Was looking for an adventure boot that slotted between my sidi cross fire Mx boots and my low sidi adventure boots. Something that offered shin and ankle protection but comfortable enough to spend all day in and walk in-I am doing a month tour in the Himalayan mountains and will
Live in them.
Right out of the box-they were super comfortable.
Brian at atomic moto nailed the suggestion. I normally wear a 10-10.5 sneaker but had to go the 46 size as they seem to run a tad small in this category
Gaerne Dakar GTX Boots: I have to see that I really liked them. I think that they fit very well. They are very comfortable to walk-in. I have some SIDI crossfire boots that work well with my hard-core motocross bike but that the car boots worked much better for my Kawasaki KLR and walking more often. Much more protection than the other set of boots that I have which are BMW Road boots. I cannot see too much about the degree of waterproofness as I live in the desert and have not had to do too many river crossings of late.
Incredibly comfortable right out of the box! Fit is perfect! Communication with AM was way beyond expectations, thanks!
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 live in a tropical climate with extreme high humidity levels, I love this jersey, it allows me to have maximum breathability and still ride with protections. It's not usable for highway driving of course, but in city rides it's way better than a jacket.
These shorts are very comfortable and true to size, protection pads aren't the best but for sure better than nothing. I love the sacrum pad btw
I had two zippers fail on my Badland Pro pants. Brian arranged for Klim to repair them with no hassle, excellent service by Atomic Moto (as I've come to expect) and nice to know Klim stand behind their products.
This is my second pair of Sidi Adventure 2 boots. I purchased the first pair seven or eight years ago and rode across Europe\Russia with multiple days of rain. The boots were awesome and always kept my feet dry and are still in excellent condition. When I decided to purchase a second pair, in brown, Brian at Atomic Moto was able to provide them when other major retailers did not have availability.
Super comfy right out of the dam box. And as usual for Alpine stars riding gear the quality was top-notch.