[DIRTNAP]

Not looking to hurt any feelings here but I would strongly advise different boots than the Gaerne Balance, they are what I was wearing when I crashed and over extended my foot/ankle, better boots would have saved my summer of riding rather than limping around for 6 weeks.

My friend had the same pair and had his foot slip off the peg and go under it, messed him up pretty bad, ruined our weekend trip and he couldn't ride for a few weeks. We have both bought better boots (SG12s for me and tech 7s I believe for him) and realized right away how little protection the Balance boots have. They are a trials boot and thats all they would be good for.

The foot and ankle part has zero protection, zero, you can grab it and move it around however you want. All they have is a little bit of armour on the shin area.

Again, just my opinion but I wish someone would have told me sooner...

Edit to add: I've had a few mishaps since while wearing my SG12 and they 100% saved me lots of pain, a couple of those times I can say for certain I would have been hurt badly with my old Balance boots.

 

[Lynden Don]

I appreciate the info Dirtnap, the reason I purchased the Gaerne Dakar was the plastic protecting the ankle. Considerably more s protection in the ankle area. I rode today in heavy rain, nice to have dry feet, to bad my Tourmaster suit could not keep up with the rain. To be fair it was heavy rainfall for a number of hours. Really like the boots.

 

[KLRider]

I end up using these 90 percent of the time.
Speaking only for myself of course, I find them a great all round boot.
First pair I ever owned with the "boa" lace system which I love, being able to get them all Goldilocks...just right and if leg or ankle swells (is is common for me these days), easy to readjust.
Water proof, a good amount of protection but able to walk around off bike for a time, within reason (not going hiking in them for sure) without.
They have held up very well, being several years old.
I also like I can use these if riding one of street orientated bikes well enough, not too clunky as it were.
Model is ES made by RevIt ...most likley a new model had replaced...bought on sale and feel (no pun) it was excellent buy.
Speaking of feel...they have no hot spots, rub points and not much of break in if any.

The only con is if that cable ever snaps...might be hard to get a replacement but maybe its time for new boots anyway? So far so good.

I also have a pair of the Oiled brown Garene which are great..with some caveats..toe box is tight and I took them to a cobbler...yep, honest to God cobbler who "stretched" them for mininal cost.
I could only wear a few hours and that tight toe box was killing the upper part of foot....boots no good if can't wear them...but as a summer boot, they are fine. MUCH stiffer overall and walk a bit Frankenstein monster like off the bike..but great protection, harder to shift in those however...

All FWIW

 

[KlR Pig]

I have these. Hurt the wallet. But when I walk it doesn't feel like I'm on the Lunar surface.
I really like them.

 

[PeteK]

Re the Boa system: I had a pair of boots about 7 years ago with the Boa cable system. I wore out the cable and was bale to buy a repair kit on line for about $25 or so. Check and see what they cost now.

 

[duece71]

On the look out for a 2nd pair of boots. I have a pair of RST Ambush CE boots that have been decent. Not very pricey but have been durable. After multiple lay downs on the KLR last October, I realized that more ankle protection would be nice. I am looking at the Sidi X Power Enduro boot or the Leatt 4.5 HydraDri boot.

 

[StarfuryTH]

On the look out for a 2nd pair of boots. I have a pair of RST Ambush CE boots that have been decent. Not very pricey but have been durable. After multiple lay downs on the KLR last October, I realized that more ankle protection would be nice. I am looking at the Sidi X Power Enduro boot or the Leatt 4.5 HydraDri boot.

I'm very happy with my X-Power boots (I have a review posted here, if you go looking). They're easily the most most protective boot in the dual sport/enduro boot segment, before you start getting into proper MX boots like the Tech 10, Crossfire 3, etc. The Rev'It Expedition boots are probably close, but they're insanely expensive in the US. The new 2025 Tech 7s are supposedly decent as well, but the previous (pre-2025) models are basically beefy adventure boots.

I opted for the standard non-Enduro model with the TA soles, as I felt the lugged soles would hang up on the pegs and prevent the rapid footwork that I know I'd need. The TA soles (what you find on the TA version of the Crossfire boots) have a bit of a sawtooth thing going on, which is enough to maintain traction in slightly loose environments. I'm not hiking in them, and I'm not tromping around in mud if I can help it, so I felt the TA soles were the way to go.

There's a new X-Power SC model with bonded soles that is reportedly slightly wider at the toe box and a bit lighter than the welted sole models. If this model were available when I bought mine, I think they would have been a better choice. I do wish for just a hair more room in the toe box, and while the standard X-Powers are a good pound lighter than most proper MX boots, any additional weight savings helps reduce fatigue over a day's riding.

None of the options (yet) are actually waterproof; despite being built out of a waterproof material, they're not seam-sealed. Mine are reasonably water resistant, but they definitely leak when subjected to river crossings.
There is a new waterproof model, but I haven't seen mention of it actually hitting shelves anywhere yet.

The Leatt boots look slick and have a decent price point, but keep in mind that quality is not going to be on par with Sidi, Gaerne, etc. Chinese vs European build quality. The Leatts are going to be throwaway boots when they're worn out, whereas the Sidis have replaceable bits and should last quite a bit longer, at least until the microfiber material abrades away.

 

[zephyr424]

Not looking to hurt any feelings here but I would strongly advise different boots than the Gaerne Balance, they are what I was wearing when I crashed and over extended my foot/ankle, better boots would have saved my summer of riding rather than limping around for 6 weeks.
Edit to add: I've had a few mishaps since while wearing my SG12 and they 100% saved me lots of pain, a couple of those times I can say for certain I would have been hurt badly with my old Balance boots.

