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This is my review of Alpinestar Toucans. This is in my opinion an expensive boot, I ride dirtbikes in a boot of similar price but needed something for snowbiking that offered more protection than a snowmobile boot but would keep me warm. The Toucan seemed to fit the bill and did in some ways. It is warm and comfortable and I was very happy with it until it broke. The upper strap ended up shearing off and I don't really know how. I wear my boots pretty tight and in the snow I wear over the boot pants. The first time Alpinestar was pretty good about making a repair and they sent them back in a timely manner....all was good again. Well that repair lasted one ride and then broke again. The strap ripped off in the same exact place and at this point I could tell the repair was essentially just crazy glue and no stitching. I called back alpinestar and they said for each purchase you are only allowed one RMA number for replacement or repair. So my RMA number was wasted on crazy glue instead of a repair and I have a set of $450 dollar paper weights and I'm pissed. I will never wear another set of Alpinestars for the rest of my life and will try as hard as I can to influence my local shops to not carry their garbage and influence the people around me to not wear their crap. Alpinestar doesn't stand behind their product, I was told because I was not using them as designed. O.K. I get that it is an adventure touring boot not a snowbike boot, but what is the difference? standing on a set of adventure touring pegs riding a motorcycle through extreme weather conditions...all seems the same, except for a track vs wheels...yes I run adv pegs.
Maybe they think ADV touring is just the same as riding a gull wing, I ride my 950 about the same as I ride my 650R or my CR500AF and while I didn't find the Toucan to be beefy enough to be dirtbiking in I had hoped it could handle blowing through puffy powder. This broke on the inside of the boot...It didn't get caught on a rock or anything, just a cheap boot at an expensive price...don't buy these if you ride...unless it's sitting down on a gullwing...maybe I should have used them as an extreme condition Harley boot...but I'm not sure they would have held up to that either...Garbage. I had sort of been behind these boots but I no longer give my approval. Find something else.
Maybe they think ADV touring is just the same as riding a gull wing, I ride my 950 about the same as I ride my 650R or my CR500AF and while I didn't find the Toucan to be beefy enough to be dirtbiking in I had hoped it could handle blowing through puffy powder. This broke on the inside of the boot...It didn't get caught on a rock or anything, just a cheap boot at an expensive price...don't buy these if you ride...unless it's sitting down on a gullwing...maybe I should have used them as an extreme condition Harley boot...but I'm not sure they would have held up to that either...Garbage. I had sort of been behind these boots but I no longer give my approval. Find something else.
