The New Sidi Vortice Motorcycle Boots

The Sidi Vortice Boots, intended as a replacement for its premium Vertigo Corsa, Sidi's new Vortice boot boasts a number of upgrades.

As with the Sidi Vertigo Corsa, construction and protection are top notch. The Sidi Vortice boot features a tough Lorica carcass with interlocking armored sections that completely encase the rider's calf, shin and ankle in nylon armor. The same Techno Tensioner system first seen on the Sidi Vertigo Corsa is used to secure the redesigned upper panel, with another tensioner adjusting the lower shin.

Because of its tighter tailoring, the side-entry zipper utilizes an expansion joint that assists in getting the zipper over the talus bone of the ankle. The external lateral and lower braces on each side of the ankle work with the new upper panels to provide improved ankle support.

The Sidi Vortice's sole is all-new, with a polyurethane/rubber blend of two compounds and a replaceable insert in the ball area where the sole tends to wear against the footpeg. Even the toe sliders were redesigned, with replaceable alloy inserts and an adjustable vent. The upper-portion of the boot is lined with a Teflon-coated mesh, while vents on the inside with Cambrelle, a soft synthetic fabric combining excellent sweat adsorption and breathability with good resistance to abrassion.

Puttin on the Sidi Vortice boot takes a bit more time and work than the averag boot, which is actually the only gripe we can think of. After slipping your tootsies into the snugfiting foot bed, you need to pull up the zipper and fasten the cover flap. Then, after clipping in and tightening the Techno Tensioner over the instep, you must align and tighten the upper shin plate via three more tensioners. The result is an extremely supportive and snug-fitting boot, but we'd recommend starting the process early; don't wait until you hear last call for your track-day or you may miss the flag drop! Maybe its just a trick which I did apparently not have under control...

Beyond that, we were very impressed with the Sidi Vortice boots. Fit and finish are first-class, with excellent ankle support and a protective feel. We had some issues with the previous Sidi Vertigo Corsa's external ankle braces snagging on footpeg brackets and heel guards, but the Sidi Vortice's braces rest flush with with the surface of the boot so we haven't had any such issues so far. Peg feel is excellent and the stifter pads have always been among the best at preventing soreness. There aren't very many boots packing all the protective features present on the Sidi Vortice boot, so we're confident in its protective qualities.