Superstar GP… Full Metal GP… GP Hero… Titanium Mega-Legend Carbon Pro Thunder Gauntlet… Kushitani don’t waste time having meetings where they decide heroic sounding names for their gloves. Instead, they just crack on making some really exceptional pieces of kit and call it something like the K-5567.
The K-5567 are the Gore-Tex Winter glove straight out of Hamamatsu for 2017. These replace the catchily named K-5560 pair I reviewed earlier in the year.
I described the K-5560 as “like sliding your hand inside a sheep’s coat. One of those fancy merino wooled sheep from New Zealand.” Well for the K-5567 the folks at Kushitani have been busy. Clearly asking themselves “what feels better than sliding your hand inside a merino wooled sheep?” The answer boys and girls is the K-5567.
You see these aren’t just wearing a new colour scheme. A few subtle changes have been added, as the K-5567 is both warmer and more comfortable than the gauntlet it replaces.
The last six weeks and recent “Arctic Blast” gave me the chance to try these out at temperatures ranging from -3C to a balmy 2C. Not once did my fingers feel cold or did I have to entertain the idea of sticking my hands down the fairing slots on the 1299.
£140 might seem a lot of money for some gloves. But, when you wear them at least two hours everyday for 6 months of the year it really is a bargain when you realise they are exceptionally warm and exceptionally waterproof.
I’ve learnt from experience that the phrase “buy cheap, buy twice” (at least) firmly applies to motorcycling. With the miles I do and the conditions I ride in. I have learnt the hard way that buying budget gloves is false economy. Hell, even buying mid-priced gloves can be demoralising when you realise after a month they’re clearly not fully waterproof, leaving you attempting to cry through frozen tear ducts on the journey home, believing your wife will have to amputate your fingers to stop frostbite.
I’ve dished out a lot of love for Kushitani gloves on this site but, it is love and praise that is fully merited by the performance of their products. My socks and pants drawer could do with a classy update and I’m currently tolerating the most expensive and most uncomfortable pair of Winter boots I’ve ever owned. I do have cause for hope though as the expansion of Kushitani UK with their soon to open store means we should see a wider range of Kushitani riding gear land on our shores in 2017.
Check out Kushitani K- 5567 Gore-Tex gloves here
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