When did Motorcycle gloves become so scientific?

In my early biking days (when any bike over 500cc was considered monstrous) it was nigh on impossible to buy women's motorcycling gloves. Men's small was the best you could hope for. They always leaked like sieves, and the fingers were way too long (think Edward Scissorhands), but what could you do?

I was on the verge of trying bright yellow Marigolds (no need to tell you ladies how they can save your hands from the perils of water) but thankfully I discovered Mountain Equipment Co-op and their Outdoor Research over-mitts in the knick of time.

Of course these were only an option if you had a passenger, or your own buck teeth. No normal person could fasten them without help. And, being mitts, you lost 80-90% dexterity (so you couldn't cross any bridge to the US as you had no way of extracting money for the toll) but at least they were waterproof...they weren't bright yellow, and your Gran didn't have a matching pair!

So, fast forward to 2015. Thanks to the dedication of the sales team at the Ottawa Goodtime Centre I own almost as many ladies biking gloves as Imelda Marcos owned shoes.

It's taken me 3-days to narrow it down to the 4-pairs I'll be taking to Arkansas.

And the winners are...

Clockwise from 1 o'clock:

Vented Die-hards

These are for the warmest days. Mesh back lets the air in. They are wearing well, but there is no end to the semi-permanent black dye that leaches out at every wearing. Bought cheap at a rally. Another of my Mother's pithy sayings, "Buy cheap, buy dear" haunts me every time I have to scrub my hands clean with a nail brush. Aaaaargh!

The knuckle dusters

Officially the Rev'it Ladies Fly. Warmer than the diehards but still thin leather. Plastic knuckle inserts (not sure how they help?), tiny gel pad on the heel. Only one piece of Velcro so they don't grab on to everything else you are wearing. Bonus!

BMW Ladies Summer

Not much change out of $200 (my first bike cost less) but worth every penny. Warm, waterproof, supple, perfect fit, handy-dandy visor wiper, and you can still feel the heated grips. Five big shiney stars. I'd buy 10 more pairs tomorrow...if BMW hadn't replaced them with a "new and improved" version. The new version has a great thick gauntlet that doesn't fit into the sleeve of any jacket I own. Double Aaaargh...what were they thinking?

Big Mamas

Big thick Rev'it H2O's, still in the original packaging, and I'm hoping that's where they'll stay. If I'm wearing these, chances are we won't be having much fun. Fingers crossed.

and my new best friend is...

Outdoor Research's silk-weight neck tube. Here's hoping I can recall which of the Roadcrafter's gzillion pockets I've squirrelled it away in!

Tune in tomorrow for "Fun with Farkles".