How to Choose the Right Motorcycle Gloves?

There are many criteria you need to take into account when shopping for motorcycle gloves. You must bear in mind that you will have to ride with them both in good clear weather and in the rain and dog cold. Gloves are there for your protection but will also keep you warm when riding in cold weather as well a make your ride more comfortable. In addition, don’t forget that you won’t just walk in these gloves; you should also be able to drive a motorcycle in them! Therefore, you need to pay special attention to the selection of the model, the type, the material they are made of as well as the size of the gloves.

Why even wear gloves in the first place?

Cold is not the only reason to wear gloves while riding a motorcycle. In case of an accident or if you slide and fall off your bike, the first thing that will hit the ground is your hands and palms. This is a natural reflex and there is nothing to be done about it.

Protection first!

Let’s start, as usual, with the most important thing – protection! To help you find the right gloves for you, we’ve divided driving styles into 2 main categories: casual and sports. Between everyday and sports – the difference is not so significant. In sports style, there is a more rigid fixation of fingers. And the protection of knuckles should be increased. Pay attention to the quality of the seams. Gloves must withstand falling, so there should be no gaps in the seams. Also, gloves should be equipped with silicone palm pads (so that your hands do not slip on the handles of a motorcycle). What kind of gloves should you buy? it’s really a question of taste at this point. Be warned that sports gloves are usually more expensive, though.

Warm or not?

All gloves can be divided between warm or not. The main difference is the presence of ventilation and lining. Gloves with good ventilation are perfect for trips in the summer in hot weather. If there is no ventilation, they are warm gloves. If you plan to ride in cold weather, you can even buy heated motorcycle gloves.

Ideally, it would be nice to have several sets for different weather, although this is not always possible. Summer gloves have one drawback: due to the extra ventilation, these gloves are not so effective in the rain. The solution to this problem is usually special gloves-covers that are worn over motorcycle gloves. But in my opinion, it’s easier to just buy a second pair of good gloves to wear in cold or rainy weather.

Cuffs – why are they needed?

Many gloves, especially warm ones, have special cuffs that, so to speak, extend the glove over the wrists. They are primarily needed so that the wind or water does not penetrate the sleeves of the jacket. At first glance it seems overkill, but not always. It really depends on what kind of clothes you wear while riding. Most motorcycle jackets are made with long sleeves so that during the ride (when your arms are extended forward), the sleeves do not move back and expose the forearms. In addition, in motorcycle jackets, the sleeves fit very tightly to the body (usually due to additional straps or Velcro), because if not, the headwind hitting the sleeves passes through the entire jacket. Allowing it to do so would make you very cold, and secondly, the jacket simply swells up and makes it difficult to ride. If there are no fasteners on the sleeves, or the sleeves are just a little short for you, gloves with cuffs are an excellent solution. They are called “Gaiters” in another way, although if you look, gaiters are also a little different. (Gaiters are very long gloves that are worn almost to the elbow over the sleeves of the jacket. They were originally used by military pilots, and later by motorcyclists). You just have to tuck the sleeve of the cut into the cuffs and voila!

Comfortable and correctly sized

Well, last but not least, comes comfort. The differences in comfort between sports gloves and everyday ones might not be that obvious. You might not even feel it right away, so why even bother about it in the first place?. Being comfortable in your gloves or not may not be a problem right away but it will be when you decide to go on a road trip and have to ride for a couple of hours straight.

To prevent that, pay special attention to the size of the gloves. They should fit snugly over your arm. If you choose leather gloves, I generally recommend taking into account that leather gloves can stretch a little over time. Gloves should never fidget on the arm and extra space at your fingertips is also not advisable. You must consider that in these gloves you need to not only walk along the street but also control the motorcycle. Loose gloves might make it difficult to operate some of the tiny switches on the handlebar.

While trying out gloves, I generally recommend to grab some round handle and twist to understand whether it is suitable for you. Ideally, it would be nice to take your bike out for a ride and test them but that might not be possible every time. When in doubt, try a different size, or a different model. It may be that the cut of this glove is simply not suitable for your hand.

Last words

These are probably the most important points that you should pay attention to when buying. Always remember that price is not always an indicator of quality. Make sure to buy gloves that fit you well and that you feel comfortable. Good riding gloves will always be your best friends. Trust me on this!