Olympia Gt4000 Weatherking Xtra Gloves
OLYMPIA GT4000 WEATHERKING XTRA GLOVES
CW EVALUATION
Winter-weather solution
NOTHING IS QUITE AS MISERABLE AS riding a streetbike while suffering with wet, cold hands. Gore-Tex-lined cold-weather gloves have been available for years, and they usually do a good job of keeping a rider’s hands dry and warm. But sometimes these gloves’ stiffness and bulk-a result of thick layers of insulation, a coarse nylon outer shell, and overpadded palms and finger bottoms-greatly reduce a rider’s ability to operate a motorcycle’s controls with finesse.
We found no such problems with the latest pair of winter gloves we sampled, the Olympia GT4000 Weatherking Xtras. The first big difference in the Weatherkings is their supple, drum-dyed, grade-A, Americancowhide outer shells. These gloves are noticeably less bulky and clumsy, and much more flexible than nylonshelled winter gloves we’ve tried. Insulated throughout with Thinsulate, including on the sides of each boxed, pre-curved finger, the GT4000s provide warmth without mass. Sandwiched between the insulation and leather shell is a thin Gore-Tex liner that prohibits water intrusion while allowing perspiration an escape route.
The gloves worked great in thunder showers and even in rain storms of a
couple of hours duration. All-day soakings, though, saturate the leather, and water eventually works its way through to the rider’s hands. A leather-treatment oil would help guard against the wet, but if you ride long distances in the rain, a good set of waterproof overmittens will be needed to back-up the GT4000s.
Additional insulation and comfort are provided by foam inserts that cover the back of the hands and knuckles. Long gauntlets with extrawide openings easily fit over the bulky sleeves of riding suits. Two velcro-closed leather straps and an elastic band at the wrists keep chilling winds away from the rider.
Longevity should be excellent, too. There’s an additional patch of leather that reinforces the area around the thumb and extends into the palm, and all of the Weatherking’s stitches were tight and remained so during our test period.
Overall, we’re very impressed with Olympia’s GT4000 Weatherking Xtra gloves. The GT4000s are warm, relatively dry, comfortable and well-made. And best of all, they sell for a reasonable $67. They’re available at motorcycle dealers or contact Olympia Sports Co. (8 Skyline Drive, Hawthorne, NY 10532; 914/347-4737).
