Alpine Stars Octane boots

rod · 17-05-2008, 03:54 PM

I finally got to pick them up from the post office this morning. These puppies aren't imported by Monza Imports (A Stars sole importer into AU) so I got them from Dennis Kirk, from where I've purchased a couple of things over the years. Anyway, I had seen these as a possible replacement for the long-gone Dainese half boot things that Monza Imports had been stung by back in the early 90's (no wonder they weren't touching these A Star Octanes...). Mega expensive, they ended up clearing them for something like $30 a pair when they were retailed for over four times that amount (ouch!). The same thing happened a couple of years later when they bought the updated (black, pink and purple this time) model in too! Happy times, they were an excellent boot for wearing on the bike and good for just general wearing. The downside was that with the white ones you looked like you were wearing surgeons boots.....

So back to the future and after much umming and aahing over what size to get I finally got to try some Alpine Stars SMX1's (another low boot style by them) and to my amazement found I took a US 12.5. Amazing because I normally have a UK 10.5, which would be like a US11 I think. Hell, I know that Alpine Stars gear can be made in any factory, anywhere in the world so would the sizes be uniform over different models of boots? A couple of other mates wanted these Octanes as well so we tried on a few Alpine Stars boots where we could and eventually settled on the fact that we'd need around one size bigger. Reviews I'd read said that they were "true to size" so there was still a bit of a gamble going on. EDIT: The fronts of the Alpine Stars curve into the toes fairly sharply (pointy ended) and are a bit narrow and thus give (to me) the illusion that I require a larger size. Or, they fit okay but I've got a good 5mm in front of my second and third toes which I don't even notice as everywhere else is clamped in tight!

Fast forward to today and I race around to the post office, wait a few minutes for them to unlock the place and I collect a fairly massive box. Race back home, open the carton and there's the three boxes inside. Have a quick check of the contents: 1 x white size 12.5, 1 x white size 11, 1 x black/red 8.5 - all correct and accounted for Sir!!

Unbox the 12.5's (mine) and with thoughts of "oh hell I hope they fit but man are these things trick" I see the two tabs visible in the pic above, and on the other side there's another velcro tab and a zip so I'm thinking they'll be easy to get on. Open up the tabs and zipper and I find that the tongue is velcro'd to that flap so it won't slide down inside the boot - nice touch! I put the right boot on and it's a good fit if a tiny bit loose up front. I can't try the left one as some new work shoes had made a bit of a meal of my left heel and I didn't want to open up the blisters...... I'm wearing thin socks so something like those explorer socks will take up a bit of room. Anyway, I think I can announce that we have a good result! The mates for who the other pairs are destined for arrive and try theirs on - perfect fits for both. Double result! So all-in-all a damn good purchase!

None of us have tried them on the bike yet but they feel like they'd be pretty damn good. Now to the money side, these things retail for $USD139.95 and for three pairs in one box we paid $USD76.80 for 3-5 day delivery with tracking. So using todays exchange rate we ended up paying around $AUD173.50 each. Which isn't bad at all. If you can drive a hard bargain you can get the S-MX1's for around $260.00 locally (rrp is $299.00). They're very similar to the Octanes in construction but obviously the fastening methods are different.

These boots would look hot when riding a white 848 (Rhino!!) or a 2008 white GSXR600/750!

Here are some pics from this morning......

If your motorcycling formative years weren't when white wheels ruled the earth or never liked disco and Saturday Night Fever these boots are also availbe in plain black and also the black with some tiny red highlights.

RECOMMENDED WILL BUY AGAIN A+++++

timmyboy · 18-05-2008, 10:50 AM

Nice. I like white, but what about scuff marks from the gear lever?
They look like your about to get off your bike and quickly get into a game of basketball.

Jedi · 18-05-2008, 10:58 AM

They look like a great compromise between crash protection and practicality if you have to wear your bike boots all day. I need a new pair of general sneakers soon I would love to hear how you fare after a day walking in them or whatever. And you can see them in flesh, how do you think they would go as far as crash protection?

millsy · 18-05-2008, 11:01 AM

Jedi you are not allowed to get any because you will make them look bad and ruin it for the rest of us!

rod · 20-05-2008, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timmyboy

They look like your about to get off your bike and quickly get into a game of basketball.

