RS Taichi GP-WRX Gloves

Helllooooooooo Neverland!! Oh wait. That's not right. Well what is right are these gloves...they are the bomb!

So as you all know my previous Icon Pursuit (of garbage) gloves were falling apart.  I ordered a pair of RS Taichi GP-WRX gloves so that I wouldn't be glove-less when I send the Icon gloves for repair.  I received them last Monday and have been breaking them in since.  I can confidently say that I will never go back to shorty gloves..these give me a lot of confidence that if I do go down again, my hands will remain safe!

First impressions? The quality is top notch.  Double stitching, proper size velcro panels, good leather, great armor, its all there.  The fit is excellent too, perfect for my short fingers!  The look is amazing and the feel is decent on the bike.

Yeah and that's right, carbon fiber weave! Looks sick, and I trust it will do its duty if I ever go down.  I ended up getting the gloves in black.  As much as I love white, I saw how DIRTY my white gloves became, so I chose the opposite.  Being lazy, for the win!

The gauntlet is a little bit narrow so it makes wrapping my jacket or suit underneath a little challenging.  At first it was tedious but now I've gotten used to it and it takes barely any effort.  There is a wrist closure, and then a larger panel on top.  It is neat how the wrist closure sticks to the velcro and then the large panel closes on top of that for double security.  I never manage to get that accomplished though since it gets a little too tight if I try to pull the large panel all the way over.  

Speaking of wrist closure though..BLAM! Take a look below.

This angle shows the cool function of the wrist closure.  If you pull it straight across (down in the picture above), it just tightens around your wrist.  If you pull it downwards (to the left in the picture) it actually tugs the leather down between your index finger and thumb.  The Icon gloves didn't have that feature and on the bike that section would bother me on longer rides when I had to constantly hold the throttle.  The leather would bunch up a bit there and irritate me.  These gloves, not a problem!  

Should be noted however that at first, and if you tug too hard, once on the bike the metal fastener section will dig into your wrist as you are riding.  That is NOT fun, however as the glove stretches out a bit, the problem reduces greatly.  I went for an all day ride and did not feel uncomfortable.

How is this glove on the controls?  Well on the throttle it is VERY grippy.  I barely have to hold on to feel grip. This lets me barely squeeze and keep speed consistent.  Also, overall, I have a much lighter grip on the bars, which promotes improved handling all around.  My big issue at first was that I could not control the clutch too well, so I'd either beat on the clutch more than I used to, or all of a sudden let it snap back and have the bike try to buck me off (glad I learned how to anchor myself, take that bike!).  I was worried it was always going to be that situation, however after a day or two of riding, the gloves broke in well enough and I got used to them.  Smooth controls all around.  

I can confidently say that I'm more...confident.  Though it was a little more difficult to get used to the gloves at first, now riding is easier than ever, and a little bit safer too.  Like I said, I can't go back now, these gloves have spoiled me!  At a price of $160 bucks, these are worth every penny.

Check back later in the week.  I WILL get my great adventure finished.  Lots of exciting pictures!

Here's a little teaser picture :)

- Pandabear