“Best Motorcycle Gloves”
You must be wondering why we are giving so much importance to the motorcycle gloves, “Who need gloves?” We have a safety helmet, boots, and riding jacket. “Isn’t this enough for protection?”
Well, if you keep going with this mentality then sir/ma’am, you should give this a thought before anything happen to you or your precious hands. Without hands, we can’t ride a bike or drive a car. I think we can upon this. And protecting them is the only way to keep doing this. Right? We all know that hands are the first which come in contact with the ground in case of an accident. And we try to brace ourselves with our hands. That’s why gloves are an important part of riding gear as much as a helmet. Whether you wear gloves to protect your hands from cuts and abrasions or use them for insulation purpose while riding in rain or cold.
We should give it preference as much as we give to helmets, jackets, and boots. The best pair of gloves will improve your riding experience, give you strong grip while riding, and protection to your hands. But, there is a big difference between wearing ordinary gloves or specific gloves which are suitable for your riding style and other various factors.
Here, in this article, we will discuss a lot of things about gloves like types of gloves, things to consider while shopping for gloves, and show you the best motorcycle gloves 2018.
Contents
- 1 Best Motorcycle Gloves 2018 – The Editor’s Choice
- 2 Types of Motorcycle Gloves
- 2.1 Fingerless Motorcycle Gloves
- 2.2 Summer or Cruising Motorcycle Gloves
- 2.3 Heated Winter Motorcycle Gloves
- 2.4 Waterproof Motorcycle Gloves
- 2.5 Racing Motorcycle Gloves
- 2.6 Gauntlet Motorcycle Gloves
- 2.7 Off-Road Motorcycling Gloves
- 2.8 Adventure/Touring Gloves
- 2.9 Street Motorcycling Gloves
- 2.10 Moto-Cross Motorcycling Gloves
- 3 Things to Consider Before Buying Motorcycle Gloves
- 4 Things to Consider While Buying Motorcycle Gloves
- 5 Best Motorcycle Gloves Materials
- 6 Top 5 Best Motorcycle Gloves Review 2018
- 7 Conclusion
Best Motorcycle Gloves 2018 – The Editor’s Choice
- Internal lining of DuPont Kevlar Fiber
- Keprotec reinforcments
- Abrasion resistance with high-grip VELCRO
- Alpinestars Dynamic Friction Shield (DFS) knuckle protection system
- Made from Cowhide leather
- Knuckle protection
- Pre-curved fingers for maximum comfort
- Adjustable wrist and cuff straps
- Not Suitable for Warm Weather
- E.V.A Foam padding in fingers
- Excellent Ventilation
- Made from Goatleather
- Suede reinforced padding in outer area
- Not Suitable for Warm Weather
- Windproof & Waterproof
- constructed from sheepskin and cowhide leather
- additional armor
- No Wrist support for fit
- Conductive material at index fingers
- Thermal Plastic Rubber in knuckles
- Leather Palm
- great fit
- Not Suitable For Cold Weather
Types of Motorcycle Gloves
Fingerless Motorcycle Gloves
Fingerless Gloves give protection to your palms, wrist, and knuckles but left fingers open. It may seem good to pick little things and move your hands-free but could also be dangerous in case of an accident. Fingerless gloves will give no benefit in cold weather when cold air touching your fingers. And you must give protection to the whole hand not some part of it.
Nevertheless, at least it is better than wearing no gloves at all.
Summer or Cruising Motorcycle Gloves
Summer Cruising Gloves are for those who love to ride their cruiser bikes even in warm weather. But, it is difficult to ride a bike in summer with sweaty hands which even imbalance your motorcycle. But, thanks to Summer Cruising Motorcycle Gloves which are lightweight and provide maximum airflow to the rider’s hand area. Not just that it has safety padding and armor around palm and knuckles. Most Cruising Gloves comes with Kevlar, plastic, and carbon to give maximum protection to the rider. And for ventilation, it contains small vents to pass air inside the gloves.
That means you will not only get amazing ventilation but also protection to your hands while cruising around.
