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.
I was having a hard time finding in between sizes in these Forma boots. Atomic Moto gets them directly from Forma so you can have it your way, to steal a phrase. The boots are plenty tough for street riding and occasional offroad. The toe box is roomy and are more walkable than MX boots.
I have over 6 months use in rocky, sandy, hardback West Texas terrain and they have served me very well. I would buy again. The fit was perfect- always a concern when purchasing online. I'm a wider size 11 and the 45 fits nicely. Quality is evident and boot is made in the EU. After ordering I received a call from Atomic just to let me know it would be shipped in a few days (not immediately), was that OK? Great job of customer service.
Boot is firm and will take time to break-in, not a great walker but a no joke foot protection beast. I've had a few dabs hitting an unseen rock or stump and the energy is absorbed by the boot and not your foot other than a sting.
Thanks, Atomic
Bought these to replace 6 inch Danner boots I wear during the summer. The Danners although good for walking leak while riding. I also have a pair of Dianese GT fulcrums which are great boots but are not great for camping. MY actual adventure riding is limited but wanted something with better traction than the Dianese and I do a good bit of moto camping but dont want to look like too much of a poser in full height boots. My Klim outrider jeans fit nicely over these. I wear a 11 1/2 to 12 shoe. 12 in hiking and running shoes and 11 1/2 in others. I went with a 46 knowing the majority of what I have is a 46 with the exception of my back packing boots which are 47s. Fit is very good and I think a 47 would have been a little too big. One pre requisite I have is I put green super feet in all my shoes except running and they feel great with them. Yes , at first they feel like ski boots
and are a little clompy but are already loosening. To sum it up I think the support they provide and the fit will be perfect for my gravel road, camping , road riding.
You can see and feel the quality in every part of this boot. Buckles are especially great. Surprising at this price point. I expect to be wearing these for a long time to come. Normally wear 10.5 shoe, but the 10 boots fit just right.
I recently purchased a BMW R1200 GSA. My past motorcycle was Victory Vision. Last year I underwent surgery for a broken 5th metatarsal on my right foot due to a freak drop of the Victory. Lost 3 months of work and riding. After purchasing the GSA, I decided to get proper foot protection right up front. After asking about my riding style and intentions, I ultimately ended up with this Forma model. I wore them for 8 hours last night and the fit is perfect at a 13. They protect all of the key areas I am concerned about and while not ballerina shoes, have been surprising comfortable to walk around the house with. Brian's recommendation is a home run and he really knows boots. I should be getting out for a days ride soon involving some rough roads and off pavement. I feel much safer knowing I have the right boot for the job. I will update later after I get some miles with these boots, but my gut tells me they will be great.