I'm Thinking About Gloves: IT'S ALMOST SPRING!

[Bucko]

Costco used used to sell packs (of two?) of deerskin gloves at a very reasonable price.  Not sure if they still sell them or not.

[Cotton Mouth]

I love my deer skin gloves, comfortable, good to wear year round, especially when it's 110 degrees F.  I wash them in a little water and dish soap, they come out almost like new.

http://jrcglove.com/

[Jobi]

That was beautiful

I enjoy reading articles like these when the season starts to near.

[Feed Poster]

I'm Thinking About Gloves: IT'S ALMOST SPRING!

Spring?

While the calendar says spring is days away (March 20, 2014), it?s cabin fever time.  Our Northern brothers and sisters are dreaming of the day they pull their hibernating motorcycles out from under their dust covers, disconnect the battery tender, lovingly pull their heart?s desire into the bright sunshine?and turn the key?igniting the heartbeat?.awaking the beast. We stand next to it, listening to the thumping?the ?potato-potato??or the staccato beat of the power-house that drives our passions.  Taking in the peculiar exhaust foot-print of our own brand and style of the motorcycle we cherish and love.  It?s intoxicating. It?s our life memories reawakening.

We go to our closets, drawers, and shelves. We pull down and examine our riding gear. Is it road worthy for the new season? Many times, I've put away gear with the intention of using it for the next season, I pull it down to ready it for wear, only to discover it isn't in the best of shape.  This is a particular thing that happens to my lighter, softer, spring gloves.  Well actually, they started life as my spring gloves, but finally carried over into summer, then fall, and finally replaced with the heavier, more cumbersome winter gloves.  My beloved DEER-SKIN gloves: soft, supple dear-skin.  Reliable and hardy, yet thin enough to be able to pick up a screw or washer with them on. Well fitting and as they wear, they simply tend to expand, as if they know the seasons are changing and I need my gloves to fit a bit looser to allow for air circulation in the heat of the day. By fall, they've stretched enough to allow a thin insulting glove to go on first. They are a good all around glove for the active rider. 

Today, I pulled my gear out, including my lovely deer-skin gloves.  I enjoy them, but I had forgotten how abused they actually are.  The entire glove is fused into the shape of my hand, fingers curled around the grips. The stains of weather and oil give them that loved, lived in look. But I see problems with these beauties. The suppleness is gone. I forgot to condition them before putting them up.  I also have found a burn spot on three fingertips on the left hand. Opps, sometimes I will put my hand down on my engine for warmth during rides on cold days?I guess I may have overstayed my welcome without realizing it. My gloves were toasted, fingertips hard and brittle, ready to be popped away like pimples on a teenager?s face.  I could actually pull the burned tips off with my fingers. My beloved gloves weren?t suitable for another season, but not because they didn?t try. 

Photo by Kirk Tanner

Deer-skin gloves are multi-functional.  They are durable, their natural coloring is attractive. The casually dressed bagger rider with his lady in tow will like these gloves. They are soft to the skin. They are supple, hardy and offer serviceable options for the biker who likes to look like a peacock. More than that, they offer protection from the elements, from road hazards such as small stones and sand.  For the biker who rides hard and often, they are ready for hard duty. They will last all season, no matter what you do to them, and if taken care of your deer-skins will last several seasons more.  I had a pair of deer-skin gloves that went the distance of almost 100,000 thousand miles.  I wore them out finally where the thumb webbing meets the palm.  Most of the deer-skin gloves I?ve owned, I lost long before I wore them out. 

It?s true, when the idea of spring is looming large; our energy drive turns to our gear. Buy what you like, buy what feels good, but when it comes to comfort and durability this hard riding gal loves her deer-skins. 

Source: I'm Thinking About Gloves: IT'S ALMOST SPRING!

Chessie - http://chessiestales.blogspot.com