Milwaukee is one of the longer-running and better-known brands out there, but unfortunately this doesn’t mean that they haven’t produced their fair share of products to avoid. They do have a knack for creating stuff that has exactly the right bike image, and I think that’s one of the reasons that they have proven popular with a certain set of riders; those that don’t really care much for safety and don’t even bother with helmets where they can get away with it.
If you are into the whole Easy Rider thing then these trooper boots will be right up your alley. Milwaukee has nailed that army boot look 100% and this is a good tough-guy accessory. The uppers are full leather, which I find surprising at this price point. There’s a flexing sole that they say is quite ergonomic, and customers don’t really have any complaints about the comfort of these boots.
Interestingly, these boots have both zippers and laces. I suspect that the laces are really only there to complete the look. You can use them and they are functional, but most riders are probably going to zip in and out, given the choice. The soles are Goodyear-derived and are designed to resist skidding on things like oil dumped at the lights by someone’s old junker. I don’t see anything related to crash safety, though, and I think these boots are really aimed at riding comfort on a cruiser, rather than any sort of protection beyond what you would get from a tough leather boot in the first place.
That being said, owners of this boot seem to love it and it does exactly what it claims. If you are looking for some nice Harley-ish cruiser boots then you could do a lot worse than the Troopers – especially at this price.