the_wes
Grey Hound
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2007
- Messages
- 8,751
- Reaction score
- 0
- Location
- Brackenfell, Cape Town
- Bike
- Harley Davidson (all models)
Ok so I've had my BMW Santiagos for a few weeks now, and figured it was time for a review.
Santiago, as you may or may not know, is in fact German for "A whale's vagina". Or so I've been told. OK I'm lying. No-one really knows what it means, scholars maintain the original translation was lost many years ago...
Anyways, when in Rome...
First of all, the price. These bad boys weigh in at a whopping R3k. But honestly? I think they're worth every cent. I've always praised BMW for (in some regards) making gear that actually justifies the price. I honestly have to say I don't feel like I was paying for the badge. Could I have bought the Oxtar Infinity for less? Sure. But as far as I know the Oxtar is exactly the same as the Savannah, the Santiago's predecessor. The Santiago has been upgraded a bit, so it's not really the same boot anymore, plus I had exactly 1 day in which to get new boots (and BMW's stock is better than Waterworld's) so I took the plunge.
Secondly let me say that before the BMW's I had a pair of Berik Mudlife boots. When I got them I thought they were fantastic, but then the elasticated section at the top started fraying in 2 places, and the buckle broke, all within 3 months. So I took them back, and due to my time restraints pushed for a refund then and there (after informing the shop that there was no way I was taking another pair of Berik's, and them not having anything else in my size). The attendant even said that it wasn't the first complaint, and they wouldn't be stocking them anymore. Either way, as you read you will notice me using the Mudlife as a point of reference often.
Back to the Santiagos...
When I bought them, Dave at Auto Atlantic, who also has a pair, said to me that his only criticism was their comfort over the first week. After a week they would be fine, but they would take a week to "walk in" as such and did tend to be a little uncomfortable in that week. And I honestly have to say I don't know what he was on about. As soon as I got them, I went back to work, and left them on for most of the day. No problems. Then the next day I spent a day standing and riding (that's right, I did the BMW offroad course, hence the standing). Just fine. This is one heck of a comfortable pair of boots. And after a day of riding, still smelled brand new inside, thanks to the Gore-Tex liner. I would tour in these boots anyday.
While on the course, we hit some puddles. Socks? Dry, thanks for asking. These boots are 100% waterproof, I know, because it's been raining in Cape Town. Plus no need for a removable inner liner, like the Berik had, these are just waterproof as is. Fantastic when you commute on your bike daily as I do. And again, the Gore-Tex keeps your feet fresh inside. In fact after yesterday's riding I took off my socks, and couldn't believe that they were dry. I know, over-share, but you get the point.
In addition to comfort and waterproof-ness, another imortant factor when commuting is ease of use. Or at least, ease of "taking your boots off and putting them back on". These are fantastic. They have the same buckle mechanism as the Berik's, which made me very sceptical at first since the Berik's buckles would tend to get "stuck" as you try detach them, but the boys and girls at Bee-Em (or whoever makes their boots) have really got it right. The action is smooth, plus there's only 2 buckles per boot, with a large velcro closure at the top.
Safety-wise they seem to be re-inforced in all the right places, though only a decent fall will really tell how strong they are. My ankles have so far survived 3 "hops" off the bike, but none of them resulted in me going down properly so I can't really comment. They also have steel toe caps, and the sole is rather solid which is fantastic when standing all day, especially on the standard narrow pegs the Dakar comes with (haven't had a chance to add offroad pegs yet, but they're on my list
).
Lastly, they look damn good. And as much as we'd all like to deny it, that's always a factor in purchasing. It's a lovely all black boot, leather in places, hard suede in others, with a very understated design that appeals to me. BMW branding is also minimal, with a simple "BMW" on each buckle, and the propellers engraved on the front of the steel toe caps, hardly visible except up close. And more importantly, they wear dirt well (see attached pic), so they go well with my bike ;D
So there you have it, in my opinion a perfect pair of boots for commuting, riding offroad, touring, and general all-round BMW posing O0 Hope it was helpful!
