As part of our long term Pan America loan experience that we’ve immersed ourselves in, we’re also testing some of Harley-Davidson’s clothing range, including their Grit Adventure wear. The first cab off the rank in a series of trials are some gloves.
We were a little excited to test these out, not only because they look good, but because this writer has always been a fan of Harley-Davidson gloves. Better still, these particular items were designed and manufactured in partnership with REV’IT.
A Europe-based motorcycle apparel specialist, REV’IT are considered a global leader in the adventure touring field, and it shows. Straight out of the box, the Grit Adventure Gloves look the business.
They’re high quality, look tough and have plenty of ventilation for summer riding conditions. Trying them on for the first time was mostly impressive too, as they fit almost perfectly, with no extra finger room or excess baggage around the wrists.
They fasten with a nice thick Velcro wrist band too. Now we say “almost” perfect for a reason. You see, my right little finger could feel the protection armour these gloves have putting pressure on it, which was a little uncomfortable.
No problem I thought, a few rides should fix the issue and the gloves will break themselves in. That’s a task that should have been over and done with in 200km or riding or so, not the 750km it too, which was a bit of a punish.
With the bedding-in process sorted, the Grit Adventure Gloves have ironically become my go-to riding glove, not only when we’re out and about on the Pan America, but even when I’m riding my own Road King.
They feature TPR flexible ventilated knuckles at the fingers, knuckle and thumb to provide protection without compromising freedom of movement. A PWR Shield is added at the palm to increase the abrasion resistance too.
Another nice touch is that they are 100 per cent waterproof, although they have no thermal lining. While they’re meant to be suitable for year round use, it would be interesting to test them in the middle of winter without heated grips.
Like the Harley-Davidson Grit Adventure Jacket we reviewed previously, the gloves shouldn’t be pigeon-holed for purely off road purposes, and offer excellent rider protection, great ventilation and comfort.
The Grit Adventure Gloves are available from your local Harley-Davidson dealer and come in sizes starting at small, through to 3XL. We’ve seen them priced anywhere from $220 to $255, so we recommend shopping around to get the best deal.
Our test product was provided by Harley-Davidson Australia. Exhaust Notes Australia has not been paid to review this product.
Pros – good quality; well ventilated; tough looking.
Cons – long bedding-in process; price variation across dealer network.
