Why CE Certification Matters for Motorcycle Boots

Why CE Certification matters for motorcycle boots: EN 13634:2017 explained.

All Indie Ridge motorcycle boots show our EN 13634:2017 CE certification results on the inside of the tongue.

If you know how to read that label, it explains how the boot scored:

1. Height of the Upper

2. Impact Abrasion Resistance

3. Impact Cut resistance

4. Transverse Rigidity of the Whole Footwear

CE certification for motorcycle PPE is a European requirement, but not an American requirement.

So why do I voluntarily do it?

When I started Indie Ridge in 2016, I decided if I was going to make motorcycle boots people actually want to wear, they needed to pass European CE testing.

That means meeting or exceeding the four listed tests above for EN 13634:2017.

Motorcycle culture has a stubborn blind spot. We spend thousands on helmets, protective jackets, riding pants and the latest big-brand "innovation", but almost none of us know what constitutes "protective gear".

Riders debate the best protective motorcycle gear and the best brands, but the most common answers I see are a combination of decades of passed-down bad habits, unintentional misinformation, reliance on big brand marketing—but most importantly, a LACK of good information.

Even worse, motorcycle footwear always seems be a sidenote.

YouTube comments, motorcycle forums, subreddits, etc., new riders ask the same questions:

Q: “Can I wear just work boots on my motorcycle?”
A: No. Not if you care about your feet.

Q: “Do I really need motorcycle boots?”
A: Yes. But you need motorcycle boots you'll actually wear.

If you’re heading out for a burger, are you strapping on your ADV boots every single time? Probably not. So, are shin-high ADV riding boots safer? Absolutely... but only if you wear them, every single time.

There are 52 bones in your feet and dozens of ligaments and tendons.

If you go down, 1. The majority of those bones can never be truly fixed and 2. You’ll be putting weight on them for the rest of your life.

That’s if they can save your foot in the first place.

I get why motorcycle boots and footwear are an afterthought.

It's almost impossible to casually walk around in ADV or track boots and people tend to have a steadfast idea of "what makes a motorcycle boot?"

Yet, if you ask them how a particular boot scored on the most widely-used motorcycle boot CE test in the world, EN 13634:2017, they'll probably ask you what "CE" is.

The CE Standard That Few Talk About

CE stands for Conformité Européenne and the standard in question, EN 13634:2017 is comprised of roughly 40 tests, but only 16 are required. Of those 16 tests only four test results are actually displayed inside the boot as a series of four numbers, representing a Level 1 “Basic Pass” or Level 2 “Superior Pass”.

So, let's get granular about what these numbers mean:

1. Height of the Upper (Clause 4.2.1): Depending on boot size, height is a simple ruler-measurement from the heel cup to the top of the boot. For instance, a US 9.5 needs to be 185mm to be a Level 2. My boots are about 180mm, so we score a Level 1. 

2. Impact Abrasion Resistance (Clause 4.4.4): Uses an A4 sheet of the boot’s upper “stack” (leather + closed cell foam + liner, for example), and applies the Cambridge impact abrasion method.
   
   Essentially, an 11-pound object is dropped on a 60-grit belt sander spinning at 18mph from 50mm and and has to last at least 12 seconds before wearing through (at the high-demand Zone B areas) to achieve Level 2.

3. Impact Cut Resistance (Clause 4.4.5): To pass Level 2, a 65mm blade is dropped from 400mm at 2.8 m/s. The blade is attached to a block that weighs 110 grams (110 paperclips). If the blade doesn't penetrate the boot upper material more than 15mm (over half an inch), it scores a Level 2.

4. Transverse Rigidity of the Whole Footwear (Clause 4.8): Around 337 force pounds of pressure is applied laterally to the whole boot. The boot can't "crush" more than 20mm to acheieve a Level 2.

In theory, these tests are supposed to simulate parts of a crash. Even though I disagree with the way these tests are performed, the standards it uses, the optional tests that should be mandatory, and the mandatory tests that are simply irrelevant, I'll save that for another blog. 

The fact remains, in Europe, riders expect to see those markings inside their boots.

In the U.S., most riders have never heard of them.

That's the blind spot. Suddenly, a protective “riding boot” is open for interpretation. And a lot of people have a lot of opinions.

The Problem With “Riding Boots” in the U.S.

Scroll through Amazon. There are hundreds of "motorcycle boots" priced at $50–$150. They might have a padded ankle or a rubber sole, but if they were tested under CE standards, how would they score?

Anyone can design a fashionable lace-up, slap on a shifter pad, and call it “protective” gear. But a real motorcycle boot has to do these three things, in this order:

#1. Protect your foot. 

#2. Be comfortable (otherwise you'll reach for something different when you go ride).

#3. Not be ugly.

Don't pretend you don't care what you look like. If that were true every single person would be wearing a bright yellow reflective vest.

Creating those three elements simultaneously was ridulously hard. Every step was a contradiction.

A full-length, full-width rigid midsole is essential to improve transverse rigidity and resist lateral crush.

But it can't be so rigid that it doesn't flex when you walk.

If you want a protective, comfortable boot that people reach for first no matter where they're riding, you have to get really creative. 

The Anatomy of Real Protection

A proper motorcycle boot should be a balance of flexibility and defense. Too stiff, you won't wear it for everyday riding. Too soft, and you lose safety.

For all its flaws, the CE certification process can at least help show you that line.

Through trial and error, we settled on a complex layered construction. We strategically layered 2mm+ top grain leather, TPU, open and closed cell foam, a rigid shank with flexible internal reinforcements that absorb shock and resist crush.

The result is a boot that still feels natural when walking but locks down when things go wrong. And still looks good.

Raising the Bar in the U.S.A.

There's not much I can do to change your mind if a motorcycle boot is necessary. And I certainly can't (and don't want to) tell you what you should and shouldn't wear.

But the more riders understand true protective motorcycle gear, the less brands can rely on their name or pass off fashion as protection.

I definitely have watched the conversation shift over the last few years.

reddit.com/r/motorcyclegear seems to be on the forefront of calling out brands who rely on riders' collective lack of knowledge, pointing out the difference between good marketing and a bad product. 

It's refreshing.

And the tide is changing. I'll still test production runs of Indie Ridge boots voluntarily because it doesn't matter what side of the Atlantic you're on, you should know what your gear is truly made of.