.---if you don't wear it, it is no good.

You are right, Rook, buying on looks is throwing money away. Same category as buying on sound. But I digress. Almost.

I did a lot of research before I purchased the Sidi Cobra Air boots. I didn't want to spent much over $250, but I wanted shin protection. And I needed to be able to walk in them, easily. Not blocks, just from the pump to the mini-mart, that sort of stuff. And something that everybody won't stop and point at and whisper to each other about when we get on a mountain train ride or any of the crazy group things we do.

And they had to be ventilated for hot weather. I love my Sidi Mega Way Rain boots, can't count the number of times they've kept my feet dry while everyone had soaked leather boots in the ride. But when its hot and dry, my feet cook.

I had heard about the Cobra a year ago, as a soon-to-be-released less expensive Vortice. Reading, I found last month that folks who had them already were all say they could be walked in easily. And the part that shows under the pants isn't going to stand out like a sore thumb.

So on long all-day hot dry days, my feet will be happier wearing them. And I have a set of Nelso-Rigg rain covers for them just in case. They will probably become my every day riding boots. I'll even wear them to work when I ride in on dress-down Fridays, because in Black they are just plain enough not to draw attention.

Except the girls at work will notice, they always look at shoes.

I ride SMX Plus vented, they are comfortable and have excellent ankle support and all around protection.

I called up my guy at STG and was looking to order the Sidi Vertigo Air and he suggested the SMX Plus (this was 2009) over the Vertigo Air b/c he said the Sidi's had bascialy no ankle stability and that he could take the upper part of the boot and literally fold it over in half. The SMX Plus has no such issue, and you would break your shin off before you rolled your ankle in these things, or at least that's how they feel.

I had come to trust his opinion and went with his recommendation again on the SMX Plus and I've used them for the 09/10 seasons on the street only and I am very happy with them. However they do make for some awkward conversation when you show up to work with them on, or have to get off the bike and walk around a bit.

I think they are a little extreme for the street, but I was going for protection and not looking cool. If I do ride without them regular shoes feel like I am riding with socks only and it's just not the same. I also really like the peg feel with these boots (stock pegs) and the feel on the shifter is good.

I think I went overboard with a boot like that for an everyday street rider, but I certainly feel very confident in them.

Except the girls at work will notice, they always look at shoes.

Dead on accurate mate, I get a lot of "are those ski boots?" and the like from the ladies at work... :D

LOL IKeyes, it is funny when they don't know.

I've been in the office the State of Maryland put me in, to help veterans, for about 2 years now. The girls all know I ride, though some of the new ones came during the winter and haven't seen The Bike yet.

Besides with my knees, I couldn't ski if my life depended on it.

B-2 boots by Sidi for 242 clams. I just got back from a 1100 mile trip through florida around 90 to 100 degrees. My feet were fine ( the only part of me that didn't get hot) and they are waterproof, light and highly armored. They fit uder jeans and don't have the space ranger look. they are on closeout at http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/closeouts/boots.

B-2 boots are sort of the predecessar of Cobra boots. Most places no longer have B-2s (they are discontinued) though Motorcycle Gear (new enough) has a few in smaller and larger sizes still. Neither model looks as agressize as the more expensive boots from Sidi, which is good in my opinion.

Very good boots for sure.

For rain (when I am planning on it) I'll keep using my 4 year old Sidi Mega Way Rain boots, by the time I wear them out, who knows what will be on the market.

You are right, Rook, buying on looks is throwing money away. Same category as buying on sound. But I digress. Almost.

Price, looks, performance, durability, etc. all depends on priorities. There is no right reason for buying what you like except that you like it.

In an accident, how good it looked before the accident is of little value.

True, but chances are slim anyone is going to spend as much time in an accident than they do riding. Looks count for something in my book but usually lower in priority to performance which in the case of boots means protection and mobility and sensitivity to pedals.

which in the case of boots means protection and mobility and sensitivity to pedals.

Trust me, once you loose your toes you'll never have to worry about protection or mobility, and sensitivity is right out the window! LOL The toe-mod sucks, don't try it. hehe

Just ordered these.They look like they might be VERY nice for comfy riding and protection.Got some armor in there,though they're not motorcycle boots.Probably end up dyeing the whitish straps on there...brown or something.http://www.zappos.com/bin/zapposset?ref=int_order_confirmation_110429;;&tgt=http://www.zappos.com/product/7666725/color/6 The video here gives a better idea of what they look like and such.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 4/29/2011 @ 12:52 PM *

I just ordered a set of these:

From Competition Acessories here:

http://www.compacc.com/p/AGV-Sport-Laguna-Leather-Race-Boots

My Alpinestars have served me well for a long time... Hope I'm not disapointed with the AGV's... but for $130, I'll gamble.

If anyone is looking for boots, Comp Acc has some good deals goin' on. Woulda ordered a pair of these also:

http://www.compacc.com/p/Diadora-Mens-Frontier-Boot

They look like a very nice "street" boot... but they're outta my size.

I've had the opportunity to do some riding with the SMX Plus. They are not easy to get on and they do nothing to improve sensitivity to the pegs/pedals. No big surprise on either account. After a couple hours of breakin time, the boots feel much more reliable on the shift lever. I missed a couple upshifts which almost never happened with ordinary shoes.

The zipper is hard to get up becauase the zipper undulates from the curved shape of the front of the boot. The rest of the boot secures very easily.

The ankle looks a bit thicker than I expected.

The vents DO work.

Soles are stiff you do not want to walk far in these.

The front of the boot that runs up the shin is a dense foam/fabric material. I thought it would attract all sorts of dust off the ground but so far, the boots are pretty clean.. The plastic toe cover gets blackened from the shift lever.

These are not light weight footware as you can see from below pics. About twice the weight of a pair of ordinary shoes.

They look good Rook.The ones I got are...comfy..yes.No stiffness at all.They are not motorcycle boots.They're "deck" boots for using around boats and stuff.But they work fine as a change from stiffer stuff.Still think my TCX's are really the best for me so far.I've got the SMX 5's....wore em for a while....nah....they're "ok"...but I don't wear em as I used to.I do like your white ones though.

While we're on the subject of boots, anyone know who carries titanium toe sliders for Oxtar boots? I ground mine off riding my YSR. I can find the heel sliders, ( which never wear out!) but no toe sliders.

Mad

RooK where did you get them from I'm looking to pick up a pair. I have pair of Sidi Vertigo Air that I wore 3 times and they were to big looking to unload them they are size 13 if anybody is looking for a pair still in the box.

One of the things I noticed with Sidi boots is you need spindly ankles and calves to get them on easily.

I lifted weights for decades before I had to quit due to injuries, and the muscles in my lower legs (gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis, and the longus series plus the ankle series) are still quite developed even though its been years since I worked out.

I love my Sidi Cobra Air boots.... once I get them zipped up.

Sent them over to my local Amish cobbler (boot maker) to have the shanks stretched some. It takes about 2 weeks to stretch them 1/2" but thats all it will take.

* Last updated by: privateer on 5/27/2011 @ 8:24 AM *

RooK where did you get them from I'm looking to pick up a pair.

Review and discussion. CLICKYITY-Click>>

http://zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=922D824C-D56B-84E2-197459B36267DFBC

* Last updated by: Rook on 5/27/2011 @ 11:18 PM *