Klim Dakar Pro Gloves Review

I've been riding in these Klim Dakar Pro Gloves for almost a year. They were with me when we bashed our way toward the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on a KTM 1090R and an Africa Twin last October, and they have been on my hands, without fail, every time I've been on a motorcycle since. That's a fact that should speak volumes to just how comfortable these things are, especially in hot weather. The mesh frame and perforated leather fingers ventilate well, and the Poron XRD foam pads flex enough to be unobtrusive. It's the best kind of armor: the type that you never know you're wearing.

They have taken a beating; once when I went down in rocks and mud on our way out of Arizona on that big KTM, and a second time when a deep silt bed got the better of me in Utah on a Husqvarna 701 Enduro. Both times I examined my palms, expecting to see ripped leather, but found only dirt and dust. Off-road gloves have to walk a fine line between protection and ventilation. I know some guys who prefer MX gloves for dual-sport riding, but those things turn to tissue the second you go down on any sort of abrasive surface. I'm talking loose gravel. On asphalt, you might as well not be wearing any gloves at all.

The Dakar Pros are the perfect middle ground between a full-on road glove and those thin, breezy MX pairs. You know, a dual-sport glove. That's not to say it's perfect. The visor wiper on the left thumb is almost entirely worthless, and the hook-and-loop closures don't always stay together, especially after a few months of use. Likewise, the dye Klim uses for the leather loves to come off and stain your hands after riding through a good rainstorm, even 12 months in. That bit never bothered me so much, as the dye usually wears off after a good scrubbing, but some buyers may find it off-putting. No one likes purple fingers.

Finally, after a year of hard use, I have experienced one busted seam along the top right hook-and-loop closure. The material didn’t tear, the threading just gave way. A few minutes with a thimble and needle, and the gloves were back on my hands.

All of that would be reason to whine if these were outrageously expensive, but at $70, the Dakar Pros are an absolute steal. They’re purpose made for the kind of riding I prefer, reasonably robust, and exceptionally comfortable. So much so that I have to fight my wife for them every time we ride.