Dainese Urbactive GTX boots in green

Here at Motolegends, we get to see lots of motorcycle boots; and these days the brands present to us lots and lots of short ankle boots. We don’t like to follow the crowd. We are rarely swayed by a product that we are told is a best seller, and whilst we never seek out expensive products for the sake of it, nor are we attracted by products that are marketed on the basis of their affordability. When Dainese showed us this boot we immediately liked it; partly because it looked different to everything else out; and partly because it wasn’t black.

Short boots like this were never designed for winter riding, but the loosely woven structure of the Urbactive is going to make them appropriate for warmer weather, as the textile panels on the outside of the boot and the mesh tongue are going to be particularly breathable. At the heel, there’s a Neoprene insert for comfort. You also get a pull strap to help ease the boots on.

Of course, you’ve got all the protective bits you would expect; like a hardened toe cap, a gearchange pad, pucks in the ankles and a reinforced counter in the heel. There’s also an elasticated strap across the laces so that you can tuck the loose ends away for safekeeping.

This particular Urbactiv boot comes with a Gore-Tex membrane. Some Urbactiv models come with other, less reliable membranes. But here’s the thing. No short boot is ever going to be totally waterproof, because as the rain hits the ground it bounces off the road and can get into a short boot over the top of its shaft. So what has to be said is that the Urbactive GTX is going to be as waterproof as a short boot gets; albeit perhaps not as waterproof as a taller GTX boot.

Dainese makes much ado about the comfort of the Ortholite insole, and the grip that comes from the Groundtrax outsole. And indeed this should be as protective and as comfortable as a short boot can be. But it will be nicer to wear in warm weather; and it will be better looking than most all the time!

We like it, but then again we’re suckers for anything that comes in green.