“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” ~ Abraham Lincoln

As a biker, I would like to rewrite the above quote “a biker must put his feet in right boot, and ride safely” ☺

Responsible for shifting gears and braking, your feet are the second most important point of contact with your bike, after your hands. 

We all take good health and mobility for granted, but the 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments that make up the human foot and ankle are rather delicate. So, why not wear the proper footwear to provide protection and comfort for the type of riding that you will be doing?

Motorcycle boots are a lot different in their construction from normal everyday boots.

Safety shoes or Trekking/ Hiking Shoe vs Riding Shoes: Safety shoes are designed for the work environment. They would surely protect your feet from something falling on them or from you slipping on slippery surfaces. Trekking or Hiking Shoes (Woodland type) are designed to be tough while trekking or just looking stylish. What both these types are not designed for is protecting your feet while they are moving at speed. 

In most of the motorcycle accidents, the toe and ankle area are most affected. The primary purpose of a riding boot is to protect your toes and ankles from twisting / breaking. Riding boots are designed to prevent ankle area from twisting and specific protection like toe sliders. Most of the boots would also have one piece steel shank inside the sole. This reduces the chance of boot folding like an accordion in case of an accident.

Also, almost all motorcycle riding boots would have a special padding at the toe shifter area, reducing the chances of shoes getting torn due to frequent gear shifting.

Selection of riding boot based on: 

• What type of motorcycle you ride 
• Your riding styles
• Size 
• How much money you have to spend on your safety

Classification of Boot based on type of Bike:

Boots for sport bikes tend to be sleek, lightweight and flexible almost like an overbuilt wrestling shoe. You want some padding, some comfort, but it also has to be flexible enough to actuate the controls in that position.

Classification based on Riding style / purpose

Short Boots: They are usually quite trendy looking and you can wear them in the office / college without people looking at you weirdly. These short boots are about ankle high and offer lesser protection as compared to full sized riding boots. However, are sufficient for inside the city riding

Sports / Mid Height Boots: These boots are mid-calf high and offer a balance between short and full-length boots. They compromise on upper calf protection and offer more versatile usage. Less height means less bulk so if your ride involves some decent distance walk, go for these boots.Full-length boots:  Which include everything from touring to full racing boots. These boots offer you the maximum protection but at the same time are bulkier than others. Most injuries during a crash happen when the foot is trapped during the fall. The ankle bone juts out of the leg so it can easily be scraped into the ground during a slide, even in a simple low-side crash. This is why we use only full height boots.

Full-length boots:  Which include everything from touring to full racing boots. These boots offer you the maximum protection but at the same time are bulkier than others. Most injuries during a crash happen when the foot is trapped during the fall. The ankle bone juts out of the leg so it can easily be scraped into the ground during a slide, even in a simple low-side crash. This is why we use only full height boots.

You can go with the following brands based on your budget and comfort. Following are not the only brands available, I just listed these for your convenience, also note that all the brands also has premium segments. This is just to get an idea.

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