Guys, I'm really in need of a new pair of boots as my existing Dainese ones are about 8 or 9 years old and the Lorica is starting to crack! They are an old pair of "Torque" model but I manage to wear them inside my Dainese Laguna Seca leathers with no problems, I fancied replacing them with a pair of Axial pro's for an even better fit with the Velcro connection so I went and tried a pair on today, only problem is.....I'm not sure if I like the feel of them???? The thing I'm finding slightly strange is that all the carbon fibre ankle hinge / support is inside the boot, whereas mine is on the exterior of the boot, it just feels a bit weird having it so near your skin so to speak and to be honest they didn't feel as protective as I'd expected. Also I thought the front shin pad looked a bit tatty the way it was just held on with Velcro straps. So I'm looking for comments from people who have already used them for a while, I have loads of daft questions ?? The internal hinge mechanism makes the boot look really wide at your ankles, do they tend to shove your feet off the pegs easier due to lack of space with the heel guards? The D-Stone "sock" bit of the boot, does that let water through really easily if your caught out in the rain? The Lorica itself seems like it'll withstand a bit of water, but does the D-Stone soak it up like a tea bag?? I didn't think the inner lace up system felt like it actually did anything, or am I missing something here? My old Dainese boots are a UK 8, I tried an 8 in the Axial today and it was a bit of a struggle getting it on, do they take a bit of time to break in and do they give a bit? Anyone had any problems with them, or been disappointed with their performance? Would you buy them again?? Thanks in advance for your comments fella's
I have the axial pro "in" boots. I find them very comfortable on the bike. Particularly when worn with Dainese "out" leathers. Bit of a faff still to get them on for me (and fully zip up the leathers) but I think that's owing to the size of my calves. The boots are so comfortable I bought a second, pair to use as a spare weeks after buying the first. But, The suede part of the boots wore through completely in 3000 miles or so on the 1199 where they make contact with the bike's heel guards. I've had longer lasting slippers. I noticed the damage to the boots after, say, only 1000 miles and so changed the angular standard heel guards of the 1199 for thicker carbon ones with rounder edges. The change made little difference to the rate of wear on the suede section. I tend to tuck my heels in and use the balls of my feet on the pegs most of the time. After lengthy asking round it would seem the problem of rapid wearing of the suede sections of the boots is either limited to me or the boots (or both) as I've not encountered / heard of anyone else having such an issue. I've never worn them in wet weather but I'd doubt they'd excel at keeping water out.
Are you set on Dainese ? After years I bought Daytonas and wished I stumped up the cash a lot earlier. Fabulous boot, comfortable and 100% dry. I liked the road boot so much I ended up getting a pair of Daytona race boots for track days. Not cheap but great boots. Andy
i have the axial pro in boots and totally agree with 1976dc about the suede inner section wearing prematurely,bit of a faf to put on as there is to much velcro about and keeps getting snagged up,once on they a fine,but i do see your point about the boots not feeling substantial enough and questioning if they would offer good protection in a off,but i guess they have been well tested,would i buy again,no.
I've got the Axial pro 'In' and i've been using them nearly 5 years. They are fantastic, really comfortable. I ue them for commuting in and so my textiles cover the 'sock' part. I've used renapur and recently the nikwax leather proof on them and that's done a brilliant job of keeping them dry in the rain. However, after so much use the sole has worn thin and they are letting water in at the gear selector pad. If they did a goretex version i would buy them in a heartbeat. i'm not sure i could go back to the out style boot. I'm currently looking for some boots to replace these which i'll retire for trackday use only. I've crashed twice in them. Once the bike landed on my foot. NO breaks or bruising. And in the ultimate test ever had a lady run over my foot at traffic lights. Dread to think what would have happened to my foot and ankle without these on. THey will rub and mark up heel guards and swingarms.
Thanks for the feedback guys, I had done a search of a few owners reviews on t'internet and that was one of the things that came up frequently about the suede inner wearing off. I think tbh I'm gonna look at the next boot down in the Dainese range, the "Torque rs in" because as you can see from the diagram below, the armour is on the outside making the inner tongue more comfy and the inside heel protection is not suede, its polyurethane with rubber ( the blue bits ) wear / grip pads, so no chance of wearing through anything I don't doubt the Daytona's are good boots as I have a set of the Gore-Tex roadstars, but I really want to stay with the "in" boot system for my summer leathers, I couldn't go back to normal "out" style boots now they'd feel like wellies!! And I don't mind paying good money for the right kit ( within reason! ) but I'd be a bit miffed if I put a hole through the Axial pro's in 6 months or so. I'd really like a set of gore tex "in" boots but Dainese for some reason don't do em??. I just need to find a set of Torque rs in's in black in a 43 now but it seem's they are a bit scarce on the ground, I'm in no great hurry so I'll see if my dealer can order me a set in. Thanks again for taking the time to post your comments up guys, Poucher.
Most comfortable boots I've ever had. Foot seems secure and they are not too bulky. The suade area is showing a similar amount of wear as my GP tech alpinestars, so not too bothered. As others have said, I would not go back to normal out boots.
