Australasian Dirt Bike — September 2017

136 | SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.adbmag.com.au

REAR GUARD

HOW TO RIDE / ADB GARAGE / WE RECOMMEND/ TECH / KIDZ KORNER / USED RIDE /

VERDICT

I AM EXTREMELY grateful for the

chance to test the Gaerne SG12s. I

haven’thavegoneoutandboughta

set before, because I didn’t know a

lotaboutthemandhaven’tseen

them around too much.

Butafterwearingthemforthepast

fewmonthsIamhappytosayI’m

goingtokeepwearingtheseboots

foryears.Theyarestrongand

durable, comfortable and provide

plenty of protection.

They don’t have the booties or ankle

braces of some boots but they

providejustasmuchprotectionand

you don’t have to worry about

forgetting your booties. I would list

thesebootsatthetopofthetree

andwouldbehappytoarguethe

point with anyone.

Theonlydrawbackwiththeseboots

is the price but, as the old saying

goes,ifyouwantquality,you’vegot

to pay for it.

MB

GET IT HERE

BILL

$799.95

BROWSER

cassons.com.au

BLOWER

(02) 8882 1900

Used &

Abused

UNTIL NOW I’Dneverworna

setofGaerneboots.I’veworn

every other brand at some

pointbutnevergotonthe

Gaerne gravy train.

RightawaywhenItookthe

SG12’soutoftheboxIcouldsee

thequality,butlet’snotforget

how sweet they look.

Ithrewthemonandwent

straight out onto the motocross

track.SincethenI’vegiventhem

a workout both on the track and

in bush in everything from rock

gardenstoswampymud.

WE RATE 

COMFORTABLEAs soon as I

pulled on the SG12s I could tell

how comfortable they would

be.Itwaslikeslidingmyfoot

intoacloud.

There’snothingworsethan

wearingbootsthatrubonyour

toes or ankles but these were

socomfortableIwouldbe

happytoweartheminmy

workshop.

EASY TO ADJUSTThe

buckles and straps are easy to

operate and adjust with just

your hands. No need for pliers

orrubbermalletstogetthe

bucklestolockdown.

STURDY SOLESThese boots

have done some work and the

solesareshowinglittletono

wear at all. Originally I thought

thetoecapslookedalittleold

school but seeing how they

wearIamimpressed.

BREAK INSome boots seem

to take months to break in

before you can change gear

andrideproperly.TheGaernes

brokeinreallywell.They

weren’toverlystifftostartwith

and,afterafewlaps,Iwas

having no issues at all.

A+ PROTECTIONMy feet have

beenputintosomeseriously

nasty situations wearing these

boots. I have found my feet in

other rider’s wheels, jammed

up against tyre walls and even

being slammed into tree trunks,

rubbed up against boulders and

rock walls in the bush. Not once

were my ankles or feet injured. I

have the utmost confi dence in

the protection of the SG12s.

WE DON’T RATE 

SCREWS All of the buckles and

the ankle pivot are held in place

with Phillips-head screws. At

fi rst I was worried about these

screws coming loose but, so far,

I haven’t lost a single one. I did

rip one of the buckles off on a

tyre wall but the screws allowed

me to re-attach it.

TOE CAPS I feel like toe caps

are old school. But, in saying

that, the soles and caps on

these boots are solid. If having

toe caps means a more durable

boot then I’m with them.

Technical Editor Mat Boyd

GAERNE SG12 BOOTS

1

2

MAIN. Boots use Phillips heads.

1. Little signs of wear


2. Stitching is holding up