News 13 Jul 2009

Review: AXO Primato II road boots

MotoOnline.com.au puts AXO's all-new Primato II motorcycle road boots through their paces with great results.

AXO has a great history in producing quality motorcycle footwear and apparel, with the all-new Primato II road boot continuing AXO’s progression in performance and safety.

The Primato II is AXO’s leading boot for both road and track use, available in either white or black, retails for $299.95, and is now available on sale in Australia.

Features of the Primato II boot include:
• Sport/Performance fit and features
• Suitable for Professional racing
• Medial side closure with safety covering
• Flexible instep and heel panel
• PU moulded shifter pad, heel cap and vented shin plate
• Supportive sole and slip resistant heel pocket
• Replaceable toe and shin sliders

With well over 1000 kilometres clocked on the street in our white set provided by Australian distributor Ficeda Accessories, it’s safe to say that AXO has hit the nail on the head when combining comfort with safety and performance.

While the Primato II doesn’t feature an inner-boot like some circuit boots on the market do, a bonus of this is the ease to fit them and also the greater comfort for use on public roads.

I found that when wearing the boots without leathers and jeans over the outside of the boot there was a lot of movement around the shin area that made me feel a bit ‘naked’, although with leathers (or wearing pants on the inside of the boot) this extra space was taken up nicely and made my leg feel more secure in its place.

Their comfort can’t be argued with though, and whether I was riding or walking around in between stints, the AXO Primato II boots didn’t ever cause any pain and were brilliant for riding in either dry or wet conditions – offering good grip on the foot rests in both cases.

The zip to do the boots up has been easy to zip up, while the Velcro surround up the inside of the boots has also remained sticky despite riding in plenty of rain and mud – also not getting caught on the frame of any bikes I’ve ridden, which I thought might be the case before use.

Speaking of the rain, not one drop happened to make its way into the boots after many kays in the wet, which was a bonus while taking part in Australian Motorcycle News’ annual sportsbike comparo.

In saying that, ventilation is more than acceptable via air intakes around the shin area and the heel, while there are also reflective inserts at the rear of the boot for added safety.

Toe sliders on the boot are easy to remove and replace via a pair of small allen key screws, although I found out the hard way that you should double check these before riding when a screw vibrated out after a few rides.

The shin sliders are also replaceable, which is a bonus if you happen to scrape the upper part of the boot.

AXO’s done a great job in both style and functionality with the Primato II boot, providing an ideal package for those riders who are looking to use the same set of boots at the track and on the street.

Recent