Heated Winter Motorcycle Gloves
Well, now you know about Summer Cruising Gloves, it is time to tell you about Winter Motorcycle Gloves. Winter Motorcycle gloves are designed for the sole purpose – keep your hands warm in cold weather. Heated Winter Gloves are made of thick leather which gives insulation to protect your hands from cold wind and freezing temperature. In fact, the thicker fabric of gloves gives the added protection to the rider’s hand. However, there is one downside with heater Motorcycle Gloves is mobility issue. The thicker leather in heated gloves affects the mobility. Therefore, most people wear heated gloves in freezing temperature. So, make sure you choose winter heated gloves which let you move well to take control of the motorcycle.
Waterproof Motorcycle Gloves
We don’t know when it starts raining. Right?
So, it is important to keep waterproof gloves whenever you step out. As the name implies, waterproof gloves are best known for giving protection from water and moisture problem. They keep your hands fully dry and moisture-free so that you can ride comfortably without any water problem in gloves. These gloves are designed for waterproof sealing.
Racing Motorcycle Gloves
Racing Motorcycle Gloves are totally different from the gloves we discussed above. These gloves are not specifically designed to give protection in cold and hot climates. But, ultimate safety to the professional racers who need protection on race tracks. Race gloves are always full gauntlet style gloves which have plenty of features like additional Kevlar with carbon armor, ventilation system, and many others.
Companies who made race motorcycle gloves put a lot of time in racing gloves. These gloves are tested through various stages and best known for ultimate protection and quality materials. In fact, that’s the actual requirement from racers sides who need protection from injuries in case of any high–speed crash on the track. These gloves feature thin palms for throttle control which is quite important for racers in order to control speed on tracks.
In short, race motorcycle gloves ventilation, high-level protection, and grip on the throttle to control speed.
Gauntlet Motorcycle Gloves
Race and Gauntlet gloves are almost same with an only difference. Race gloves are full-gauntlet and cover all the way to your wrist for crash protection, however, Gauntlet motorcycle gloves are specially designed for both crash protection and weather protection. Apart from this, both have many similarities. Gauntlet gloves feature additional reinforcements on the fingers and knuckles area and extra leather in palm and wrist area. It gives crash protection to your hands halfway up the forearms and weather protection to ride comfortably in different climates.
Off-Road Motorcycling Gloves
As you aware, off-road riding is totally different from track racing. On top of that trail rider or dirt-bike riders compete in competitions where they spend most of the time in mud or dirt. That means crash and weather protection won’t be enough to do trail riding in gauntlet or racing gloves. You need something unique and perfectly designed to keep dirt and mud out as well. Ultimate protection is not essential for dirt-bike riders. After all, when a crash happens in off-road riding then instead of concrete surface, a rider falls in the mud. So, comfort and lightness are important for off-road riding. Plus, you need something breathable which gives maximum airflow while keeping dirt and mud out.
That’s why off-road motorcycling gloves are of man-made textiles. It also gives you grip over throttle to control motorcycle while taking jumps which is necessary for off-road riders.
Adventure/Touring Gloves
When we go on a long ride or adventure trip, we face different climates, dust, rain, and obstacles on the road. So, while touring we need gloves which give protection from extreme climates, crashes, moisture, and dust etc. And when you need such protection for long duration then you need Touring or Adventure motorcycle gloves which are best known for textile lightweight material and extreme protection on road in all conditions. Textile lightweight material with padding and advanced features to keep you dry by giving waterproof seal and protection from harsh climates made it costly to use in motorcycle gloves.
So, basically Adventure/Touring motorcycle gloves aren’t cheap but if you are in need of extreme protection from such conditions then you should go for it. Otherwise, you may waste your bucks by purchasing cheap ones.
Street Motorcycling Gloves
Street gloves are no different than cruising gloves except one thing – material. The thing is, cruising gloves are coming from a very long time and motorcyclists were using cruising gloves even in street riding. But, from last few years, the street motorcycling changed a lot. New generation bikers and riders are different from the old ones and want something different than the classic version of leather cruising gloves. Instead of leather, they are now more focusing on latest modern material like textile which gives same protection level like cruising gloves but is light in weight and comes in various styles. These street gloves featured the same extreme level protection to the rider during a fall on concrete road and are suitable for all weather conditions like cold and summer. Plus, these gloves have waterproof seal feature which doesn’t let water in the gloves and keep the rider dry for a long time.
