The Black Track Short Leather Motorcycle Gloves

Hello, everyone! I’ve covered boots, jackets, pants and helmets but I’m finally writing something up for a pair of gloves from Black. They’re the Black Track Short Leather Motorcycle Gloves and they’re pretty awesome.

Firstly- they’re strictly a summer, warm and dry weather glove. So as you can likely tell by the name- they’d make excellent track gloves. But if you’re after an all purpose glove for tackling various different weather types from hot and dry to wet and cold, then I’m afraid this is not the glove you’re looking for. But if you are after a quality, comfortable pair of gloves that breathe well, allow plenty of movement and look fantastic while providing great protection- then these gloves should already be in your pocket for the summer.

They look great! Everything is uniform in colour allowing for a more low profile look. Even the Black branding on the finger isn’t in-your-face obvious so these gloves will go with more or less any summer biking wardrobe that you’ve got going on- because black goes with everything, right? It just feels good on the hand, there’s nothing restricted in my hand movement except a slight tautness that I know will wear away once I’ve worn them for a while, as all leather gloves do. I’ve worn my share of gloves where the palm fits and the fingers -seem- to fit until I flex my fingers, which pulls the material uncomfortably taut on all of my knuckles. But not with these gloves and there’s a couple of reasons for that.

The gloves are made of a mixture of Aniline Leathers, the finish allows the glove to have an all natural appearance of normal leather with a normal, natural grain. But despite all this- the leather in this glove is tougher and more comfortable than you’d find in anything else of a lesser quality. So the softness of the leather contributes to its comfort but there’s also a bit of clever paneling at play. On three of the fingers there are small sections of an accordion-like construction that give just that little bit of extra room when flexing the fingers. That little bit of extra play room is enough to keep the gloves comfortable and I don’t feel the same discomfort that I’ve had in so many other leather gloves.

Another clever little bit of design is with the gloves floating knuckle protection. Because the knuckles are a hard polymer and don’t give as much flex, the floating knuckle allows the base it is fixed on to flex instead. This prevents the leather from being pulled taut across the back of the hand and fingers and keeps the hard armour from digging in which can result in sore knuckles, something I have had to deal with in other gloves such as the Buffalo Ostro. They’re a great glove for someone with the right hands for them- but had the Black Track gloves been available back then when I got my Ostros- I’d have picked the Tracks without a second thought. Because I have all of the protection and all of the freedom in them.

There are additional hard spots on a couple of the fingers that serve a dual-function. They provide a bit of extra protection and they also supply your hands with air- they’re vents too. Over all the glove has it’s own little ventilation system going on- the intakes on the fingers and four holes on the hard knuckle provide all the airflow going in to cool your hands down. To allow hot air out- select areas of the glove’s leather have perforations that the hot air can pass through, giving these gloves that much needed summer breathability.

For a short summer glove they still come down over the wrist by a satisfying amount for my personal tastes, they seem as though they’ll stay under my sleeves although I’m yet to ride in them. The wrist closure is just Velcro but its secure enough and allows for hassle free removal of the gloves as needed. If I may compare them to the Buffalo Ostro gloves again- the closure system on the Black Tracks is way more secure and definitely not as cheap feeling. The Ostros used a really small, weak bit of Velcro that the stitching started coming off of after a few rides. But the Velcro on the Black Track Gloves is far more substantial.

On the palm of the hands is a grip pad that allows you keep a hold of the bars without slipping and keep proper control over your ride and there’s also soft protection added in key places like the bottom of the palm. I can vouch for the soft padding in Black branded gloves, especially on the palms, as my hands and wrists have gone for a little skid in them before. So they have my full trust when it comes to saving my skin.

The Black Track Short Leather Motorcycle gloves are brilliantly simple. From the material used to how they’re put together- it has to be one of the most comfortable leather gloves I’ve tried that didn’t skimp on protection and it’s only £29.99. I don’t own a pair just yet but once I’ve sorted out some new bike insurance and I know I’ll have a bit of spending money- I’m definitely treating myself to a pair of these gloves.

Thanks for reading everybody! Until next time!

-MattW at Ghostbikes.com