Superb quality and craftsmanship! Extremely comfortable, good protection and great looks. Adventure motorcycle boots that you can actually shift a motorcycle with, what a concept! If you need MX boots, buy them. If you want relatively protective adventure boots WITHOUT a moon-boot sole and tall toe box, BUY THESE! Brian took the time to call me personally and let me know there would be a couple of days delay in shipping, who does that these days?? Very cool. Atomic Moto and Gaerne have a customer for life!
I spent a bunch of time comparing the Sidi Adventure 2 vs these Gaerne Dakar boots.
I posted a detailed review here: https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/adventure-riding-boots-sidi-adventure-2-vs-gaerne-g-dakar-gtx-vs-sidi-crossfire.1690507/
Summarizing: I think they are both great. These are similar boots and I recommend people buy whichever one fits them better.
If they both fit you well here are a few key differences: The Sidi's are lighter, and have more plastic which may provide more protection. The Gaerne use real leather and an actual stitched on welted sole and seem a bit better padded inside.
The Gaerne Dakar boots fit me better, and so I picked them. I liked that they were a bit cheaper and had leather construction and a welt sole. I do wish they had a bit more plastic protection/reinforcement and were lighter.
I did note the complaints some other reviewers. On waterproofing: I will note that if you wear your pants with the cuffs inside the boots, rain will run down your pants into the boot. Nothing can prevent that. Also, the Sidi has a full height gaiter inside the velcro opening that goes all the way to the top of the boot, where the Gaerne's gaiter is lower. The Gaerne exterior is leather and I imagine that can soak through (I think the sidi is an artificial leather, maybe Lorica, on the outside?). On the plastic melting: The type of plastic on both the Sidi and Gaerne appear to be the same to me. I can't understand why one would melt sooner than the other.
I bought this boot with the recommendation of Brian who I will definitely say was very helpful in the purchasing process but these boots are absolute trash. From day one they weren't even close to water resistant let alone actually waterproof... After just 3 rides on my Husaberg FE570 the plastic of one boot melted just from the engine heat of my bike. Not the exhaust... Not from a camp fire.... Just the clutch case 🙈💔🤯
After riding over 40,000 miles RTW in a pair of Sidi Gortex Adventure 2's those old worn out boots were more waterproof than these brand new Dakars out of the box.
No warranty... No help to make things right.... Now I have some expensive boots sitting in my basement for a year and had to go purchase another set of Sidi's which is kinda heart breaking.
These Gaerne boots do fit a bit small buuuut it doesn't matter at the end of the day... Just save your money as well as time and go get yourself a pair of Sidi Gortex Adventure 2's. They are more comfortable, have better grip on the bike in addition to walking off the bike, and ARE ACTUALLY WATERPROOF 🤯🤯🤯
I can not stress hard enough how terrible these boots are! I will NEVER buy another pair of Gaerne boots after this experience 💯
Perfect boot. Love love love it. Enough flex, low toe height for easy shifts and great protection! AM is great to work with as well. This was Brian’s recommendation and it is spot on
I bought these a few weeks ago, on Brian's recommendation. I posted some questions on the website here and Brian called me back to discuss my options. I considered something like the Fastbacks but he steered me towards the Dakars, and for the type of riding I do on my KTM, these were the right boots. I have some lighter weight TCX X-Five.4s as well, and somehow these are more comfortable. Regarding sizing, I normally wear size US 8.5, I wear size 41 TCX, and the size 42 Dakars were a perfect fit. I should mention, I was concerned about the opening at the top of the boot. It appears huge in the pictures and I was worried I wouldn't be able to cinch the velcro tight enough around my 14in calves. When I finally put them on, they fit great and the velcro tabs lined up perfectly with no overhang. I think the way the boots are shaped, how it narrows towards the ankle area, make it appear like the calf opening is larger than it actually is. Anyway, hope this helps.
Brian was super, super knowledgeable on these boots and had answers to all of my sizing and fit questions- really helped me to believe buying these boots what the right choice for my style of riding. And they are. Great support, perfect fit, great quality- I have no doubt these will last me years to come. Definitely much, much better for my needs than the ADV style boots I had before. So far they've been perfect for enduro and trail riding on my Beta 300, but the hinge still means they're comfortable enough to wear on long distance ADV rides on my T7.
The boots aren't yet broken in as I'm getting some rubbing above the right ankle. I'm guessing with time and wear, this will resolve itself. Otherwise, a well constructed boot. Sizing per staff recommendation was spot on.
I have had an opportunity to ride over 300 miles in these boots. They are breaking in nicely. One of these rides was 200 miles and involved some off pavement riding. These boots are comfortable for all day use. The soles give really great grip on all surfaces and they inspire confidence. It takes a little time to adjust to shifting with them, but that is to be expected. I had to do some walking and they are fine as long as it isn't a multi-mile hike. The only issue I had was the top buckle unbuckled on the top right boot when I mounted the bike twice. That was probably my fault. They are not optimal for running around the city, but that is not what they are designed for. I will be looking for another boot for casual riding. Overall they are a great touring boot that can be worn for hours and offer really good protection. I expect they will get even better with more use. I would recommend them and buy them again. High quality at a fair price. Thanks Brian for the advice!
Brian at Atomic Moto is simply the best in the business - took the time to advise me on the boots for my type of riding and spent almost an hour on the phone. His customer service is legendary and the reason why I’m a repeat customer of his for moto boots
Super comfortable right out of the box. I wear a 2XL and I have issues finding a good fitting helmet. Fit and finish is tops in the helmet business. Highly recommended!