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The average female in the United States is about 5-foot-4—the average male, about 5-foot-10. The average sportbike rider is (overwhelmingly) male. You can see where I’m going with this. If you’re an average American female, go out and find a stock sportbike you can reach the ground on. Go ahead… I dare ya. Unless you’re an Olympic gymnast/powerlifter mastering the one-cheek butt slide, keeping a 500-pound bike up at a stop requires quite a steep learning curve. Enter the ICON Bombshell boot.
Oh, sure, I know what youre thinking—what serious rider would wear these? With a 3-inch wedge and bondage-begging buckles, I thought they looked way too sexy to be functional. But then, balancing on tippy toes, I’d drop my bike again. Dammit! I remembered meeting a Kawasaki factory rep, herself vertically challenged, who proudly told me, “I ride any bike I want,” and then pointed to her platformed, steel-toed work boots. Hmm… time to give these things a try.
Not convinced the $170 retail price wouldn’t be a complete waste of money, I snagged a barely worn pair on eBay for a hundred bucks. Hmm… ankle armor, reenforced shift zone, a bit tight in the calf (couldn’t quite get ‘em zipped up, actually), but surprisingly sure-footed. There’s so much support—strong leather, padding, armor—you really, really don’t feel like you’re wearing heels. I’m not kidding. And then the big test: I threw my leg over my bike and felt this strange sensation:the balls of both feet were touching the ground!I felt an amazing boost in confidence, and thirsty for more, I took ‘em to a shoe repair shop and had an additional 1-inch platform applied. I haven’t feared a stop since!
As much as I love these boots (I’ll probably never wear anything else), they could be better. The calves are not generous enough for a woman’s curves (come on, ICON! I’m 5-foot-2 and weigh 110 pounds). I had them stretched at the shoe repair shop before I could get them zipped up all the way (which, by the way, was the reason the original owner sold them). Also, the bottom tread is thin andsmooth. I’d prefer a thicker, knobby sole for some added traction.
For function and style, though, and as a guaranteed conversation starter pretty much anywhere you go, I give these boots an enthusiastic four-and-a-half revs. Vroom, vroom, vroom… vroom!!!
PS – Check out the Bombshell’s little sisters, the Hella and the Hella Street Angel, for ankle-length versions.
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Nice review. I enjoyed reading it. As a tall 5-foot 11-inch woman reaching the ground is still an issue even for me on my big giant Road Glide. I have had my Icon Bombshell boots for two years now and I love them. The wedge heel has my whole boot firmly on the ground, even on these very steep and bumpy San Francisco streets.The boots are slipper soft and comfortable and I can wear them all day long. I love all the motorcycle specific features added to the boot and they’re just plain sexy.
My calves are quite large due to riding a bicycle for so many decades. I can’t get the boot to zip up no matter what and no stretching in the world could make them fit. This is a problem I’ve had with any boot that goes up the calf…until I walked into Red Wing shoes one day and discovered their motorcycle boots for women. I love the non-skid, oil resistant sole, the heel is perfect for not sliding off the footpegs and best of all, they fit my calves! They do look rather nice, but you can’t see the decoration on them since my pants cover them up.I do love the look of the Bombshell, but there’s no way they would fit on my calves. I’m 5 feet 8 inches tall, 150 pounds (I’m a body-builder and it shows) and my calves are 16 inches.
I was skeptical about these because I am short with a very muscular calf (I’m 5 feet 1 inch and 115 pounds), and the tall version won’t zip at all, but I tried on the shorter version (yes, there is one) and it works great for me. Both of my bikes — one a Ninja 250 and the other a V Star 650 Classic — are lowered but it’s still nice to have that extra sense that your feet touch the ground without stretching.
I have a Suzuki 1250 Bandit and it’s really great to see an article by a woman who rides a sportbike! Love to see more of these.
You’ve got to be kidding me! What kind of message is this review supposed to portray? The Icon Bombshell boots are not a track day boot nor do they offer any level of protection for any rider regardless of machine. Please, oh please, do your research and buy a boot more suited for actually piloting a bike. Think of how sexy your feet will look in these boots when they pull off that 450+ pound bike after you’ve crashed. Why can’t manufacturers (other than Sidi or Alpinestars) produce a boot that offer a level of protection afforded to men for women? I, for one, would not be caught dead (pun intended and more likely in their stuff) in Icon gear. Their typical advertisements portray women riders as something pretty to look at, but not to be treated seriously.
I bought these boots three weeks ago and absolutely love them. I had been searching forever to find a functional, safe, sexy boot and these are it! I lift weights and have pretty muscular calves and found the fit to be fine. I would agree that I wish the bottoms had more tread. My husband loves them and I find them very easy to walk in. Definitely worth the $170 investment.
These are nice looking boots! I love the expandable calf and the buckles.Being 4 feet 10 inches tall and riding a Heritage Softail Classic, I have been wearing platform boots for years. They already come with a 2 inch sole, so no modification needed. They work great with a heel/toe shifter. The problem would be getting them under a regular shifter like the ones on a sportbike.Glad to see that Heather was able to modify hers to work for her. I do hope that motorcycle boot manufacturers take notice and design motorcycle boots with thicker soles for us short stature women.
I love the look of the Bombshell boot. Very feminine looking for a change, however they are not the most comfortable when worn for a while. I am 5 feet 6 1/2 so I didn’t need them for height advantage but they are very attractive and the guys love them. I will continue to wear them when attending special functions on my motorcycle.
Try the Lady Star Daytona Motorcycle boots. They are comfortable and they have Velcro adjustments for our bigger and/or smaller calves.
I just bought these boots and I absolutely love them! I used to wear my bulky Harley boots and then have to carry some nicer boots to go out at my destination… no more! These boots are incredibly comfortable and very stylish. I got so many compliments! They look insane with a pair of skinny jeans!
If you are looking for a real motorcycle boot with “height advantage” instead of a high heel style, check out the women’s Daytona boot. Hard to find but a superior riding boot for anyone who needs a bit of a lift.
I’ve had a pair of these for over a year and wear them on my daily commute. They’ve held up beautifully and, as Heather argues, they are functional, too. I didn’t have any trouble with the fit at the calf. Maybe because my legs are longer? (I’m 5-feet-7) After Genevieve reviewed the Hella boot, I got a pair of those, too, but I prefer the Bombshells. Better order another pair!
Love it! Sexy and sleek while being completely functional — a true rarity these days. Looks like they might be worth a try!