| Author | Message | ||
     Thespive |
Hey guys, I am looking for some new gloves that are more than my standard black deer skin gloves that I wear when I ride my Harley. I used the Buell to commute several times a week (100-miles round trip) here in So Cal. I am no track day rider or anything remotely resembling one, but I do enjoy riding The Pace up in the mountains when I can break away. I ride in mostly dry weaher between 60 and 90 degrees. I want something comfy for long rides, something that will provide protection, and somthing that isn't bulky. Any suggestions? Thanks, --Sean | ||
| Court |
| ||
| Rocketman |
Kangaroo skin is often touted as the most abrasive resistant leather. I believe Held do make a kanga skin glove. I have Alpinestar GP Pro's for the 916 but I'm still not done wearing them in yet, so pretty uncomfortable until. My friend has an even earlier pair of Alpinestar GP Plus he's had for several years. They're well broke in and he loves them. For the Buell days out I have the Ixon things with the titanium plates on the joints. They're cool for Buell but they're a pain in the arse when you need to take them off and put them on again in a hurry. Like at fuel stops or relieving the ole one eyed bed snake! Rocket | ||
| Thespive |
I have been looking and like the stuff from Held and Alpinestars. I like the Held Panther, but it might be overkill. I also like the functional simplicity of the Alpinestars Alloy. Anyone have opinions on either, or something similar. Thanks again, --S | ||
| Yohinan |
How much do you want to spend will be the real determining factor. If you got between 150-200 to drop on some gloves I would recommend one of the different types that Helimot sells. I have their H-20 gloves and will in the near future get a set of their F-108's. I may even buy a 3rd set for the touring rides which are the Buffalo 365's. You cant go wrong with Helimot and they are at the top of their games when it comes to gear. They use to carry Held but something with the Held manufacturing process caused Helmut to decide he didnt want to carry their line anymore. HTH | ||
| Dave |
Yohinan: That's the word I got from Helimot when I got some Held gloves from them 3-4 years ago. They said they were reducing or dropping the line because Held was not manufacturing gloves to previous company quality standards. DAve | ||
| Jlnance |
Sean - There is a lot of difference between 60 and 90 degress.  You might want 2 pairs of gloves. A pair of ventalated gloves for the 90 degree times, and a pair of insulated gloves for the 60 degree times. I think Alpinestar makes a summer weight glove that goes for less than $40. I've got a pair of winter weight gloves that I paid $50 for at the suzuiki dealer. I don't recall the brand. | ||
| Henrik |
I believe the Held question depends on which gloves you buy. According to the new Held distributor, their high end line of race and race-like gloves like the Akira and Phantom are still made in Germany. Some of the lower cost gloves are made overseas. Rumor mill has it that Helimot refused to carry the overseas made gloves causing some tension leading to the change in distributor. I have no way of forming an opinion on the quality of the overseas made gloves, but Held is a very reputable company and is often praised for their quality gear. I would be surprised if Held would risk their good name on sub-par quality. My unqualified guess would be that their overseas made gloves are at least comparable in quality to other overseas made gloves. That said I'm on my 3rd pair of high $$ Held gloves which hold up admirably to crashing ... and are the most comfortable gloves I've worn. They break in easily - a day of riding with a bit of rain was all it took  Pricey, but good stuff. Henrik | ||
| Yohinan |
If your stuck on getting the Held gloves then I would look into them more. Find out where they are made overseas. If they are made anywhere but China then I would buy them. If they are made in China I would stay as far away from them as possible. I dont think Held would reduce themselves to having parts made in China but hey you never know in this day and age. | ||
| Yttikcat |
Hi guys, I just bought a 2006 Buell Blast and I really love it. Part of the fun of owning a motorcycle is getting to buy cool gear to wear. I just bought the Dainese Hell Rider gloves. The moment I put them on they were comfortable. I rode today in 90 degree, very humid, Houston weather, and they were not even too hot. Any bad experiences with Dainese out there?} | ||
| Yohinan |
Prior to buying my new gear I was running Dainese leather pants. Even had a crash in them and they held up perfectly. You really cant even tell they were in a crash they held up so well. | ||
| Eboos |
The Held Phantoms are the next pair of gloves for me. They are very comfortable right off the rack, and they have very precise sizing (no small, medium, large, they go by number size with half sizes). My Alpinestars GP Tech gloves were a bit of a disappointment. They didn't perform as well as I would have liked in a crash, and they aren't very comfortable, even after 4 months. Both of these gloves are a bit higher on the price range. As far as heat goes, I haven't had a problem with any race style full gauntlet glove. Edit: My experience with the GP Tech gloves does not reflect my level of satisfaction with the rest of my Alpinestars gear. Their suits and back protectors I highly recommend. (Message edited by eboos on September 27, 2006) | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
I recently upgraded to 2006 Alpinestars GP Pros and love them. They were a little stiff at first, but they're getting more comfortable every time I ride with them. When I bought them, I was looking for max protection with a little comfort secondary. These gloves exceeded my expectations. American Sport Bike has them for $180. | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
Uhhh...I meant MotorcycleSuperstore.com has them... | ||
| Metalstorm |
I used to have a pair of Held gloves & they were my absolute favorites until I lost them (Doh!). At $200 they're too pricey to replace so now I'm wearing a pair of RacerX cow hide gloves that are nice but still pricey at $80. They're nothing compared to the Helds but they do their job & fit me well. I tried on a pair of Lee Park's DeerSports at Laguna last Summer & they were as nice as my Helds but less $$ ($110 & $180 for insulated) because they are made from deer and Elk. The nice thing is that their factory is here in the USA so repairs if needed, would be quick & reasonably priced. I'm thinking about saving up for a pair of insulated (phase change) DeerSports. I've heard good things about them for cold weather riding & they apparently work with heated grips, soaking up the heat & distributing it around the whole hand. |
