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Look smart, ride smart: The best casual motorcycles shoes pair low-profile style with elevated protection and comfort whether you're riding to work or walking the streets.
There's nothing quite like walking through a crowded grocery store in a bulky pair of motorcycle boots. The clunks... the squeaks... the sideways glances... We love our dedicated riding boots as much as the next person, but if we're being honest, they kind of suck for day-to-day use.
At this point you'll all be familiar with the typical talking points around motorcycle footwear.
It's well understood that abrasion resistant materials, crush proof soles, and impact protection are all worth their weight in gold, but we want to talk about a criminally overlooked aspect of casual motorcycle shoes: Off-bike performance.
Most folks who risk riding in regular sneakers do it for two main reasons: They look better than motorcycle boots, and they're more comfortable to walk in.
Today we want to highlight a few pairs of casual motorcycle shoes that both look and feel great off the bike so you've got one less reason to leave those sneakers at home.
Casual Motorcycle Shoe Quick list:
| Shoe: | Summary: | Price: |
| Built for the crash, but pass for your favorite pair of Vans. Low profile, waterproof, and comfortable to walk in. | CHECK PRICE | |
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Leather upper and old-school style that mimics a classic Nike hightop. Elevated material quality for a premium look and feel. | CHECK PRICE |
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Sky-high full-grain leather sneakers with serious impact and crush protection. Side zipper makes for convenient entry and exit. | CHECK PRICE |
| Track-inspired style in a more casual package that delivers major safety without added bulk. | CHECK PRICE | |
| The look, feel, and comfort of a TCX motorcycle shoe that you can wear to the office. | CHECK PRICE | |
| Flows air like nothing else we've worn for outstanding comfort and protection in the hottest weather. | CHECK PRICE | |
| One for all the Chuck Taylor fans: Converse All Star style with proper abrasion, impact, and crush protection. | CHECK PRICE |
Alpinestars Faster 4 
TCX Dartwood GTX
Dainese Metractive 
Cortech Menace 
Do Motorcycle Shoes Actually Make A Difference?
Considering the current debate around sub-par CE testing standards, you'd be forgiven for asking the unforgivable question: Why can't I just ride in sneakers?
Here are the broad strokes on why that's still a bad idea.
Crush Protection is Key
While some full grain leather or suede sneakers could probably handle a slide across pavement well enough, the key difference between your favorite pair or high tops and a dedicated riding shoe is actually found in the sole, not than the upper.
That's because any motorcycle shoe worth buying (and any that carries a standard safety certification) is required to have a crush-resistant sole, a feature that's woefully lacking from all casual sneakers.
The idea here is that even under the full weight of your motorcycle, the sole of a riding shoe holds its shape rather than folding up like a taco, which is exactly what any pair of Nikes or Vans will do when the chips are down.
We'd consider this a "bare minimum" for any proper motorcycle shoe, although the best of the bunch go a step further when it comes to protection.
Riding shoes may be much more flexible than boots in the toe box, but in terms of lateral flexibility, the two should feel identical.
Reinforcement and Padding
While the sole of a motorcycle shoe is the main attraction, additional protection around the heels, ankles, and toes is always appreciated.
Riding shoes will never match the added beef of a serious racing or motocross boot, but if you can maintain walking comfort while adding protection from foot and ankle fractures, why wouldn't you?
Ideally this means flexible armor like D3O covering both ankles (some manufactures only cover the outer ankle), as well as some extra material and/or rigidity in the heel cup and over the toe box.
Casual motorcycle shoes won't do much for hyperflexion injuries, but they're worlds better for the occasional bounce off the pavement.
Abrasion Resistance
Not all leather is created equal. Most casual sneakers use "split grain" leather or suede because it's lighter and less bulky, but it's also thinner and less protective than the full-grain leather found in dedicated riding shoes.
It's also important to point out that even if a casual sneaker uses full grain leather or suede, the "crash-worthiness" of the material is untested.
Say what you will about the current CE regulations, but the consistency of the European Union's abrasion tests are one of the few redeeming qualities of EN-17092 standards.
Our Top Picks for Casual Motorcycle Shoes
Have your cake and eat it too. Here are our current favorite motorcycle shoes that look great, protect well, and deliver all-day comfort on and off the bike.
1. TCX Street 3 WP Shoes
We've been living with the TCX Street 3 for a little over a year now, and pound for pound it might be our favorite casual motorcycle shoe of all time.
This handsome shoe borrows old-school style from Vans' popular Sk8-Hi sneaker, but hides a heavy dose of protective features beneath its attractive exterior.
"As the name suggests, the Street 3 is the ideal motorcycle shoe for casual street riding." Our favorite of which is the "Z-Plate" technology found in the midsole of the Street 3, which provides heavy duty lateral crush protection while still flexing naturally when you're walking off the bike.
Combine that with an Ortholite insole and you've got one of the most comfortable and stylish CE-certified riding shoes on the market.
