It was hot: 103.4º Fahrenheit according to the F800GS data display. But somehow my left foot felt about 20º hotter. Engine heat, I thought. Correct. But that was only half the story. Pulling into the garage, my left boot looked like somebody aimed a blowtorch at the heel.
The plastic guard intended to separate said heel from the superheated exhaust header was mere stub of its former self. A trail of molten plastic from Dainese’s finest drizzled on smoking-hot steel told the rest of the story. After 5600 miles, that weedy little piece of German plastic gave in, giving up a $319 pair of boots in the process. Bloody lovely. I’m not sure what an 800GS heel-guard costs at the local BMW dealer, but I’ll hazard a guess it’s something less than a new pair of high-end street boots
Speaking of which, riddle me this, Batman. Why do bad things almost always happen to my good gear? Our Supreme Editorial Chieftain figures it’s because I usually head out in my front-line stuff, whether I’m headed for a Kevin Wing photo-shoot or a Baja Fresh burrito. He’s right. My prophylactic policy says the best protection in the world won’t protect you if it’s sitting at home in some closet. My left heel would likely have suffered some degree of damage inside some less protective footwear. Hard to say for sure. But I can tell you this much. Somewhere out there, a UPS driver is headed this way with another pair of Dainese Torque Out Air boots, size 13, black-on-black. I’m still a little chapped over the whole thing, but buyer’s remorse heals a whole lot quicker than third-degree burns. I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but $319 plus tax doesn’t go very far in our friendly neighborhood emergency ward.