The Best Motorcycle Boots For Beginners Under $500

Why We Picked It:

The Adventure boot by Forma is a formidable contender when compared to the other ADV options in this list, given the fair price point and option for a low-cut version for riders with larger calves. These CE-safety-certified boots are constructed with a full-grain oiled leather upper, and they have an interior lined with Drytex weatherproof poly material to keep you dry.

Due to the harsh nature of ADV riding, you need to make sure your boots are constructed well and backed by tons of positive reviews from long-term owners. These boots are just that, with over 150 reviews on Revzilla and features such as unbreakable GH buckles, an anti-slip rubber sole (great for ADV riding), and ankle TPU internal molded plastic protection. Trust me when I say the Forma Adventure boots are awesome for new ADV riders.

Why We Picked It:

The Alpinestars Corozal Adventure Drystar boots are marketed as solid ADV boots that are also comfortable for spending time hiking/walking off the bike. There’s not much of a point in riding an ADV bike up the side of the mountain if you aren’t planning on doing some on-foot exploring once you reach your destination.

The mid-height design is great for wandering around on foot while still providing protection on the road, and the vulcanized rubber compound sole will stay nice and grippy for exploring. When it comes to impact resistance, the boots feature TPU shin plates and ankle protection in addition to the heel and toe reinforcement areas. They are fully waterproof and lightweight as well.

Why We Picked It:

The Spidi XP3-S is a highly reviewed sport boot with tons of great safety features. When riding fast, safety comes before comfort.

These riding boots feature a full leather construction for long-term wear (although they also come with a break-in time). The polyurethane lateral ankle slider, thermoformed carbon ankle protection, replaceable plastic toe sliders, and side protector/sliders give this boot full 360-degree protection in a low-price sport package begging to reach terminal velocity.

Why We Picked It:

How can you sell a protective motorcycle boot for less than what I pay for my gym sneakers? I have no idea, but Tour Master managed to figure it out with their Solution WP air boot. When riding long distances, you never know what kind of environments or weather you might encounter. But these boots are designed to keep you covered—no matter the temperature or humidity.

This boot takes the successful Solution 2.0 boot and graces it with a waterproof air membrane to keep you dry, plus mesh paneling to keep you cool. The Molded nylon shin and ankle guards will keep you safe, while reflective paneling offers you high visibility in the evenings. Due to the low price point, it’s no wonder these are one of the most popular touring boot options available on Revzilla.

Why We Picked It:

Here are some cafe-racer-style boots for your cafe-racer-style motorcycle. These classy and high-quality boots feature a full-grain leather construction married to a (highly breathable) waterproof lining and an anti-slip/oil-resistant rubber sole.

The Stylmartin Rocket boots aren’t just for looks either; they have internal malleolus PE protection on both sides of the boot, and the toes are double-reinforced to prevent wear from your shifter.

If you’re a vintage riding enthusiast are willing to put looks before safety features, these are always a great selection.

Why We Picked It:

Klim is one of the most well-known names in adventure gear, with good reason. Their products are durable and meant to take a pounding, yet they’re also comfortable.

The Klim Outlander GTX is their newest boot, and it lands in a very interesting part of the spectrum. While not a full height adventure boot, it’s also not a short boot. It balances between the two, having an over-ankle height that fully surrounds the ankle joint with protection, including XRD impact-protection on the ankle bone.

The ankle itself, along with the toes, are both surrounded by XRD impact protection and reinforced with TPU armor, just to be on the safe side. Genuine cowhide leather is combined with a GoreTex liner to provide durability, abrasion resistance, and waterproofing. It also features an adjustable lacing dial that lets you quite literally dial in the perfect fit.

A polycarbonate resting board keeps spiked pegs from poking your feet but is also comfortable on road pegs. An aggressive traction pattern on the sole also ensures that even if you ride in the rain, you’ll have grip available when stopped at lights or a stop sign.

All in all, what Klim has done here is combine the best footwear features that the adventure biking world has to offer in an attractive, street-friendly boot.

Why We Picked It:

While investing in high-quality gear is important, we also realize that some of our readers might be pinching a few pennies, trying to get something that is affordable but also good. Street & Steel has identified that need, and they’ve made the Oakland cruiser boot specifically for those riders.

