I’ve always regarded Daytona as the Rolls-Royce of motorbike boots and these Strive boots are typically simple and unfussy in styling yet well engineered and reliable.
The Daytona Strives’ Gore-Tex lining gives them breathability as well as waterproofing, which is boosted by a water-repellent leather outer and the combination has seen me through long spells of torrential rain without the slightest leak, which goes a long way to justifying the pricetag.
The soles are hard wearing and grip well, which means feet stay planted securely on the pegs regardless of weather conditions.
The main reason for me purchasing these boots was for safety reasons, thanks to the presence of a galvanised steel inlay running the length of the boot. This ensures good impact protection and stops foot from twisting in an accident, but doesn’t hinder comfort at all.
They are designed like touring boots, but the Strives feature more sporty styling with hardwearing ceramic toesliders and the addition of shin armour.
Fit-wise they are unusually wide for a motorbike boot, but otherwise fit true to size. They are easy to put on with a simple side entry system that includes a full-length zip and velcro cover.
There is also adjustability at the back, which makes them very versatile. Thanks to this the boots can be pulled tight to allow textile jeans to be worn over the top, or loosened so leather jeans can fit inside, or to accommodate larger calf muscles.
One of the appealing features of Daytona boots is that they can be repaired, by being returned to the factory in Germany.
I had trouble with my pair, with the gearchange pad lifting away from the upper of the boot. They were returned to the UK importer for a warranty claim, but the importer argued the problem was down to user error rather than a fault.
My argument was that the gearchange lever on my Triumph Tiger 800 XR was catching the edge of the pad, which meant it was positioned wrongly and this was a fault with the boots. But the importer disagreed and the repair work cost me £30 rather than being covered under the warranty.
The boots were returned within two weeks but they weren’t what I would call factory-finished. Where the original pad was stitched from the inside, the replacement was glued on. One year on, the pad has begun peeling away again so I was right to be disappointed with the standard of work.
Issues with warranty aside, I feel the Daytona Strives are a high-end, quality boots that justify their high price tag. They are the comfiest, most versatile boots I have ever owned and still have much more life left in them.
Fit & Comfort
I’m an EU 44 (UK size 10) and these fitted perfectly. They come up wider than Italian-made boots but are otherwise true to size. Whether on the bike or off the bike, these boots are comfortable all day long. They’re by far the most comfortable boots I’ve ever worn.
Waterproofing
I wore these day after day in torrential rain while touring in Scotland and they never gave up. Waterproofing really doesn’t get any better than this.
Protection
The boots are quite well armoured, however they’re not the the most supportive and can easily fold over. The armour could be harder but this may affect the comfort.
Build quality
Overall they are well made but with the gearchange pad coming off within 12 months, I couldn’t score them higher. Either the pad needs to be reinforced or moved to ensure it always makes contact with the lever.
Features
Lacks ventilation and isn’t CE-approved (we suspect it would gain approval if Daytona submitted it for testing, but that’s for them to address). Otherwise they have everything touring boots should.