Oi, don't you make me come over there!!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jedi

They look like a great compromise between crash protection and practicality if you have to wear your bike boots all day. I need a new pair of general sneakers soon I would love to hear how you fare after a day walking in them or whatever. And you can see them in flesh, how do you think they would go as far as crash protection?

The ankle has plastic over the top and the tops of the boots do cover the ankle and are reasonable padded but if you are sliding down the road at the wrong angle I think there's a small chance that those ankle parts might peel back. The upper is made of a quite thick and very hard feeling leather (synthetic leather?) so they'll be fairly abrasion resistant. I probably wouldn't wear them as regular shoes as they are a bit unwieldy but if you wear boots like Blundstones all the time they'll feel like having Bentley Continental GT's on each foot - comfort, speed, handling!

jules_1972 · 20-05-2008, 07:31 AM

Didn't Michael Jackson have a pair of these???

rod · 20-05-2008, 07:39 AM

He does - he has his management scouting the whole world for the coolest accessories to lift his profile and they told him to get onto the Alpine Stars Octane stat (in White - they've gotta be white!!) for instant cred on da streetz.

jules_1972 · 20-05-2008, 07:42 AM

Go Michael, err I mean Rod!!!

Maxo · 20-05-2008, 08:09 AM

Alpinestars stroke - alternative.

Fucking good shoes.

jules_1972 · 20-05-2008, 08:27 AM

Red Wing 8620 - Mens - Oxford

Features
• Black PU coated split & abrasion resistant mesh upper
• Static Dissapitive
• Removable SD cushion footbed
• Cement construction
• Slip Resistant Rubber/EVA Amazon outsole
• $100.00 MSRP (U.S. Dollars) Actual price may vary by retail location

rod · 20-05-2008, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jules_1972

Features
• Cement construction

U fail @ style......and ur gonna sleep with the fishes with your cement shoes....

Or if you are too shy for the rad styles of the Octane you could get these instead:

Lucchese Limited Edition 125th Anniversary boots

Oops I was being cheeky but look at the price of those cowboy boots...... $12500.00.............

C'mon Jules you're a driller yeah? They wear cowboy boots to bed!

timmyboy · 21-05-2008, 07:27 PM

You worn the boots much? I wanna know about scuff marks.

