Stuff That Works: Icon Super Duty 4 Motorcyle Boots

 

I know the folks at Icon are not really after those of us old enough to know the lyric: "These boots are made for walkin'", but that was the first thing that came in my head when I sat down to right this.

I don't always want to wear my Combat Lites from Aerostich.

 

Okay - Icon does not market the Super Duty 4 as a hiking boot, but they almost could.

I needed some boots to commute to work in. While I appreciate the extra protection my big boots, Combat Lites from Aerostich, provide - I do not always want to wear those big beauties on my 12 mile ride to work.

 

FYI- I paid full price for these boots at a local dealership (see bottom).

 

Anyway - I LOVE these boots. The fit is great and I feel they offer a good deal of protection to my feet with the steel shank, built in ankle protection, and the stabilizer strap. Said strap reminds me of downhill ski boots (my Combat Lites have them as well) and they really make your feet feel buckled in. I do not want to imagine a situation where enough force could be generated to take these boots off my feet once they are securely laced and fastened.

 

I bought the Basic Black pair from Icon -
black is the new black, ya know.

The boots felt great when I tried them on at the dealership. I took a couple of laps around the showroom half-expecting that weird ass gate one has when wearing ski boots. No such thing occurred. I started wearing the Icons to work the next day.

They fit both of my motorcycles - a 2007 KLR650 and a bobbed '79 Yamaha XS1100. By that I mean I experienced no difficulty working brake and shifter of either bike and believe me - the riding positions are vastly different. I was concerned especially about how they would work on the Yammy, but they could not be any more comfortable on either bike.

Not only that - but more often than not I find myself leaving the boots on for my entire work day. They look sharp with a pair of jeans and I was amazed at how great they felt even after nine hours on my feet. My wife and I own a "mom and pop" jewelry store and I am the front end of the business, so I am up and down from my desk and spend a lot of time on my feet waiting on customers and these boots feel just great. I have been wearing them 4-6 times a week for the last month and they could not be anymore comfortable on or off my bikes.

 

 

To sum it up - if you are looking for some short boots, I would encourage you to stop in to your local dealer and try on a pair of the Icon Super Duty 4 on your dogs.

 

 

A Shout Out to Fox Powersports

 

A word about why I bought these boots when I did. I originally went into Fox Powersports looking to add some mirrors to my 1979 XS1100. The guy behind the parts counter was FANTASTIC - he came out into the parking lot to help me put them on the bike - we thought the bracket on the right hand side might be stripped and he went in to get some tools to try and re-thread the holder for me. All this for an $11 set of black mirrors.

I was so impressed with his service that I WANTED to spend more money. I started looking around for something I needed when I spied the boots. Sorry to admit I did not get his name (I did give him a generous tip), but when customer service seems to be lacking in so many places these days, it is worth a mention and recommendation for you to visit this dealership if you live or ride in the Grand Rapids area.