Those SG12 boots look very well made and are probably my favorite in the thread. If I had known about them a week ago, I may have went with them. It was then I started looking seriously into buying a decent pair of riding boots, because I've always felt a little skittish wearing hiking boots during my rides. BTW, I sold my extremely nice 2008 Klr 650 (which I bought new) 4 or 5 years ago, and purchased a 2014 bmw r1200 gsa. It's literally 90-95% the same as a 2024, with the '25 being a new design.

Being the forum email still comes, I sometimes lurk if a topic interests me. When I saw the Forma boots, it piqued my interest, as I very nearly bought them because they look extremely comfortable and offered more protection than the hiking boots. But I think it was the latest review for that particular boot, or the low version on the Revzilla website, where somebody left a review and said he lost his digits after a crash, and the buckles broke off, as well. Not enough protection. So, the other boot that was second on my list suddenly jumped to 1st. (I like a good sale and open box items on eBay can sometimes do that) Anyway, I thought maybe I was overdoing it, because I like to be able to walk comfortably and mostly ride street and dirt or gravel roads. But the boot I went with was the BMW Sport Dry boot. It should be here soon and I look forward to the extra protection.

 

[SirMarksAllot]

Those SG12 boots look very well made and are probably my favorite in the thread. If I had known about them a week ago, I may have went with them. It was then I started looking seriously into buying a decent pair of riding boots, because I've always felt a little skittish wearing hiking boots during my rides. BTW, I sold my extremely nice 2008 Klr 650 (which I bought new) 4 or 5 years ago, and purchased a 2014 bmw r1200 gsa. It's literally 90-95% the same as a 2024, with the '25 being a new design.

Being the forum email still comes, I sometimes lurk if a topic interests me. When I saw the Forma boots, it piqued my interest, as I very nearly bought them because they look extremely comfortable and offered more protection than the hiking boots. But I think it was the latest review for that particular boot, or the low version on the Revzilla website, where somebody left a review and said he lost his digits after a crash, and the buckles broke off, as well. Not enough protection. So, the other boot that was second on my list suddenly jumped to 1st. (I like a good sale and open box items on eBay can sometimes do that) Anyway, I thought maybe I was overdoing it, because I like to be able to walk comfortably and mostly ride street and dirt or gravel roads. But the boot I went with was the BMW Sport Dry boot. It should be here soon and I look forward to the extra protection. View attachment 56782

Glad you still lurk. Do you miss the KLR? Maybe not its performance, but for sentimental reasons?

 

[zephyr424]

Glad you still lurk. Do you miss the KLR? Maybe not its performance, but for sentimental reasons?

Yeah, I miss it because I was the original owner and had done a lot of mods on it. Two Brothers exhaust, Corbin seat, Dynajet kit, Barkbusters etc. I grew up riding dirt bikes, but originally bought it to access dirt roads to do some fishing on the Delaware river. Couldn't use my jeep because they were private and I would park the KLR in the woods. It only had 5700 miles because I moved to Colorado and didn't ride for a few years. May still buy another one someday. It depends. Hope you and everyone else enjoys your bikes this summer.

 

[Lynden Don]

What really sold me on idea of quality riding boots was the observations made by a number of Moto guides who have seen numerous lower leg injuries that could have quite possibly been avoided by proper boots.

2 months after the purchase of proper riding boots, already had a crash that landed the bike on my lower left leg and ankle no doubt in my mind that the boot’s definitely helped protect my ankle. The initial break in has the boots fitting slightly snug like a ski boot. They are great for all day riding and keep my feet dry on wet rides.

 

[SirMarksAllot]

2 months after the purchase of proper riding boots, already had a crash that landed the bike on my lower left leg and ankle no doubt in my mind that the boot’s definitely helped protect my ankle. The initial break in has the boots fitting slightly snug like a ski boot. They are great for all day riding and keep my feet dry on wet rides.

It would seem they paid for themselves, at least in peace of mind👍🏼

 

[duece71]

The Sidi X power boots are very nice, lots of protection and NO flex. Take some getting used to for sure. I am a solid 10.5 size and went with a 45….Fit is a little loose but an extra pair of socks works. I could have easily gone with a 44.

 

[StarfuryTH]

The Sidi X power boots are very nice, lots of protection and NO flex. Take some getting used to for sure. I am a solid 10.5 size and went with a 45….Fit is a little loose but an extra pair of socks works. I could have easily gone with a 44.

You may consider a thicker insole. The stock insole is very thin.

 

[duece71]

You may consider a thicker insole. The stock insole is very thin.

Yes, I have a few but haven’t tried them yet.

 

[Lynden Don]

It would seem they paid for themselves, at least in peace of mind👍🏼

I did a Thursday night overnight camp out, coming down a gravel road in the mountains too fast resulted in a fairly hard crash in a loose gravel corner. Bike on top of right leg, resulted in a twisted ankle fairly certain it would have been worse with a simple leather work boot. This is the second time down in the last three weeks resulting with the bike on the lower leg, I’m a believer in riding boots.

 

[KLRider]

I did a Thursday night overnight camp out, coming down a gravel road in the mountains too fast resulted in a fairly hard crash in a loose gravel corner. Bike on top of right leg, resulted in a twisted ankle fairly certain it would have been worse with a simple leather work boot. This is the second time down in the last three weeks resulting with the bike on the lower leg, I’m a believer in riding boots.

yikes, darn it...dang gravel...glad it was not worse...riding boots a good thing...prob right, work boots might not have been adequate (although most of us have prob worn them at times, better than tennis shoes for sure)

take care and keep on with the ATGATT