Rev'it RSR Glove review
I was looking for a replacement for my Joe Rocket Speedmaster 8 gloves which I managed to hole way ahead of time and I was at High Note Performance's spacious shop in Delhi (on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, near the Andheria More Metro Station) where I spotted these Rev'it RSRs. I've read a lot about the quality of Rev'it gear which is billed universally as a maker of high-quality, premium motorcycle gear. With a Rs 9500 swipe of my credit card, these became my new, current, pair of motorcycle gloves.
What is it for?
The RSR is Rev'it's sport touring glove that will handle some track use as well. This makes it less complicated in terms of fastening and protection, which you would get, for example, in a full race glove like the aforementioned Joe Rocket Speedmaster, or Rev'it's own Jerez race glove. That said, the RSR has a lot of protection on offer.
What is is made of?
The RSR's top (the back of your hand) is made from goatskin with a cowhide palm. The palm also gets kevlar reinforcement as well as a foam pad over the scaphoid. The outside of the palm has a second layer of leather that starts at the heel and runs all the way to the top of the little finger. This includes a honeycomb-style moulded protector at the heel and a smaller, pyramid shaped slider at the base of the little finger. On the top, the glove has stretch panels across the wrist as well as at the top of each finger that makes this quite an easy glove to start using. Across the knuckes is a moulded protector as usual and each finger gets foam protection across its length with the middle and ring fingers also receiving perforations. Perforations also run along the fingers on the sides of the fingers. Rev'it's attention to detail can be seen in the external seams which make gloves much less like to chafe or irritate when in use. There is a full gauntlet - though shorter in length than a full race glove - with a single velcro fastener and a second wrist adjustment. The gauntlet gets a plastic slider in the shape of the Rev'it logo and there are two prominent strips of retro reflective paint across the back of the hand. Rev'it, finally, claim that the glove has a tri-fleece liner but don't think of this as a warm glove. I've worn better ventilated gloves but sweaty the RSR doesn't prove to be.
How does it fit?
I wore a medium in Joe Rocket but failed entirely to put on the medium Rev'it and found that the large size actually works well for me. The fit is extremely snug - that's how I like my gloves - and on the move I can entirely forget that I'm wearing gloves. As in the the fit is near-perfect. However, putting on the glove is a bit of work because of how snug the glove is. If you're looking for a looser fit, you'll probably have to go up one more size to find it.
How long have you used it?
This glove is roughly 1,200km down the road at this point and is slated for a 3,500km weekend starting tomorrow. At this point it feels like new - very supple and still full of that new leather smell which is terrific. There's a fair amount of city riding in this mix as well as a decent bunch of slow and fast highway work.
Verdict
I'm a fan. I love how the Rev'it feels and despite the struggle I have to put them on and take them off, once I'm wearing them, the RSRs feel great. Feel from the levers is undiluted and even after 12 hours or more in the saddle, the gloves provide nothing that you'd get annoyed about. No seams develop into irritants, the palm doesn't bunch or crease, it all just works. The only thing I'd change is perhaps add a touchscreen ready fingertip to the RSR. Some of our testing, photography and communications equipment have become touchscreen-equipped and this makes my job harder because I have to remove the RSRs before I can operate any and all of these. That said, after they wore down, the Speedmasters became quite touchfriendly and I'm hoping this will happen naturally to the RSRs as well.
So is the glove worth the Rs 9,500 price tag. The Rev'it RSR is a well-made pair of gloves with a great fit. The price is on the premium side but I do think that they're worth it, especially if you're on the motorcycle a lot of the time like I am. I would definitely buy again.
For those who think race gloves, even though more expensive might be a better deal, just remember that the race gloves are meant to protect but not to last which means chances are you'll wear them out faster. I find that mid-range gloves last me a year before I hole the fingers on average whereas full race gloves barely make it past four months - if you want a more specific time reference.
Where can I buy one?
High Note Performance distributes and sells Rev'it and other brands in India. Their store, as I've mentioned, is near the Andheria More Metro station in Delhi and they also take online orders at highnoteperformance.com.