Tour Master Road Race Ii Gloves
TOUR MASTER ROAD RACE II GLOVES
EVALUATION
A TOURING GLOVE BY ANY OTHER NAME
MANUFACTURERS OF MOTORCYCLE accessories like to use dynamic terms—such as pro, competition or high-performance—when naming their products. Most of the time, these labels help inform buyers of a given product's intended use. But sometimes, such terms can be misleading, as is the case with Tour Master's new Road Race II Gloves.
Most riders would expect racing gloves to have protective rivets on the palms or at least a secure wrist clo sure to ensure that the glove won't fly off in a high-speed crash. The Tour Master gloves do not have features of this type. and instead are bettersuited to street riding. There's a long gauntlet that fits nicely over jacket cuffs, for instance, and a convenient and easy-to-use zipper running along the wrist area.The gloves are made of soft, supple leather that, combined with the fcam padding that runs throughout the top halfof each glove. creates a cozy environment for your hands. For increased strength and re duced wear, there is double-layered leather in the palms and on the sides of the forefingers. There also are chamois strips on the top of the fore fingers and across the knuckles for wiping wet faceshields.
Out on the road, the Tour Masters work well. They're not cold-weather gloves, hut their soft leather allows a good feel of the controls, and the long gauntlet keeps the wind and the cold away from the wrist area. But as the miles roll by. a shortcoming in the gloves makes itself known. There is not enou2h material in the thumb. which results in an uncomfortable ti2htness around the thumb and an equally discomforting stretch of the material at the base of the thumb. This condition is most noticeable when riding certain sporthikes or any machine with low bars that place a lot of weight on the rider's hands. But aside from this one glitch, the Road Race II gloves work very well.
The gloves come in six color com binations and range in sizes from small to extra-large. If you're in doubt about which size to purchase. we recommend YOU buy a larger size because of the tight thumb. They're available from motorcycle dealers or from Tour Master Riding Apparel. 2 II Colorado Ave.. Santa Monica. CA 90404. The standard, two-color gloves sell for $34.95. and the tri color model, which has no chamois. lists fi~r S39.9~. For riders seeking a comfortable and attractive street glove, he it for canyon blasting or touring, the Road Race II Gloves are made to order. We just wish they had been named Sport Gloves,"