So, basically, street gloves are the new version of traditional cruising gloves which comes in wide range of styles and cool designs.
Moto-Cross Motorcycling Gloves
Motocross gloves are quite similar to off-road riding gloves except for one thing – Motocross gloves have extra protection in palm area and fingers to keep your hand from harm way. Plus, reinforcements in knuckles and weather protection is exactly same like off-road riding gloves. However, people prefer Motocross gloves in street riding to get a safety in case of any high-speed crash.
Things to Consider Before Buying Motorcycle Gloves
If you change your mind and decide to buy a pair of gloves for your motorcycle riding then you need to consider few things first. You can’t just run into a store or start looking online for gloves. There are many things which we should clarify first. You can’t jump into buying a nicest pair just because someone recommends it.
No, we shouldn’t do this. But, what we can do is to take a look at different circumstances we may encounter or ask ourselves a few questions before buying motorcycle gloves.
Type of Ride & How long you ride on an average
It is important to know that which type of motorcycle you ride and how much you ride in a day or week. Are you a daily rider or occasional rider? Do you take long trips on a motorcycle or not? How many hours do you ride for on average?
All these questions are important to know the type of riding you do. These questions will help you to jump to a conclusion and figure out the type of gloves you need. It is also possible that you need more than one set of gloves on the basis of your riding type and riding hours. But, I am sure if you know what you are looking for then your investment in gloves will be worth it and it will make you’re riding a lot easier.
Where exactly you ride?
Do you want to have freezing cold and stiff fingers?
Of course not.
Do you want sweaty hands and fingers while riding?
Absolutely not.
You must be wondering why we are asking you this. Well, it’s for your sake. As I said it is important to ask ourselves few questions before going to buy a new set of gloves. These questions include this one: Do I ride in cold or hot weather?
Well, one thing for sure. You can’t use a single set of gloves in both climates. And what about monsoon?
You see, it is not easy to choose right pair when there are a lot of things to decide first. Well, if you ride in cold weather and doesn’t want your fingers freezing cold then you can go for touring gloves, it provides all-weather protection to the riders. But, if you ride in extremely hot weather then you should also look for lightweight leather gloves which have decent ventilation and moisture-free facility so that you can ride freely without a sweating problem.
Type of Road or Track
It is not hard to decide the type of gloves on the basis of riding tracks. If you do off-road riding then off-road or motocross gloves will keep your hands safe but if you ride on race track then racing or gauntlet gloves will help you in ultimate protection and give throttle grip while racing.
Just think about it and ask yourself, Do I ride on-road or off-road?
Budget
Once you find answers to all questions above then you can think about the budget. If you have a limited budget then you should think about comfort, protection, and price rather than big brand and style. I won’t say that you shouldn’t think about budget and purchase the best pair of motorcycle gloves. I know money matters. So, instead of spending money like water you should try to match the minimum requirements we discussed earlier and find a pair of gloves which also come with your budget.
Things to Consider While Buying Motorcycle Gloves
The glove is a part of riding gear which is important just as any safety helmet. So, you should pay more attention to the brand, material, quality, and fit etc. These are very important areas where we all should be concerned with when purchasing a new pair of motorcycle gloves.
Let’s take a look at such essential areas given as:
Fit & Size
Do the gloves fit well?
That’s a simple question. Fit and size are one of the most important things which we can’t deny. We all need stuff like helmet, jeans, jacket, and even gloves which fit well. The more it fits you, more you will comfortable in it. All you have to do is try a pair of gloves and check the fit. Sizes vary with brands so make sure you consult with the person or review the product before trying out. You must choose the right size otherwise if it too loose then it will not give you protection in case of any crash and if it too tight then you won’t feel comfortable in it to ride comfortably.
That’s why fit and size is the first and most important area in while buying motorcycle gloves.
Feel & Comfort
When you try the motorcycle gloves to check the fit then ask yourself, “Are these comfortable or not?”
