Guppy
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 4,333
- Location
- Cleveland, OH
These aren't vintage... well, I guess they might be now. I bought them in 1998 or 1999 at a local Harley-Davidson dealership, I believe for $20, or maybe it was $50, it's hard to remember so long ago. Either way I've gotten way more than my money's worth out of them.
They're just basic black leather gloves, nothing fancy, or so it seems, but they are well made (in China, at that). They've held up extremely well over 17-18 years, and protected my skin in two minor spills, without sustaining significant damage.
Beyond that, they just fit my hands perfectly. They fit very well from the very beginning, but after over a decade and a half of regular wear, they've molded themselves to my hands like a second skin, and the leather has softened to the point where they just feel amazingly comfortable.
What else I like about them: They don't have any zippers, velcro, or snaps, so nothing to wear out or put stress points at critical seams that would give out. You just slide your hand in them, and they're on. The palms are slightly padded, but it's just a double-thick layer of leather.
There's no garish H-D marketing on them, either, even though they are H-D branded. Whoever designed them had taste and a grasp of subtlety. The palm pad is in the shape of the H-D shield, but it's actually an ergonomic shape that fits that area well. And the words "Harley-Davidson" are stamped into the leather near the wrist, black on black and it's just subtle enough that you would maybe notice it if you knew to look for it there, otherwise they just look like a pair of simple black gloves.
It's funny how things like this work. When I bought them, I simply wanted a pair of leather gloves to protect my hands when riding my motorcycle, and bought these because they fit OK, and had the least amount of H-D branding of any model glove they had at the dealership, and no fancy doodads on them like knuckle armor or ornamental conchos or other nonsense. I didn't know anything about gloves, really, when I bought them. They just seemed like they'd work, and boy have they. I lucked out.
Since I love them so much, I've spent some time looking for a second pair in case these ever get lost of wear out, and I have never been able to. The dealersihp I bought them at closed a couple years ago, but before they did I went back there to look and see if they had them (more than 10 years later, I knew it was a fool's errand, and sure enough they had nothing like these in their current line, not even anything close.) I would really love to find another pair in excellent or unused condition, somehow.
The right hand has a tag which reads:
SHELL: GENUINE LEATHER
LINING: 100% NYLON
LAMINATED
MEN'S
MADE IN CHINA
CA 113407 *I think* -- the letters have worn a bit, could be other numbers -- have a look at the last
photo.
Mine are a size S, which is odd because in most other gloves I usually wear a M or even an L.
They're just basic black leather gloves, nothing fancy, or so it seems, but they are well made (in China, at that). They've held up extremely well over 17-18 years, and protected my skin in two minor spills, without sustaining significant damage.
Beyond that, they just fit my hands perfectly. They fit very well from the very beginning, but after over a decade and a half of regular wear, they've molded themselves to my hands like a second skin, and the leather has softened to the point where they just feel amazingly comfortable.
What else I like about them: They don't have any zippers, velcro, or snaps, so nothing to wear out or put stress points at critical seams that would give out. You just slide your hand in them, and they're on. The palms are slightly padded, but it's just a double-thick layer of leather.
There's no garish H-D marketing on them, either, even though they are H-D branded. Whoever designed them had taste and a grasp of subtlety. The palm pad is in the shape of the H-D shield, but it's actually an ergonomic shape that fits that area well. And the words "Harley-Davidson" are stamped into the leather near the wrist, black on black and it's just subtle enough that you would maybe notice it if you knew to look for it there, otherwise they just look like a pair of simple black gloves.
It's funny how things like this work. When I bought them, I simply wanted a pair of leather gloves to protect my hands when riding my motorcycle, and bought these because they fit OK, and had the least amount of H-D branding of any model glove they had at the dealership, and no fancy doodads on them like knuckle armor or ornamental conchos or other nonsense. I didn't know anything about gloves, really, when I bought them. They just seemed like they'd work, and boy have they. I lucked out.
Since I love them so much, I've spent some time looking for a second pair in case these ever get lost of wear out, and I have never been able to. The dealersihp I bought them at closed a couple years ago, but before they did I went back there to look and see if they had them (more than 10 years later, I knew it was a fool's errand, and sure enough they had nothing like these in their current line, not even anything close.) I would really love to find another pair in excellent or unused condition, somehow.
The right hand has a tag which reads:
SHELL: GENUINE LEATHER
LINING: 100% NYLON
LAMINATED
MEN'S
MADE IN CHINA
CA 113407 *I think* -- the letters have worn a bit, could be other numbers -- have a look at the last
photo.
Mine are a size S, which is odd because in most other gloves I usually wear a M or even an L.
If anyone has any knowledge, I'd love to hear it. H-D customer service hasn't been able to tell me anything other than that they're discontinued (which I knew already) and where to find their current line (which, I looked at, and it holds no interest to me, sadly for them).
