I have a long-time friend, JB, who is a local motorcycle police officer. We grew up in the same neighborhood, went our separate ways after high school, then met at a mutual friend’s party about 11 years ago. My friend once had his own personal bike, but like most cops, he found that he was not riding it and sold it.

However, a month ago JB pulled me over (he loves to scare the crap out of me) — he was on his police motor — and told me, “I just bought a new (personal) Harley!”

Of course, I congratulated him and said the usual things like, “let’s ride sometime.” Then restarted my motorcycle and went on my way.

Tuesday afternoon, soon after I arrived home after work, I heard the familiar rumbling sound of a Harley’s engine in my driveway. JB had stopped by to show me his new personal motorcycle. Sweet! Nice bike!

But what was on his feet? Arrrggghhh!
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I was asked by a frequent blog reader to share information on what to look for when buying harness boots.

Of the three styles of motorcycle boots for casual street riders — engineer boots, harness boots, and tactical (or lace/zip shorty) boots — harness boots are among the most popular boots out there.

From a tutorial about boots on hotboots.com that I wrote: Harness boots are most often made of heavyweight leather and range in height from short (10″) to extra high (38″). The most typical height is between 10 and 18 inches (most common is 12 inches). The most common colors are black and brown, but harness boots can be found in other colors and roughout leather as well.

Harness boots were originally modeled on the square-toed boots prevalent in the 19th century, including those worn by U.S. Civil War soldiers. Leather straps and rings were added to this style in the 1950s, creating the modern version of the harness boot.

Admired by men for their rugged, masculine good looks, it is no wonder that bikers and non-bikers alike choose to wear them.

If you are interested in a new pair of harness boots, here are my opinions about what to look for in a good harness boot.
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