Since these suckers are going cheap and I needed new ones, and had been wanting them, its a done deal. They are firm in fit and feel pretty good. My only comparison point is the original Sidi Vertebra's (more below).

The ankle protection was a must for me so these met the criteria. While most of my mileage is on the street I do occasional track days so my boots had to fit both needs. The size 46s in Oxtars equate pretty well to Sidi's 46s. My size ~10.5, 4E foot fits them both well enough to be satisfied. In my Sidi's I put in a toe-section-gel-pad to increase comfort while riding and will probably do the same with these (or an entire-foot gel pad). As with all boots of this type (A* included) there is really no padding for the underside of the foot in the boots so most do something like a gel pad (or so I'm told).

I will try to post some pics with them on my feet after the Thanksgiving holiday.

All that said, I now have my Sidi's that I'd be willing to send off to an SBW member having a join date prior to Nov '07 for $20 plus actual shipping costs. When I get back onto the forum on 11/26 if there are no takes I'll just start spreading the offer to other places likely to have takers.

The toe slider on the left foot is missing and these are well-used (thus the price ). As noted in the OP, there is a gel pad at the toe end of each boot to make it comfortable to be up on the pegs.

If you're just getting into riding and money's tight, these will definitely make a huge difference in the event of a crash. I am certain they have saved me from broken ankles (crash tested and still in fantastic shape). BTW, the dirt in the picture is easily removed with some leather cleaner, I just lack the time and interest. There are also some scuffs on each boot as well.