Date reviewed: August 2018 | Tested by: BikeSocial Test Team | Price: £299.99 | www.tranam.co.uk
These Gore-Tex lined trainer-style boots are made of nubuck and perforated leather for a comfortable ride in all weathers. BikeSocial TestTeam member Graham Mudd has been using them every day for several months on his Kawasaki Versys and Suzuki Burgman…
Fit and feel
From the first try, the Daytonas were incredibly comfy; plush and supportive with a luxuriously soft liner. Straight out of the box they give a snug fit that rivals my custom-made Altberg work boots. I’ve owned many motorcycle boots over the years and can hand-on-heart say that these are the most comfortable I’ve ever tried. While I’m not claiming you’d want to go trekking through the Himalayas in them, they’re certainly more than up to the task of pottering around a BSB event for the day.
And whereas many boots will make your feet feel sweaty in hot weather, the AC Drys are well vented and keep your feet pleasantly fresh.
Protection
CE approved, the ACs have a good level of armour for an ankle boot. Many I’ve worn in the past, while comfy, have never inspired confidence should the worst happen. Not so with the Daytona boots.
Aside from the standard leather upper, there’s padded ankle protection, a steel sole insert and built-in twist resistance. Yet wearing them, none of these features are apparent.
It’s worth saying that unlike some boots that are overly stiff, the Daytonas flex well and never feel awkward changing gear or pressing the rear brake. They’re comfy to walk in and to wear on the bike, and at no point are you aware the armour is there.
These honestly feel like wearing a regular pair of boots. Yet, with Daytona’s reputation for quality and the feel of the boot when you look them over, I never felt they needed any more protection; even as ankle boots which naturally provide less protection than full length boots. Admittedly I haven’t had the chance to test their crash performance!
Wet Weather Performance
We’ve been fortunate this summer to have had a long spell of warm, dry weather so testing the wet weather capability of the Daytona has been hard. However, after nearly 2,000 miles I hit a significant downpour and my feet stayed dry. Gore-Tex is a byword for waterproof, though the sad fact is that many bike boots are far from it despite the claims on their labels. Thankfully in this case their tag of ‘waterproof’ seems valid, and not a drop of moisture leaked in during the heavy rain, even through the vented sides.
Fastening
While not a downfall of the Daytonas, their fastening is decidedly odd. It’s like they couldn’t decide between traditional laces or a ratchet and cable design like on the Armr Moto Kanjo boots. So the AC Drys have a strange hybrid of the two.
Laces are fed through a push-down locking tab on the tongue. To do the boot up you pull the laces tight and lock them off. So far so good. However, this leaves a lot of spare lace, which I loop around the tongue and tuck into the boot. Beware that tying the slack in a knot causes it to get jammed in the tab. A little design oversight for an expensive boot, but it really is a minor niggle in what is otherwise an excellent piece of kit.
Conclusion
There’s no escaping the fact that the Daytona AC Drys are reasonably pricey, but they really are at the apex of the market and worth every penny.
Ridiculously comfy, well-appointed and truly waterproof, I highly recommend them whether they be for sunny Sundays, the daily commute or that long European jaunt.