Riders who don’t have a habit of wearing motorcycle gloves, feel a little shy and uncomfortable. But, if you are really thinking of your safety and made your mind to buy a new pair of best motorcycle gloves then don’t do this as a formality. You must check the fit, ventilation, and most importantly comfort level.
Are you feeling comfortable in those or not?
Because, if you don’t then there is no point of buying that pair even when you are getting some big deal. Because discount will not give you comfort and protection on the road.
So, make sure you try for comfort and feel.
Construction and Design
You should know what type of materials are used in the manufacturing of motorcycle gloves. Because material will decide what kind of protection you are actually getting in gloves. Are they good for crash protection or weather protection?
The material design will decide the durability, safety, and comfort level while riding a motorcycle. It is important to know about the fabric and material of the glove. That’s why we will discuss this in detail once we finished with these essential areas to pay attention while buying motorcycle gloves.
Features & Protection
“What kind of protection and features are they offering?”
It is important to find out about the features and protection level of the particular motorcycle gloves you have chosen. Are those made of high-quality materials? Do they have armor or Kevlar carbon padding on knuckles?
You need to answer such questions to protect yourself on road and control your motorcycle without any weather problem. A well-designed, ventilated, waterproof, weather and crash protective gloves can only give you such facility to ride on the road with ease.
Best Motorcycle Gloves Materials
From good old back days, leather motorcycle gloves were doing an excellent work in giving crash protection to the rider on tracks, street, and off-road motorcycling. But, from last few decades, many big gloves manufacturer brands started working on textile material which is lightweight and give comparatively more weather protection than leather gloves. But, it also has few drawbacks. So, let’s take a look at two most common material used in designing of motorcycle gloves – leather and textile.
Both types of gloves have a lot of variety in a material which you can choose accordingly. So, first, we discuss old classic leather motorcycle gloves. Leather Motorcycle Gloves are highly admired for their crash protection and ability to withstand abrasions. Leather gloves are quite rigid and made from different types of leathers such as Cowhide, Goatskin, Kangaroo skin, and many others. Cowhide is the most common leather which has a certain thickness and provides natural crash protection to the rider. Back then Cowhide motorcycle gloves were used in racing, cruising, and off-road motorcycling. But, then people find cowhide leather too heavy to wear. However, it has most protection than any other leather gloves. But, riders were looking for something light, So, Kangaroo skin and goatskin leather come into play. These are light and soft leather which give an almost same level of protection to the rider in case of crash and control over throttle to balance the bike easily. But, when it comes to the weather protection it falls short sometimes. For example, leather gloves are not suitable to wear in monsoon or summer season. These make your hands so sweaty which weaken your grip over the throttle. You can’t wear Cowhide leather motorcycle gloves in hot summer and expect it to keep you cool all day.
Nevertheless, many brands started improving leather gloves by making certain changes to keep rider ventilated and waterproof seal to keep you dry in rain. Leather Gloves best serve you for cruising and motorbike riding in winter season where you don’t want your fingers to get freezing cold.
On the other side, modern textile motorcycle gloves are very light in fabric and highly recognized for advanced features which increase crash and weather protection. The textile material comes with armor padding like carbon fiber, Kevlar, and hard plastic in knuckles and finger areas to protect your hand while falling on a surface in a crash. There are a lot of varieties in textile motorcycle gloves with few changes to make as per riding format. Like, racing gloves are made of a textile material which gives protection half up to the forearm with Kevlar padding on knuckles and fingers. These are thin in palm areas to give throttle grip to control speed and increase lap times. Other textile gloves are specially designed to give more weather protection in different seasons like summer, winter, and rainy etc. These gloves can keep you cool in warm weather and warm in hot weather. Plus, these have a waterproof seal which also keeps you dry while riding and doesn’t let water go inside the gloves.
The only downside of textile material is that “It has no natural protection”. In fact, it uses additional reinforcements to give safety to the rider.
So, in my opinion, both traditional leather motorcycle gloves and modern textile motorcycle gloves are great in giving safety to the rider while riding on a road, track, and dirt etc. All you have to do is figure out your riding type and requirement.
