Essentials of Motorcycle Gloves

Remember when you were a kid and you were running around on the concrete when you tripped and fell down? On the way down you inevitably put both hands down to catch yourself and the result was quite painful. The same instinct to catch your fall with your hands will likely kick in if you crash your motorcycle. That is why the oft overlooked use of riding gloves should be considered.

You will not find a state that requires a motorcyclist to wear gloves. So wearing gloves is really up to each individual rider. There are several different choices of gloves to wear. One of the biggest factors as to why many people choose to not wear gloves is the price tag. The fact of the matter is the nicest Harley Davidson glove is not a necessity. Some motorcyclists choose to wear some gloves that are not even designed for riding specifically. These kinds of gloves will not offer as much protection, but they are better than nothing. This article will examine a few of the different choices you will find when deciding which glove to choose.

Fit

The first thing to consider when purchasing a riding glove is the fit. You don’t want a glove where your fingers are touching the end of the glove. The reason for this is once you grab hold of the grips on your bike your hand will be rotated forward, but the glove will tend to grab hold of the grip. Therefore your fingers will be jammed into the fingertips of the glove and become quite uncomfortable after a bit of time. You also do not want a glove that is going to have an excess of space between your fingers and the end of the glove. This will rob you of some dexterity as you operate all of the hand controls on your motorcycle. The ideal glove should fit about a quarter inch longer than your finger length.

Different Conditions? Different Gloves.

You may also want to consider owning two pairs of gloves. One pair for warm and dry weather, and one pair for cold and wet weather. Trying to ride in cold weather with improper gloves is miserable. The wind just goes right through a normal pair of gloves, so having a pair of gloves for cold weather is an essential if you want to ride on colder days. There are tons of choices for cold weather gloves. These are more expensive than warm weather gloves because they are usually insulated with Thinsulate or some other form of insulation. Something to examine when you are looking at different cold weather gloves is the dexterity each glove offers. You should try on many different pairs to see what fits best, and what is the most comfortable. In addition to protection from the elements, these gloves usually provide all the typical safety aspects of the most protective warm weather glove.

Types of Gloves

The most protective glove on the market is made of leather, and has plastic armor on the knuckles. The plastic will do a great job of preventing damage to the knuckles either via rocks coming up off the road, or from a crash. These gloves often have a rubber pad on the palm of the glove to offer more grip on the handlebars, as well as to resist abrasion in case of a crash. Most of these gloves are also vented on the backhand side. They are put on and taken off by a Velcro strap on the back of the wrist.

The next kind of glove is a basic leather glove. This glove does not have the added protection on the knuckles, but it can be found with rubber palms and backhand ventilation. These gloves can be found with either a Velcro attachment on the back of the wrist, or simply a slip on variety.

A popular choice for cruiser riders is the fingerless gloves. These offer maximum dexterity, and addition to that they look real tough! They are typically made of durable leather. These gloves cover the palm, back of the hand and each finger up to the first knuckle. Fingerless gloves are great for warm weather, but of all the riding gloves they offer the least amount of protection. Most of these gloves also have the Velcro strap for putting them on and taking them off.

Economical Gloves

Finally, there are some choices that are a little easier on the wallet. You can find some leather gloves or work gloves at a hardware store. These gloves will do a decent job of protecting your hands from debris kicked up off the road, but that’s about all the protection they will offer. Some of the leather choices may hold up decently in case of a crash to prevent your hands from getting overly torn up by the road.