For 3 months, I thought these were the best boots you could buy for $43.  I was more than pleased.  But last week, at just over 3 months old and light use, the front/side ripped wide open.  When I say light use, I primarily wear these as motorcycle boots to and from work with very little walking in between.<br /><br />I didn't really feel it rip or blow out - I just happened to notice when I saw a glimpse of what I thought was dirt. As I examined it closely and tugged a little, the shoe (not sure if it's a seam or glued) separated further.  It's strange, because the leather is fairly thick, so I'm guessing it's either bad bonding or maybe a bad section of leather.<br /><br />I thought about giving it the benefit of the doubt and blame the clutch/shifting activity, but I'm fairly confident that had nothing to do with it.