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TCX Street 3 Shoes
2. Alpinestars J-6 WP Shoes
Nike fans rejoice: the Alpinestars J-6 WP is about as close to a Dunk High or Jordan 1 as you'll find with proper road-going safety features.
Unlike your favorite pair or Dunks, however, these motorcycle shoes are fully waterproof, making them ideal for daily riders who occasionally get caught in the rain.
Outside the J-6 gets a premium look and feel courtesy of a full-grain leather upper, while inside a soft padded lining keeps your feet from rubbing against protective bits in the heel and ankles.
We'll also note that the J-6 is one of the few casual motorcycle shoes that sport solid reinforcements in the toe box, which helps justify the asking price for us.
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Alpinestars J-6 WP Shoes
3. Forma Hyper Boot
If you've ever slipped on a pair of Forma's popular adventure boots, you'll know these folks take boots seriously. Their Hyper Boot is a casual motorcycle shoe applies that same ethos to a high-top sneaker with high style.
The Hyper Boot gets props from us for its full grain leather upper, which Forma wraps around additional hard protection for the heel cup, toe box, and ankles.
Combine that with a waterproof/breathable Drytex liner and you've a great three-season riding shoe that works as hard as it plays from the daily commute to weekend rides in the mountains.
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Forma Hyper Boot
4. Alpinestars Faster 4 Riding Shoe
While most of us choose a riding shoe to a traditional boot for their low-profile nature, some folks prefer a more moto-centric look in their motorcycle shoes.
If something a little more track-inspired sounds like your bag, Alpinestars' Faster shoes have always been the benchmark in the segment
This year Alpinestars gave the Faster a complete ground-up redesign, and the latest Faster 4 is by far the best to date.
With generous amounts of hard TPU protection in the heel, hard sliders at the ankles, and acres of tough microfiber everywhere inbetween, the Faster 4 easily earns its CE certification with above average protection for a riding shoe.
What really makes the Alpinestars Faster 4 special though is the fact that they've only gotten more comfortable over the years.
The shoe is surprisingly flexible for something that protects so well, and we're particularly fond of the large padded area above the Achilles tendon, which adds comfort and prevents blisters when the shoes are cinched down tight.
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Alpinestars Faster 4 Riding Shoe
5. TCX Dartwood GTX
The TXC Dartwood GTX is another long-time favorite of ours as they mix hightop chukka construction with a little boat shoe style inspiration.
The result is a pair of riding shoes that look great with jeans but can pull double-duty around the office with your favorite pair of chinos.
Of course this is a TCX shoe we're talking about here, so there's a lot more to love about the Dartwood GTX than style alone. That familiar flexible-yet-crushproof ZPlate shank is at work here for instance, as is full-grain leather construction and added padding and reinforcement in the heels and toes.
And, as the name suggests, these Dartwoods are also backed by a GoreTex liner for reliable weather protection.
You'll have to shell out some extra cash for the GoreTex flex, but the premium look and feel of the all-leather Dartwoods is well worth the money.
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TCX Dartwood GTX Motorcycle Shoes
6. Dainese Metractive Air Shoes
The folks at Dainese recently purchased TCX, which means their latest lineup of casual motorcycle shoes have inherited all the best parts of the brand's renowned safety and design.
Chief among them is TCX's easy-walking Z-Plate shank and Groundtrax outsole, which deliver equal parts on-bike protection and off-bike comfort.
The Metractive Air made our list due largely to its highly-breathable knit mesh upper, which flows air better in hot weather than anything else we've tested.
We'll also give Dainese the nod for their super-secure lace garage design, which marks a major improvement over the bare-bones elastic strip most motorcycle shoes employ.
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Dainese Metractive Air Shoes
7. Cortech Menace Riding Shoes
We know we're not alone in wishing the folks at Converse would make a CE-certified version of their classic All Star sneaker.
That day may never come, but thankfully Cortech's Menace riding shoes are here to scratch the itch in the meantime.
The Menace swaps Converse's classic cotton canvas for a heavy-duty polyester, which looks the part while doubling down on abrasion resistance.
You'll also find molded hard parts in the heel and toe beneath the Menace's low-profile exterior, which work in tandem with a crush-resistant midsole to meet EN 13634 standards.
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Cortech Menace Riding Shoes
Closing Thoughts on this Best Casual Motorcycle Shoes Article…
To put it plainly, you'll never find a dedicated riding shoe that's as comfortable as a pair of sneakers, but a select few come damn close.
Because our rock-bottom requirement in a casual motorcycle shoe is a crush-proof sole, they'll never flex quite as naturally as an old pair of Chucks, but that's a very good problem to have when your foot is underneath a 500-pound motorcycle with a hot exhaust.
Protective footwear is one of the most important pieces of riding gear money can buy, second only to a good helmet in terms of effectiveness and injury prevention.
A proper pair or riding boots may be the weapon of choice for dedicated touring, but when off-bike performance matters, nothing beats a good motorcycle shoe.
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