Full leather construction with double and triple stitching. Reinforced toe caps, toe boxes, heel cups, and ankle bone protection. Lugged soles for superior grip in all situations. Flat lacing with speed lacing eyelets. And a moisture-wicking, waterproof Hipora membrane lining that lets the heat and moisture out, but doesn’t let any in. How does all that sound?

It would be wrong to call these boots “cheap.” It is far more appropriate to name them as less-expensive versions of a lot of boots that are double or triple the price. They also blend across lines, suitable for use by standard riders as well as cruiser riders.

Why We Picked It:

I’d like to add one final track/race/sport boot option into the mix with the Alpinestars SMX-6 Vented riding boot. Truth be told, it was difficult not to saturate this entire list with Alpinestars boots, due to their utter domination in the beginner and low-cost riding boot markets.

The SMX 6 V2 is a fully protective boot focused on balancing mobility and safety. These boots feature Alpinestars’ own TPU lateral ankle brace protection for impact resistance and high modulus TPU injected areas around the shins, calves, heel counters, shift pad, and toe sliders for 360 degrees of armored coverage—making these some of the safest boots on the list by far.

They’re lightweight, they’re sturdy, and some reviewers even claim to have owned pairs for 6 years without any issues. The break-in time is short, and they ‘fit like a slipper’. These take the cake for my #1 sport riding boot.

Why We Picked It:

TCX is one of those brands that “gets it” when it comes to casual-looking riding gear. Take, for example, the Street 3 WP shoes. They look like any old regular hightop skater shoe, yet are some of the most advanced riding shoes you can buy. Full grain leather uppers, backed with a T-Dry waterproof lining. The midsole features a Z-Plate shank, with the toe and heel also receiving reinforcements. The ankle is protected by very discreet D3O armor at the malleolus bumps, and the entire shoe laces up, with a hidden elastic holder for the laces to tuck into.

Groundtrax rubber soles give superior traction, even on oily surfaces, and the shoe features an Ortholite insert to make them all-day comfortable. In fact, that is TCX’s stated goal with the Street 3 WP shoes: to allow you to ride your bike to your destination, park it, and then go about your day without having to worry about carrying a second pair of shoes with you. In case you were worried about the shoes, they also carry a full CE 13634:2017 safety certification for personal protective equipment, meaning that they are 100% ready to ride.

Why We Picked It:

One of the goals of the casual and neo-retro riders is to be protected by all their gear, but do so in a subtle, discreet way. For that, TCX has created the Blend 2 WP boots, and as you can see from the attached picture, they look like your normal, everyday work boots at first glance.

Look a little closer, however, and you’ll see the shift pad, the subtle bulge of ankle armor, the solidly constructed, multi-layer GroundTrax rubber sole that includes a comfort liner. Made of full grain leather, the boots feature a T-Dry waterproof membrane throughout, with armor included in the ankle and heel, with a reinforced toe box. The boots actually lace up, instead of having a hidden zip or velcro somewhere, to complete the illusion that these are simply everyday boots. There’s even very subtle reflective material built into the back of the soles for safety at night, but in daylight, you can’t see them. The ultimate discrete, waterproof neo-retro rider boots.

Why We Picked It:

For sportbike riders, there are generally only full height boots available. Alpinestars noticed this a few years ago, and started to make the SMX-1 R boot, a low top offering that had the protection of a full boot, but with a low top design. As technology advances, gear naturally evolves, and now the version 2 boot is available.

The upper is made of lightweight microfiber, with additional reinforcement behind the toe slider area. The boots are fully armored, with toe sliders over a reinforced toe box, a flexible full TPU heel shield, and the ankles are protected by the main closure, which has TPU armor for the ankle built in. The boots also have reinforced shift lever contact areas, designed to withstand aggressive shift actions.

As the boots are made from microfiber, they also breathe extremely well, and are perfect hot weather riding boots when you don’t want to wear full height boots. They are certified to Cat 2 CE 89/686/ECC EU Directive standards, meaning that these boots are track rated, although most tracks (and us here at BBM) insist on proper, full height, armored sport boots.