Top 5 Best Motorcycle Gloves Review 2018
Alpinestars Supertech Leather Gloves
Alpinestars is a top-level Moto-GP track crash protection gloves which are constructed from cowhide and kangaroo full-grain leather which made it thick and strong gloves for superior performance. Alpinestars did an excellent job when they designed Supertech Leather Gloves which is made for professional racers to compete in any track. Alpinestars Supertech Leather Gloves are full gauntlet leather gloves. This cowhide and kangaroo leather combination made it strong and lighter. The full-grain quality gives you natural breathing holes and maximum airflow. It features ergonomic Scholler-Keprotec fabric reinforcements in the palm and outer finger areas to protect you and provide abrasion resistance in key impact areas in case of a crash. It has Alpinestars Dynamic Friction Shield knuckle protection system which features dual density mold construction for superior resistance against abrasions and maximum ventilation. This molded construction has air intake and exhaust ports.
TPU finger slider is my favorite feature in Alpinestars Supertech Leather Gloves whose sole purpose is superior impact resistance. This TPU finger slider comes along with high-grip VELCRO brand closure for security. Not just that Supertech Leather Gloves leather’s accordion insert is remarkable. Stretch leather accordion insert give you flexibility and superior fit in thumb zone and fingers area. On the other hand, lateral gives you the freedom to do the movement to the backhand area. And at last, Alpinestars used DuPont Kevlar Fiber in internal top surface and thumb lining or internal little finger lining etc.
Overall, I can tell you after reviewing Alpinestars Supertech Motorcycle Leather gloves that these gloves will not only give you ultimate protection around the track but its superior fit and comfort level will give you control over throttle to maintain speed and lap time. None other can give this much features and facilities in this price range.
I know it’s a little costly but what you are getting will not only save you from abrasions in a crash but also increase your confidence and improve your performance as well.
- Internal lining of DuPont Kevlar Fiber
- Keprotec reinforcments
- Abrasion resistance with high-grip VELCRO
- Alpinestars Dynamic Friction Shield (DFS) knuckle protection system
Dainese Scout Evo Gore-Tex Gloves
“Are you looking for best touring motorcycling gloves?”
If yes, then the Dainese Scout Evo Gore-Tex will be perfect for you. We know the fact that winter riding condition is not very easy. On the contrary, it is very difficult to ride in cold and wet climates. Mostly, for those who live in northern areas. They have to suffer every day when they go out of their homes. But, The Dainese Scout EVO Gore-Tex is ideal for touring motorcyclists who go on adventure trips where they face all kinds of weathers. It features Gore-Tex membrane along with Primaloft thermal lining which will keep you warm and give you waterproof seal.
These gloves are certified to CE category 2 – Pr-EN 13594/2010 standard level 1. Protection is the key factor in Scout EVO of Dainese. Despite that, it didn’t compromise on comfort and fit. In fact, pre-curved fingers and elasticated material made it as comfortable as leather motorcycling gloves. Reinforced goatskin palm and soft inserts make sure to keep you comfortable and offer crash protection. This goatskin palm also gives control over the throttle.
Ventilation is also a specialty of Dainese Scout Evo Gore-Tex Gloves which also give breathable space and keep you dry as well. So, basically, it has protection similar to leather motorcycle gloves and weather protection to go on adventure trips even in harsh condition.
- Certified by CE Category II - Pr-EN 13594/2010 Standard
- Suitable for touring weather
- Reinforced Palm
- Pre-curved fingers
- A little costly
- Below average ventilation
Fox Racing Off-road/Dirt Bike Bomber S Glove
While doing off-road motorcycling, hands are valuable assets and we need to protect them. Fox Racing may seem cheap but it is one of the best Off-Road motorcycling gloves you can ever get. As we know that off-road motorcycling is totally different from street and track racing. Dirt bike riders don’t always require speed but a perfect balance between control and speed. Plus, they also face dirt, mud, rain, and harsh weathers. Off-Road/Dirt Bike Bomber S Gloves by Fox Racing developed with the highest level of comfort. It provides extreme durability and protection from fingers to cuff area. So, that you can keep safe your wrists from heavy impacts. It comes with long neoprene cuff with hook and loop wrist closure which make sure your wrists will be safe during an impact to the ground. Molded Plastics in knuckles and finger coverage will give you protection in case of a crash. This additional armor with knuckles also offers abrasion resistance. Fox Racing constructed from Leather which gives natural crash protection and provides maximum airflow to the rider. This breathability will give you grip over throttle and freedom to jump without any problem. This breathable property will not let your hands get all sweaty. It also has Double-layer Clarino palm with an extended barrier which not only protects your palm area but also offers a fit to strengthen your grip as well to control your motorcycle while jumping.
