Tested: Furygan James D3O gloves review

Date reviewed: May 2020 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £74.99 | www.nevis.uk.com/

The Furygan James gloves on review here are a ‘heritage’ style that look great with the many retro motorcycles on the market now. Or of course a true classic.

I’ve had this pair for around three and a half years now, and while they haven’t been worn every day, they have been used around the world on many different motorbikes, including the Yamaha XSR700, Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, Kawasaki W800, Ducati Scrambler and numerous Harley-Davidsons…

Fit and feel

It’s important that you try any gloves on for fit before buying, but these suit my large-sized hands very well. Finger length is good with no slack at the ends and no digging in between my fingers. My only disappointment is that the thumb on the right-hand glove is a little baggy (the left isn’t quite as bad).

Being relatively thin and made of goat skin (a strong leather by thickness compared to cow-hide), feel is excellent.

Touchscreen compatibility

These gloves are intended to work with a smartphone (remember that the TomTom and Garmin screens work with all gloves, not just those designed for capacitive screens), but they’re not very consistent. I have a Samsung Galaxy S10, and the tips of the left and right forefingers just don’t seem to quite make connection that reliably or accurately.

Warm and cold weather use

In the sunniest Spring on record in the UK, the Furygan James have been excellent. As they have a thin lining, in the hot climates of America and Spain they do get a bit warmer but they’ve almost always been comfortable, helped a tiny bit by the very small ventilation holes on the fingers. Ultimately, they’re not the coolest of gloves for hot weather, but they’re great in Britain.

As you’d expect, these aren’t the gloves for riding around in winter, but they were surprisingly warm during one 7°C ride last year.

Protection and certification

The Furygan James are certified as motorcycle PPE (as all gloves should have been for a long time), and have a D3O armour insert in the knuckle. This flexible material in a non-Newtonian fluid that firms up under impact, giving a surprising level of impact protection in a comfortable form.

There’s no armour anywhere else beyond some foam padding in the palm and on the thumb, and by the nature of being a short cuff, protection is obviously limited compared to a high-specification race gauntlet.

From April 21 2018, all new motorcycle clothing is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. For more information on the law, click here.

Fastening

A metal zip draws the bottom of the glove around your wrist, then a Velcro strap secures it; it’s a compact solution that does keep the glove from sliding off your hand in a crash.

Wet weather use

The Furygan James D3O I have is a summer glove, so ride in the rain and your hands will get wet. There is, however, the James All Season glove, which is waterproof and has a microfleece lining and costs £84.99

While I haven’t tried this, it is of course worth keeping in mind that you won’t be able to seal the glove into the jacket’s sleeve, so you wouldn’t want to ride too far in heavy rain with them.

Lining

The lining is soft and easy to slide on, not getting too clammy in most UK temperatures and not grabbing too much when you put them on with wet or sweaty hands.

Furygan James motorbike gloves review: Verdict

I’ve tested several retro-styled gloves in the past three years, but it’s been the Furygan James that I keep coming back to when I’m riding for work or for myself.

The secure fastening and comfortable feel make them stand out; they’re not the cheapest, but they’ve got a great, weathered style to them and have worn well during my use; they’ll be out with me plenty more over the coming months. Unfortunately the brown leather (sometimes called ‘rust’) that I have is no longer listed on the Furygan site, where black is only available, but you can still find them – in limited sizes – on some sites.