Spartan SL-1 Race Gloves - Product Review

Protective shoes for your front feet.

Spartan SL-1 Race Gloves - Product Review

Motorcycle gloves are meant to do more than just keep your paws warm; they also need to provide all-around comfort, good control feel and a high level of flexibility, impact protection and abrasion resistance. So, it makes sense that one material can’t do it all.

That’s why Spartan’s SL-1 Long Gauntlet Race Gloves are sewn together with more different materials than a patchwork quilt. The base glove is made of 0.8mm-thick kangaroo hide that its Australian supplier, Packer Leather, says has the most strength of any gloving leather while providing excellent softness and flexibility. A Kevlar liner offers additional protection except in mid-palm, which is unlined for better feel. Two high-impact areas—the heel of the hand and the base joint of the thumb—have inserts of stingray leather, the surface of which contains calcium carbonate enamel bits that provide exceptional abrasion resistance. The knuckle shields are titanium, with Thermoplastic Polyurethane protectors on the thumb and fingers. Perforations in non-impact areas aid comfort in hot weather, and stretch panels on the fingers, thumb, back of the hand and gauntlet provide good flexibility.

Initially, the SL-1 gloves felt a little stiff but loosened up considerably after just an hour or two of use. By about the third or fourth wearing, they settled into a comfortable, natural feel that allowed the fingers to flex easily around the grip and operate the levers without any noticeable restriction.

Functionally, the Spartan SL-1s are not the lightest or coolest sport/race gloves you’ll ever wear. But their task-specific materials and sturdy construction give you the comforting sense that in a fall, your hands would be very well protected. And isn’t that what motorcycle gloves are supposed to do?

DETAILS

**Spartan Apparel LLC

8421 Aberdeen Ln.

Charlestown, IN 47111

812/989-5316

Price...$199**

Ups

  • Rugged construction

  • High quality at a fair price

  • Knuckles very useful in a bar fight

Downs

  • Can feel the internal seams in a couple of fingers

  • Only available in black-and-white

  • Jacques Cousteau will curse you

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