SUPER RARE Vintage Alpinestars Mad Max Roger de Coster Motocross Boot US 10.5
Many boot lovers will consider these the "holy grail" of motorcycle boots - the classic Alpinestars motocross boots with the bold steel plates in front. It doesn't get any more badass than these. The former owner of the Stompers boot store in San Francisco once told me that he thought he could sell hundreds of these per year if he could only get his hands on them. Alpinestars made several iterations of these boots over the years. The original Roger de Coster version with the Italian flag in the back is pretty much a unicorn and you can occasionally find them second hand at ridiculous prices.
I might own a double digit percentage of the ones that still exist. This particular boot, as you can see from the pictures, is one of these rare unicorns from my collection.
The second generation of the boot switched from leather-pull closures to metal snaps. Today, Alpinestars sells a successor model they call "Supervictory" but the closures are now made out of plastic, but at least the Italian flag is back which was dropped in the second generation.
This is the one boot I have ever collected even in sizes that don't fit my foot perfectly, but this particular pair is exactly my size, a US 10.5. These vintage boots are in a well used condition. However, as in every single version of this boot that I have ever owned or seen, the flexible lip that sits behind the steel plate (which is made out of some coated textile) is losing its coating. This is not visible from the outside and doesn't impact functionality in any way, but the black dust that is coming off the boot is unfortunate and cannot be helped. Every single boot of this kind that I own has this problem and I don't understand why Alpinestars never fixed this, but this is how it is and any potential buyers need to be aware of it. Over the years, I have built an absurdly large boot collection that fills every available niche in the house. Unfortunately, I have now come to the realization that even if I started today, it would take me past my 100th birthday just to break in all the boots that I presently own. I hope that these boots will find a new owner who appreciates great boots.