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Teknic Defender Motorcycle Boots Review – I’ve been using the Teknic Defender boots for 8500 miles now and have done everything from touring to commuting with them strapped nicely around my feet. After this time I thought that it was only fair to do a review. When I purchased them I needed a boot which could do everything, but still be comfortable enough to wear the whole day when I am walking around. For around £69.99 ( $120) I chose the Teknic Defenders as they were cheap, fitted me well, looked good and had all the features I was looking for in a boot.

Comfort

I chose the boots a size larger than I normally am as it was quite difficult to get them on in the beginning due to the quarter zipper (as with most motorcycle boots). Looking back now I am so glad I chose a size too big (they don’t feel big at all) as I have experienced NO discomfort at all. I wear the boots all the time which is mainly on my commute and I keep wearing them when at my destination. They look perfectly presentable when under trousers/pants which is mainly due to the lack of toe slider and PU hard shell. I like this as very rarely does one get their knee-down on the morning rush hour.

They are perfectly comfortable to wear all day while walking around and are of course equally at home on a motorcycle. I have tried them on several different bikes; cruisers, naked and sports and they fit all well.

Protection

The protection is nothing when compared to racing boots, but as I have said before who goes racing in the rush hour? Protection is adequate and reflects the design, they faired well when my bikes weight was crushing my lower leg in an accident where a blind taxi driver decided to u-turn in the road so they have gained my loyalty! Teknic is a fairly well known brand and this does put your mind to rest a little.

As far as specific protection goes there are reinforcement plates in the shin, ankle and toe. They aren’t the sturdiest boot on the market but they don’t claim to be. The toe shifter is reinforced as well and the whole boot is made of leather.

Looks

I love the looks; they look perfectly normal under jeans and look the part when I have race gear on too. I’ve found that the best look is with them under Jeans, a leather jacket and leather race gloves. But since when do I give out fashion advice? I’d brand this look under the “Streetfighter” category and they go best with cruisers and naked bikes.

Weather Proofing

The weather proofing surprised me actually. I have NEVER been wet while wearing these. I have been knee deep in snow, ankle deep in rivers and have felt like I have ridden through a monsoon but the boots kept faithful to their end of the bargain and kept me dry the whole time. It is seriously like they are 100% waterproof, and for leather I just can’t believe it! Top marks here then!

The warmth factor is also impressive and I have ridden with these in everything from 30C to -6C (admittedly with double socks) and they have kept me warm from start to finish.

Generic

A handy little feature within the boots are the “anti-slip” soles. Although I have rarely needed this while riding the bike I chose to wear these boots through the snow which accompanied the worst winter in 30 years and while everybody else was slipping and falling on their arse I was stood up like Hercules helping the damsel in distress. This has also saved me a couple of times from an embarrassing fall when I have been riding in icy or slushy conditions and had my foot slip out from beneath me.

Another bonus is that in all this time I have cleaned the boots 3 times. 3 TIMES! That is insane, I admit that they were absolutely filthy but my excuse was that it all added to “the look”. By the time I cleaned them there must have been 4 months of road salt and shit on them and they still brushed up perfectly!

Overall

Overall then the boots are fantastic; they would suit most riders perfectly, whether you’re touring, commuting or just hooning around on some twisty back roads. They are certainly worth it for the relatively cheap price tag. I would be happy to buy another pair but am now looking to widen my collection with some race boots next (as I will be changing bike soon). I’ll still keep these though and will use these for the normal commute and everything else which is probably about 90% of my riding.

*Sorry about the horrendous picture quality but I snapped these with my phone today in a utility room haha. I’ll crop some of when they are in the sun for tomorrow.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 10:32 PM and is filed under Motorcycles, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.