- Leather Palm
- Abrasion Resistance
- Breathable Holes
- Value for money
- Less weather protection
Mechanix Wear Tactical Original Covert Gloves
You have already seen Racing Gloves, Touring Motorcycling Gloves, and Off-Road Gloves. But, now next in the list is Mechanix Wear Tactical Original Covert Gloves.
Amazing Gloves!
Full comfort and high protection level. Value for money.
If the fabric of the gloves means important to you then you don’t need to worry. Mechanix Wear Tactical Original Gloves are best known for summer motorcycling gloves at a better value. It features Form-fitting TrekDry technology which keeps your hands cool and comfortable. To ride comfortably in hot weather, Mechanix Wear Tactical Original Gloves palm area designed from synthetic leather which is highly durable and provides optimal dexterity. The leather area is not as thick as you expect. On the contrary, unlike other leather motorcycle gloves which come with a thickness, it has thin leather which gives you a strong grip and keeps you dry.
For perfectly tight fitting, Mechanix Wear used Thermal Plastic Rubber (TPR) closure with hook and loop.
So, if you were tired of riding on a hot day then Mechanix Wear Tactical Original Gloves will make this ride easy for you. Moreover, these are completely machine washable which save the trouble for you.
- High Dexterity
- Maximum Airflow
- Abrasion Resistance
- Synthetic Leather Palm
- Not Suitable For Cold Weather
- No Additional Armor
Mechanix Wear M-Pact Open Gloves
One thing that I personally loved about Mechanix Wear M-Pact Open Gloves is it comes with thermal plastic rubber closure which did an excellent job to provide insulation. This Thermal Plastic Rubber (TPR) technology gives impact protection to the rider and reduces the risk of heavy impact and minimize injuries while contacting to the ground or track in case of fall. It features stretch elastic wrist closure which is very rare to see in other motorcycle gloves. With this feature, you can easily put on/off gloves in no time.
Well, that’s what Mechanix Wear offers in the category of protection. Now, let’s take a look what it is offering in comfort category?
Mechanix Wear used D3O palm padding in M-Pact Open Gloves which has an Armortex palm reinforcement panel will also give protection to the palm area and help in absorbing impact and vibration through the hand. Plus, Form-fitting TrekDry material which is the specialty of Mechanix Wear will allow fresh air to pass and keep your hands cool and dry. The internal layer of material reinforces the index finger and thumb for more durability while embossed and textured index finger and thumb will provide you grip over the throttle. And at last, these are machine washable which will save you the trouble of doing careful hand-wash.
So, what are you waiting for?
Such gloves which are good in both crash protection and weather protection in this price range are very rare. So, if you are looking for best motorcycle gloves then you can go for it.
- Stretch Elastic Cuff
- D3O Palm Padding
- Machine Washable
- Reinforced Index and Thumb
- Not sutiable for touring
Conclusion
After reviewing Top 5 Best Motorcycle Gloves 2018, I am sure you must have found your favorite one. Personally, I recommend you to give same preference which you give the rest of riding gear like helmets and jackets etc. Now, you know about the type of motorcycle gloves so figure out which type you require? You can ask yourselves same questions which we insist you to consider before going to shopping and give some thoughts to the essential factors while doing online shopping for motorcycle gloves. These top 5 motorcycle gloves are worth to take a look. Just make sure the gloves you choose have safety protection, breathable material, and additional armor around fingers and palms to minimize the impact in case of a crash.
After reading this, I am sure you will do just fine.
These are suboptimal gloves