Santiago, as you may or may not know, is in fact German for "A whale's vagina". Or so I've been told. OK I'm lying. No-one really knows what it means, scholars maintain the original translation was lost many years ago...
Anyways, when in Rome...
First of all, the price. These bad boys weigh in at a whopping R3k. But honestly? I think they're worth every cent. I've always praised BMW for (in some regards) making gear that actually justifies the price. I honestly have to say I don't feel like I was paying for the badge. Could I have bought the Oxtar Infinity for less? Sure. But as far as I know the Oxtar is exactly the same as the Savannah, the Santiago's predecessor. The Santiago has been upgraded a bit, so it's not really the same boot anymore, plus I had exactly 1 day in which to get new boots (and BMW's stock is better than Waterworld's) so I took the plunge.
Secondly let me say that before the BMW's I had a pair of Berik Mudlife boots. When I got them I thought they were fantastic, but then the elasticated section at the top started fraying in 2 places, and the buckle broke, all within 3 months. So I took them back, and due to my time restraints pushed for a refund then and there (after informing the shop that there was no way I was taking another pair of Berik's, and them not having anything else in my size). The attendant even said that it wasn't the first complaint, and they wouldn't be stocking them anymore. Either way, as you read you will notice me using the Mudlife as a point of reference often.
Back to the Santiagos...
When I bought them, Dave at Auto Atlantic, who also has a pair, said to me that his only criticism was their comfort over the first week. After a week they would be fine, but they would take a week to "walk in" as such and did tend to be a little uncomfortable in that week. And I honestly have to say I don't know what he was on about. As soon as I got them, I went back to work, and left them on for most of the day. No problems. Then the next day I spent a day standing and riding (that's right, I did the BMW offroad course, hence the standing). Just fine. This is one heck of a comfortable pair of boots. And after a day of riding, still smelled brand new inside, thanks to the Gore-Tex liner. I would tour in these boots anyday.
While on the course, we hit some puddles. Socks? Dry, thanks for asking. These boots are 100% waterproof, I know, because it's been raining in Cape Town. Plus no need for a removable inner liner, like the Berik had, these are just waterproof as is. Fantastic when you commute on your bike daily as I do. And again, the Gore-Tex keeps your feet fresh inside. In fact after yesterday's riding I took off my socks, and couldn't believe that they were dry. I know, over-share, but you get the point.
In addition to comfort and waterproof-ness, another imortant factor when commuting is ease of use. Or at least, ease of "taking your boots off and putting them back on". These are fantastic. They have the same buckle mechanism as the Berik's, which made me very sceptical at first since the Berik's buckles would tend to get "stuck" as you try detach them, but the boys and girls at Bee-Em (or whoever makes their boots) have really got it right. The action is smooth, plus there's only 2 buckles per boot, with a large velcro closure at the top.
Safety-wise they seem to be re-inforced in all the right places, though only a decent fall will really tell how strong they are. My ankles have so far survived 3 "hops" off the bike, but none of them resulted in me going down properly so I can't really comment. They also have steel toe caps, and the sole is rather solid which is fantastic when standing all day, especially on the standard narrow pegs the Dakar comes with (haven't had a chance to add offroad pegs yet, but they're on my list
).Lastly, they look damn good. And as much as we'd all like to deny it, that's always a factor in purchasing. It's a lovely all black boot, leather in places, hard suede in others, with a very understated design that appeals to me. BMW branding is also minimal, with a simple "BMW" on each buckle, and the propellers engraved on the front of the steel toe caps, hardly visible except up close. And more importantly, they wear dirt well (see attached pic), so they go well with my bike ;D
So there you have it, in my opinion a perfect pair of boots for commuting, riding offroad, touring, and general all-round BMW posing O0 Hope it was helpful!
