Richa Jade review | Women’s waterproof motorcycle boots

Date reviewed: July 2025 | Tested by: BikeSocial member Julie Brown | Price: £174.99 |www.richa.eu

After many years wearing sporty or touring boots on (mostly) sporty bikes I wanted some boots with a little more height. I bought a Honda SH300i to nip around the south coast and in-and-out of London. A great idea until I realised how tall and wide the seat of an SH300is. The foot-to-foot distance is greater than my CBR500R. I had to perch right on the front of the saddle meaning I felt nervous at every set of lights and wiggling through traffic.

So, I wanted something with more heel to be able to get my feet down easily. And because I ride it into town and then spend time wandering around, I wanted something that looked less like a conventional motorcycle boot.

The Richa Jade waterproof women’s motorcycle boots on review here seem to cover most of those needs. I’m not completely sold on the looks, but I really like the impact they’ve had on my confidence.

The heels are 30mm at the back, while the chunky sole is 15mm at the front, which makes them effectively 15mm taller than my regular TCX touring boots. That additional 15mm might not sound too much but adds more than an inch of extra height foot-foot.

Pros & Cons

Richa Jade boots - Construction and features

The Richa Jade boots have a full-grain, all-leather upper with laces and a side zip to fasten. There are small reflective inserts around the top of the ankle too. The boots are 16cm tall from the top of the boot to the sole making them more than an ankle boot as they cover most of my calf too.

Richa’s Aquashell membrane is waterproof, windproof and breathable. Protection comes from a reinforced heel, plus toe and ankle cups.

The heel is 30mm tall – around twice the height of my regular TCX touring boots. That doesn’t sound much, but it makes a significant difference.

Richa Jade boots - Fastening

The side zip on the Richa Jades makes it easy to get the Jade motorcycle boots on and off. When I first got them, I thought the laces were mostly for show, but I now use them to tighten the fit once on, a bit like an old-school version of some of the tech I had on an old pair of Sidi race boots a few years back where you twisted a knob to tighten the fit.

Richa Jade boots - Protection and certification

All motorcycle boots sold in the UK must be certified to EN13634. There will be four numbers on the pictogram inside a boot which will either be a 1 or a 2.

These Richa Jade WP boots score 1:2:1:2 WR.

• The first 1 indicates this is an ankle boot (a ‘2’ would indicate full length boot)

• The first 2 shows it meets the higher standard for impact abrasion

• The second 1 shows it meets the lower standard for impact cut resistance

• The second 2 shows it meets the higher standard for transverse rigidity

• WR means they are certified as water resistant.

Some armoured boots feel bulky and a little clumsy. The protectors in the ankles of the Jade boots are quite small and thin, and I don’t notice them at all.

From April 21 2018, all new motorcycle clothing is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. For more information on the new laws, click here.

Richa Jade boots - Comfort

I find the Richa Jade boots to be very comfy on the scooter where the raised heels and thicker soles sit flat on the footboards. They are also pretty good on my CBR500R. The thicker sole makes it a little more difficult to get my foot under the CBR’s gear lever and I was going to move the lever on its splines to allow for this. But I only ride that bike in these boots occasionally so haven’t bothered yet.

The raised heels make a huge difference to my confidence at a standstill on both bikes but especially the scooter where I was on tip toes in my regular boots.

The Richa Jade boots allow me to get both feet closer to being much flatter on the floor, which makes a huge difference riding through London where there’s a lot more stop-start riding.

Off the bike they feel like chunky, high-ankle boots. I’ve done a few trips into town where I park up and walk around for a couple of hours without any blisters or aches afterwards. Plus, I know I can loosen the laces a little for a more relaxed fit.

Richa Jade boots - Sole and Grip

The exaggerated, chunky sole of the Richa Jades has a lot of grip as you’d imagine. And the extra thickness means that on my CBR I do need a bit more thought when swapping from the arch of my foot on the pegs to the ball.

The additional 15mm either side also makes my knees a little more scrunched-up on the CBR too. Thankfully, it’s a relaxed riding position for a sports bike so, if anything, it feels slightly sportier.

On the scooter though they feel great. At five-foot-four I still can’t flat-foot on it, but I am a lot more confident.

Richa Jade boots - Hot and cold weather use

I haven’t ridden in really cold weather in the Richa Jade boots yet but in hot weather they are fine. The breathable membrane had its work cut out walking round town in the very warm June and July weather this year and my feet did get hot, but not as uncomfortable as when I’ve worn full length bike boots.

Richa Jade boots - Waterproofing

I’ve only done one long journey in the wet in the Richa Jade boots and my feet stayed dry. That was mostly because the Honda SH300i scooter has good weather protection. My textile pants are a perfect length when off the bike and work well with my regular full-length boots but leave a small gap for the water to get in between the bottom of the jeans and the Richa boots on my CBR500R. I’ve only ridden about six miles in the wet on the Honda through a summer shower and the downward dribbles weren’t too bad in that short distance.

Three alternatives to the Richa Jade boots

• TCX Freyja ladies boots £239.99 | Waterproof leather boot with less pronounced heel and similar styling to the Richa Jade WP. These should be links to products we’ve reviewed as much as possible. Most are men’s boots, but you can choose ones that have women’s fit too. We have reviewed some women’s ones, though check they’re still for sale.

• Falco Misty ladies boot £199.99 | Waterproof boot with a chunky heel and similar spec to the Richa Jade WP but with an aged finish. BikeSocial hasn’t tested these boots yet, but here’s a link to the Falco site if you’re looking for boots with a raised heel.

• Daytona Lady Pilot SL. £344.99 | Daytona is the Rolls Royce of motorcycle footwear. At least as far as safety is concerned – not everyone is taken by their styling. Clever design of this boot gives a 6cm heel, adding more than an inch either side to your stepover confidence BikeSocial hasn’t tested these boots yet, but here’s a link to the Daytona site if you’re looking for boots with a raised heel.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the boots we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Richa Jade boots - Verdict

I wanted these Richa Jade WP Boots for the specific purpose of more confidence on a scooter that is tall, wide and harder to manage than expected. They’ve been brilliant for that and surprisingly good on my CBR500R as well.

Comfy and practical and with good protection ratings, they are also easy to wear off the bike walking around town. 

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