17-05-2008, 03:54 PM	#1 (permalink)
rod Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,051	Alpine Stars Octane boots I finally got to pick them up from the post office this morning. These puppies aren't imported by Monza Imports (A Stars sole importer into AU) so I got them from Dennis Kirk, from where I've purchased a couple of things over the years. Anyway, I had seen these as a possible replacement for the long-gone Dainese half boot things that Monza Imports had been stung by back in the early 90's (no wonder they weren't touching these A Star Octanes...). Mega expensive, they ended up clearing them for something like $30 a pair when they were retailed for over four times that amount (ouch!). The same thing happened a couple of years later when they bought the updated (black, pink and purple this time) model in too! Happy times, they were an excellent boot for wearing on the bike and good for just general wearing. The downside was that with the white ones you looked like you were wearing surgeons boots..... So back to the future and after much umming and aahing over what size to get I finally got to try some Alpine Stars SMX1's (another low boot style by them) and to my amazement found I took a US 12.5. Amazing because I normally have a UK 10.5, which would be like a US11 I think. Hell, I know that Alpine Stars gear can be made in any factory, anywhere in the world so would the sizes be uniform over different models of boots? A couple of other mates wanted these Octanes as well so we tried on a few Alpine Stars boots where we could and eventually settled on the fact that we'd need around one size bigger. Reviews I'd read said that they were "true to size" so there was still a bit of a gamble going on. EDIT: The fronts of the Alpine Stars curve into the toes fairly sharply (pointy ended) and are a bit narrow and thus give (to me) the illusion that I require a larger size. Or, they fit okay but I've got a good 5mm in front of my second and third toes which I don't even notice as everywhere else is clamped in tight! Fast forward to today and I race around to the post office, wait a few minutes for them to unlock the place and I collect a fairly massive box. Race back home, open the carton and there's the three boxes inside. Have a quick check of the contents: 1 x white size 12.5, 1 x white size 11, 1 x black/red 8.5 - all correct and accounted for Sir!! Unbox the 12.5's (mine) and with thoughts of "oh hell I hope they fit but man are these things trick" I see the two tabs visible in the pic above, and on the other side there's another velcro tab and a zip so I'm thinking they'll be easy to get on. Open up the tabs and zipper and I find that the tongue is velcro'd to that flap so it won't slide down inside the boot - nice touch! I put the right boot on and it's a good fit if a tiny bit loose up front. I can't try the left one as some new work shoes had made a bit of a meal of my left heel and I didn't want to open up the blisters...... I'm wearing thin socks so something like those explorer socks will take up a bit of room. Anyway, I think I can announce that we have a good result! The mates for who the other pairs are destined for arrive and try theirs on - perfect fits for both. Double result! So all-in-all a damn good purchase! None of us have tried them on the bike yet but they feel like they'd be pretty damn good. Now to the money side, these things retail for $USD139.95 and for three pairs in one box we paid $USD76.80 for 3-5 day delivery with tracking. So using todays exchange rate we ended up paying around $AUD173.50 each. Which isn't bad at all. If you can drive a hard bargain you can get the S-MX1's for around $260.00 locally (rrp is $299.00). They're very similar to the Octanes in construction but obviously the fastening methods are different. These boots would look hot when riding a white 848 (Rhino!!) or a 2008 white GSXR600/750! Here are some pics from this morning...... If your motorcycling formative years weren't when white wheels ruled the earth or never liked disco and Saturday Night Fever these boots are also availbe in plain black and also the black with some tiny red highlights. RECOMMENDED WILL BUY AGAIN A+++++ __________________ Last edited by rod; 20-05-2008 at 08:06 PM.

18-05-2008, 10:50 AM	#2 (permalink)
timmyboy Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mt Pleasant Posts: 426	Nice. I like white, but what about scuff marks from the gear lever? They look like your about to get off your bike and quickly get into a game of basketball. __________________ THE Chuck Norris Fan Club! http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/foru...php?groupid=16

18-05-2008, 11:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
millsy Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: at the pub Posts: 2,249	Jedi you are not allowed to get any because you will make them look bad and ruin it for the rest of us! __________________ Activate interlocks! Dyna-therms connected. Infra-cells up; Mega-thrusters are go!

20-05-2008, 07:31 AM	#6 (permalink)
jules_1972 Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Perth, Hills Posts: 2,389	Didn't Michael Jackson have a pair of these??? __________________ "When you're going through hell, keep going." WSC 1942.

20-05-2008, 07:39 AM	#7 (permalink)
rod Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,051	He does - he has his management scouting the whole world for the coolest accessories to lift his profile and they told him to get onto the Alpine Stars Octane stat (in White - they've gotta be white!!) for instant cred on da streetz. __________________

20-05-2008, 07:42 AM	#8 (permalink)
jules_1972 Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Perth, Hills Posts: 2,389	Go Michael, err I mean Rod!!! __________________ "When you're going through hell, keep going." WSC 1942.

20-05-2008, 08:09 AM	#9 (permalink)
Maxo Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 2,527	Alpinestars stroke - alternative. Fucking good shoes. __________________ ][

20-05-2008, 08:27 AM	#10 (permalink)
jules_1972 Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Perth, Hills Posts: 2,389	Red Wing 8620 - Mens - Oxford Features • Black PU coated split & abrasion resistant mesh upper • Static Dissapitive • Removable SD cushion footbed • Cement construction • Slip Resistant Rubber/EVA Amazon outsole • $100.00 MSRP (U.S. Dollars) Actual price may vary by retail location __________________ "When you're going through hell, keep going." WSC 1942.

21-05-2008, 07:27 PM	#12 (permalink)
timmyboy Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mt Pleasant Posts: 426	You worn the boots much? I wanna know about scuff marks. __________________ THE Chuck Norris Fan Club! http://www.perthstreetbikes.com/foru...php?groupid=16

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