Gear Review: Kaori’s FIVE RFX-1 Ladies Sports Gloves

Ladies sports gloves are a niche within a niche, so finding the right ones can be tricky. Kaori recently started using the FIVE RFX-1 Ladies for her track days and has come away impressed with the fit, feel and comfort of the specialised ladies cut. Here is her FIVE RFX-1 review…

“They fit my hands perfectly and do not hinder my ability to feel the controls accurately. This means that the gloves do not have extra space for long, perfectly manicured fingernails.”

After a crash on my very first track day, I became acutely aware that high-quality gloves are a must on the circuit. Moto National Accessories sent me a pair of their FIVE RFX1 gloves to put to the test… Having small hands has always made it a struggle for me to find correct fitting gloves for the track. I decided to retire my old Alpinestars racing gloves since the smallest size was still far too big. Obviously, my daily riding Stella Vika gloves aren’t enough to pass track day tech in Australia due to not covering enough of my forearm. I tried, but the scrutineer said no, I had to get some alternatives for the day.

“The fact that SMSP offers FIVE gloves to those in need of proper racing gears gave me great confidence in the brand”…

That’s when I re-learned about FIVE gloves. I have to admit that I never really reconsidered buying a pair despite the brand being one of the big players in the glove sector. Funnily enough, this was due to my first riding kit consisting of FIVE gloves. They looked quite chunky on me and I was embarrassed when I saw a photo of myself looking like a LEGO character riding a motorbike on the Old Road…

Kaori previously used Alpinestars, then hired some FIVE gloves.

After this, I listed my riding gear on Facebook and unfortunately FIVE was unticked from my list due to my pursuit of riding gear that didn’t just give plenty of safety, but reflected the image of a cool female rider that I always wanted to be! I didn’t realise they had other more stylish options.

I wouldn’t have thought about FIVE gloves until I borrowed a pair of them at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP). The leather was soft, and the gloves seemed to be more fitted to my hands. The fact that SMSP offers FIVE gloves to those in need of proper racing gears gave me great confidence in the brand. It is not economical to borrow used racing gloves for $20 per track day, so the decision was made to give the brand another go and get myself some “Premium racing gloves for fast (wannabe) ladies”…

Testing the gloves at a SMSP Ride Day, Kaori found that the RFX-1 Ladies fitted well immediately, giving good feel straight off the shelf…

FIVE RFX-1 Ladies Racing Gloves are made specifically for women. I can confirm that the shape and size are adapted to the feminine form as promised in the product description. They use two different leathers for the one pair – topside got cowhide skin for durability and palm side has goatskin for suppleness. Carbon slider shells protect your palms, and the pinky bridge protects your weakest finger.

Extra pinky finger protection.

Carbon-fibre palm protection.

Jeff told me that professional riders have quite a high chance of losing part of their pinky finger. In a lowside it’s the first thing that makes contact with the ground and often gets stuck under the bar end, Nick Ware knows all about this! I appreciate this feature as my Japanese colleagues will never go to a client meeting with me again if I show up at our Tokyo office without a pinky finger (in Japan, a missing pinky finger is the sign of the Yakuza).

The mighty tea strainer! The knuckle vents reminded Kaori of this invaluable kitchen tool!

Another feature that I noticed is the ventilated TPU metacarpal-knuckle protective shells. Motorcycle gloves normally come with knuckle protection, but I have never seen one that comes with stainless steel mesh under the plastic shell. That added security means you’ve not only get impact resistance, but a high level of abrasion protection. It reminds me of the handy kitchen strainer, that will last for decades and is highly durable.

Strong palm construction.

A good fit from new.

Secure velcro wrist fastening.

Lots of knuckle protection.

I love the button that can put two gloves together while they are not in use. I am fully aware that the tag that comes with the button is to be removed after purchase, but I would love to keep this so that I can easily hang the gloves on a clothesline to dry after a long day at the track.

The gloves felt like a second skin from day one. I’ve heard a story from my fellow rider that she soaked her racing gloves into hot water to soften leather, which is unnecessary for FIVE RFX-1 Ladies Racing Gloves. They fit my hands perfectly and do not hinder my ability to feel the controls accurately. This means that the gloves do not have extra space for long, perfectly manicured fingernails.