MXA PRODUCT TEST: BERIK RC OVS-PRO BOOT

MXA PRODUCT TEST: BERIK RC OVS-PRO BOOT

WHAT IS IT? Although the name of the boot is new to the sport, the man who selected its design parameters isn’t Ricky Carmichael.

WHAT’S IT COST? $349.95 at your local dealer or www.berikusa.com.

WHAT’S IT DO? Aspiring marketing men can learn a lot from Berik boots. But it is not all good. Berik has made some classic mistakes during the launch of their new line of motocross boots. First, they released information about their new boot line back in the winter of 2004. Second, they showed them, inside a Plexiglas case, at last February’s Indianapolis Dealer Show. Third, they paid Ricky Carmichael to wear the boots all through the 2005 season. Fourth, Berik had a media launch party at the Las Vegas Supercross in May of 2005. At no point during this media blitz did Berik have any boots to sell!

Which leads us up to the March 2006 issue of MXA. It was a long and winding road from the 2004 sneak peek to the 2006 product test. This is not the way Berik wanted things to go, but after a rather lengthy delay and a considerable amount of prerelease publicity, the MXA wrecking crew decided to find out if it was worth the wait.

Ricky in his Berik OVs Pro boots.

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here is a list of the things that stand out on the Berik OVS motocross boot.

(1) Fit. The inside of the OVS-Pro is plush. All that padding means you won’t have to worry about feeling the frame smack against your ankles. It also means the boots are relatively tall in the toe box.

(2) Materials. It depends  on where you are. It is made from either leather for kangaroo skin, but since kangaroo skin cannot be sold in America—your boots will probably be leather.

(3) Look. The Moon hubcap eyes are the most recognizable cosmetic feature, but, on the whole, the Berik has a very familiar look to it. MXA test riders took turns identifying design elements that are reminiscent of Fox, Oxtar and Gaerne boots. The consensus was that the bottom half looked like a Fox, the top half a Gaerne, the buckles resembled Oxtar buckles and the quality was all China.

(4) Buckles. Beautifully simplistic is the best way to describe Berik’s buckles. That’s a great thing when almost every other boot company is seriously over-engineering their buckles.

(5) Sole. The RC OVS-Pro sole closely resembles the Fox Pro Forma sole. It shares the same pattern on the bottom and the same durability.

(6) Weight.The Berik RC OVS-Pro isn’t the lightest boot on the market, but it isn’t the heaviest either. Our size ten boot came in at four pounds, three ounces (each).

(7) Place of Manufacture. The Berik RC OVS-Pro boot is made in China.

WHAT’S THE SQUAWK? Test riders complained about the boot cutting into their ankles and being too tall in the toe box (making it hard to fit between the footpeg and shifter without having to move the shifter up).

MXA RATING
Berik has not completely revolutionized the motocross boot business—although they have shifted it to China and put RC’s face all over it and produced a good boot.