Used Review: Kushitani Daiki gloves

I used to work for a company that made motorcycle gear and supplied it to world class racers.

I was always amazed at how one type of racer would come to us after a practice session and pore over every minute detail of the gloves they were wearing. This bit of stitching wasn't right, this finger was slightly too short, the strap wasn't tight enough. They were so fussy.

Then there were other types of racers who didn't care. They'd grab any old set of gloves from our truck (even winter gloves that were two sizes too big) then head out on track and bang out a fast lap.

I'm afraid I'm in the fussy camp. I can't stand not having good feel at my fingers when I'm riding; I feel totally isolated from the bike.

I has these Kushitanis for a year now and wear them while racing in the 848 Challenge, I chose them because they're supple and comfortable from the word go. The palm is made from kangaroo leather which is twice as hard-wearing as cow leather. So it's thinner than a glove using cow-hide, softer and offers great feel. The stictching in the fingers is external too, so you don't have any little bumps pressing into your digits.

I suppose you could say its one drawback - which for me is a positive - is that it doesn't have much armour. It features hard armour on the knuckles and soft armour on the base of the pam and back of the fingers.

Seeing as I spend 99% of my time on the bike and not on the deck, I wanted gloves that reflected that. A lot of gloves that are covered in armour may look good but they tend to offer about as much feel as you'd get weeding the garden wearing boxing gloves.

The one drawback? They're not officially imported into the UK, however you can get them from the European importers, Motoport.

Price: £99

Verdict: Top quality gloves that offer unrivaled feel