Daytona Ladystar GTX
- A Goretex, fully insulated boot with an extra thick sole
- Euro Sizes 35-39 (40-43/MStar)
- My US Size: 7 / Size Purchased: 36
- Where to Buy: Scuderia West
- $399.95
OVERVIEW
Updated Check out a few of my blog posts about these boots and a few others as well.
Daytonas are handmade in Germany. There is only one dealer in the United States where you can purchase these boots, and that's Helimot. Luckily, Scuderia West has a very unique relationship with Helimot that allows them to order Daytonas directly. Upon inspecting the boots, you can tell that they are made very differently from other riding boots. There is an obvious difference in thickness of the soles as well as shape and density of the boot. It has zippers and velcro adjustments on the left, right and back of the boot.
Before purchasing these boots 3 years ago, I had heard so much about the legendary Ladystars, which were probably the most expensive women's motorcycle boot out there. I'd also read how they gave instant height for those of us who are more vertically challenged. I knew someday that I had to have these boots. Once I'd finally had the money to upgrade my TCX Sunray Boots, I went straight down to Helimot in San Jose to try them on and see for myself how amazing these boots were. I would not be disappointed.
The first picture pretty much sums up how much height these boots gave me. You can see that my right foot is standing on a book that's close to 2" tall. Most boots will have at least a 1" thick sole, when you add up the insole, and exterior rubber sole. And the last photo above shows you that the insole itself has a 1" thick heel! Now normally, these are not removable. It just so happened that they had a sample to show me, because I just didn't understand how I was able to gain so much height.
After I upgraded to a Kawi
Z750S (before the SV), I've added about 1" in vertical height from my Ninja 250, and
I gained over 100lbs in extra weight. (300lbs vs. 429lbs!). So the
combination of these factors have put me at a slight disadvantage. Most
motorcycles these days don't seem to take female riders into account.
Although that's changing with a lot of the major manufacturers starting
with 2006, it certainly hasn't been addressed with older models.
FIT
Being a European boot, of course the sizes are European! So you might find
that you're going to be 1 size smaller in a Daytonas than any other
boot. I was 37 in TCX, but I'm 36 in Daytonas. The general feel when you put
these on for the first time is that your feet feels like it's pushed
slightly forward, a little different than most riding boots. When you
sit on a bike for the first time, you might notice that it's a little
harder to reach your shift and/or rear brake pedals. Since the boot is
a little thicker in the front, you may need to adjust the levers down
just a bit. It's a minor adjustment, and after awhile you'll get used
to the feel. Before you step into the boot, it's important to note a couple
of things:
- Unzip them all the way down on both sides
- Zip up the long side first, then the short side. Otherwise, the short side may not have enough reach to zip shut.
If you're a boy, and you need a boot with more height advantage, it's called the M-Star GTX in bigger sizes. That way you don't have to tell your manly moto friends that you bought a pair of LadyStar's.
Like any piece of well made, leather motorcycle garment, you will be paying a bit more than you would for a lower quality boot. This is a high quality, high performance boot and you will be extremely satisfied with the LadyStars.
