Boots with feel

[slowside]

Looking for a new pair of boots.

I previosly had a pair of RST Tundra which were relatively comfortable and waterproof, but felt utterly numb on the bike, no feel of the shifter or brake at all, nothing through the pegs. You just moved your feet and assumed they were in the right place.

I may have ruined myself as my first pair of boots were some cheap Frank Thomas shorty boots which felt great but only had token nods to protection.

So I'm after a Goldilocks middleground boot if such a thing exists?

Current shortlist based on price and reviews is:
RST Paragon II - cheap and seemingly well loved, questionable waterproofing
TCX XFive Plus - more touring biased, but well made and GTX
RST RST Tractech Evo 3 - middleground race boot, maybe not great off the bike

I suspect I might be looking for the impossible, but worth asking.
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Triumph Sprint RS 955i - Sold
Triumph Street Triple R 675

[MCN]

Depends what you want from a boot.
Boots are primarily worn to protect one's hoof.

The less 'feel' suggests more protection.

More feel, ballerina shoes are advised.

Foot and hand injuries are common in motorcycle accidents.

Foot and hand injury normally reduces one's capacity to work.

I would err on looking after ma tootsies and my hands.
And Use the Force to pick my gears.

I just bought boots £235.
They are Moto X style. Heavy armour goretex and ill need a long stick to keep the women back now.

(On thier First out-dooring, the new boots were 100% hopeless at upshifting my Panzer Chariot. )

I need to get out more.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[WD Forte]

I input your needs and asked AI and it said
"What about these? these look nice"
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.boredpanda.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F04%2Fredneck-cowboy-boot-sandals-fb.png&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=224a1b1870a82db7cea50ee7c1c3a4041191596ede18d9ffd4bc464d9c9e7ef3&ipo=images
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bikers smell of wee

[slowside]

MCN - yep, safety first and if that is at the cost of feel then so be it, but thought I'd canvas opinion since the array of boot choices is vast.
Bandy and hairy they may be, but I'd like my legs and feet to remain more or less in their current condition.

WD Forte - can I get a pair with toe sliders please.
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Triumph Sprint RS 955i - Sold
Triumph Street Triple R 675

[UncleFester]

SMX6 Goretex for me, i find them like wearing slippers in terms of comfort.
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Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[Capt Sisko]

TCX XFive Plus - I've been wearing these for 5 years and I'd definitely put them into the winter boots category rather than middleweight, but as winter and waterproof boots they are very good at being that. 5yrs later they polish up well and haven't ever let a prop of water in.

[Kentol750]

+1 For SMX6 gtx. Wore mine out and if I didn't spend more time walking in boots than riding I'd get another pair tomorrow. If you need to walk a lot, klim outlander gtx are brilliant.
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Some bikes.

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

I saw a bloke on a Honda Deauville today wearing green wellies under camo troos. Totally waterproof but no other attributes. Well, some abrasion resistance perhaps, as long as they don’t get pulled off.

[to v or not to v]

may have been safety wellies at least
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
its old and fat, but its a damned good ride. the bikes not bad either.

[Capt Sisko]

I'm old enough to remember these monstrosities. They looked awful, didn't breath but were the only things that kept my feet dry on the regular 200mile motorway runs I used to do at the time.

[stinkwheel]

Have a look at modern trials boots, this may be what you're looking for.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[slowside]

Thanks all, tried some RST Tractechs, 44s were going to grind off the end of my big toe, 45s felt too loose.

Tried some SMX 6 V2s as suggested and like Goldilocks and her warm musky porridge, they were just right.
____________________
Triumph Sprint RS 955i - Sold
Triumph Street Triple R 675

[MCN]

[slowside]