What are the best options in motorcycle gloves?

July 23, 2009 7:38 AM

What kind of motorcycle gloves should I buy? Bonus question: where can I buy them in Chicago before this weekend?

In case it's not obvious from the following details, I've never even sat on a motorcycle before. I'm attending an Illinois Department of Transportation instruction program this weekend to rectify this gross oversight, and one of the requirements is that I bring full-finger leather gloves. Since I'm pretty damn likely to enjoy motorcycling I'd like to go ahead and purchase a good pair. I've read through a good chunk of beginnerbiker.org and previous askmes, but they all seem more geared towards torso, leg and head protection questions.

1. Do any manufacturers make motorcycling gloves with wrist guards or do they restrict your hand movement too much? I wear wrist guards when I go skating and they've saved my ass a couple of times. Then again, my hands are demoted to doing airbag and cup-holder duty when I skate and aren't operating any controls.

2. Are gloves with knuckle-guards worth it, or do they just add a certain "I'm from the future where you have to punch open doors" mystique?

3. Gloves or gauntlets?

4. Where can I purchase these gloves or gauntlets in Chicago (especially the south side/south suburbs) before Saturday? I did a few quick google searches and came up with zilch. Right now it's looking like my only option is the Harley-Davidson store, but their gloves seem over-priced for the quality. Would any full-finger leather glove qualify for this training course, i.e. could I just go buy any old pair of leather gloves? They're not requiring us buy any other protective gear - just wear a heavy jacket, heavy pants, non-cloth shoes, etc. so my (total noob) guess is that the gloves just have to stop us from scraping our palms during the inevitable tip-overs.

Thanks everyone!

posted by burnfirewalls to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total)

Best answer: Look for gloves made of heavier leather on the palms.

The knuckle guards are kind of a gimmick and can actually be harmful if the gloves are cheap. Your first pair of gloves should not be expensive.

Gauntlet-style gloves provide some wrist support, but as you'll see when you're on the bike, you don't want to limit your range of motion in your wrists.

Gloves with perforated leather between the fingers will cool your fingers as you ride, just spread your fingers apart a bit. (This is less so in the classroom, but since you'll probably be on the road soon enough, keep that in mind.)

Beyond that, the most important thing is fit. They should fit like, well, a glove. You don't want a lot of bunched up extra leather under or around your hands. You also don't want it to be to tight because your hands will swell a bit and then it'll restrict blood flow to your fingers, which is kind of the inverse of comfortable.
posted by SpecialK at 7:50 AM on July 23, 2009

Years ago when I started riding I had a pair of light weight gloves as that allowed easier movement. Come the winter (in the UK) I had to get a pair of gauntlets to avoid my hands freezing (and in extreme cases wear a thin pair of wool gloves under them) but by that time I was used to controlling the bike so I could cope with a small reduction in dexterity.

I would avoid 'ordinary' gloves as they are likely to shred (with your hands underneath them) with the any contact with the road. I still shiver when I see people riding bikes with inadequate clothing on in the summer (I once worked with someone who needed plastic surgery when they came off their bike without enough protection)
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:03 AM on July 23, 2009

Best answer: First off, it's great that you are taking the beginning rider course. It will teach you a lot about how to be safe.

1) Wrist guards restrict your movement too much to use on a motorcycle.

2) I like knuckleguards on mine. I don't think they are critical, but they do add a level of protection. Your knuckles aren't the most likely part of your hand to hit when you fall. That would be your pinkie, palm (especially the bottom & outside near your pinkie) and (secondarily) thumb.

Rather than worrying about knuckleguards or not, look for gloves that have a double layer over the palm and pinkie and has high quality stitching (even stitching that stays an even distance from the edges), that is double or even triple stitched in impact areas. Quality of the leather itself is also important, but harder to distinguish at a glance.

3) I prefer gauntlets, but gloves are fine for the street. The benefits for gauntlets are they are less likely to come off in an accident (still highly unlikely with high quality gloves that fit properly) and the ability to prevent wind/rain from getting into your sleeves/gloves. Tuck the sleeves of your jacket into your gauntlets to keep any wind from blowing up your sleeves on cold days and put your sleeves over you gauntlets to keep rain from running down your arm into your gloves.

4) No suggestions in Chicago, but most courses accept any type of leather glove for the course itself.

One additional suggestion is http://www.newenough.com . I've never even heard of anyone complaining about their service, and griping about bad service is almost a hobby among a lot of motorcyclists. Their customer gear reviews are also very useful whether you buy from them or not.
posted by thekiltedwonder at 8:09 AM on July 23, 2009 [2 favorites]

I went to several motorcycle shops trying on gloves before I settled on the Icon 29'er.

It's been 107F in central Texas, so I didn't want gauntlets that would block airflow up the sleeves of my jacket. These have a mesh back and supple leather palms, and I definitely prefer the way the grips on my bike feel with gloves rather than without. When winter comes I'll buy something with gauntlets (or maybe heated gloves).

The armored knuckles and wrists are neat (Alpine Stars made a pair that I want, but they're very expensive), but I went with something a little more minimalist that give me a comfortable grip and some protection against road rash.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 8:21 AM on July 23, 2009

Oh, and yes, you can just wear leather work gloves until you find the motorcycle gloves that set your heart a flutter. When I took the MSF course we didn't even need jackets, just long sleeves (I wore a long sleeve t-shirt).
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 8:24 AM on July 23, 2009

Don't sweat getting gloves by Saturday. You probably won't ride faster than 15 mph in the course, so leather work gloves would be fine. Also, you may end up hating motorcycling, so you're better off putting off expensive purchases for now.

so my (total noob) guess is that the gloves just have to stop us from scraping our palms during the inevitable tip-overs.

I took the MSF course with a class of 30. Only 1 person tipped-over, and then only because they forgot to put the side-stand down. Tip-overs are evitable.
posted by malp at 8:38 AM on July 23, 2009 [1 favorite]

There were 2 tip-overs in my class. By the same student. This same student also ran over the instructor (he was standing in front of the student, the student was revving the engine and popped the clutch, nailing the instructor), and the student still passed. Don't worry.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:01 AM on July 23, 2009

one of my favorite features on motorcycle gloves, which i've only found on heavier non-summer gloves, is a little rubber squeegee on the outside of the left hand index finger, so you can use it to wipe your helmet faceplate.

oh, one tip: if you put a piece of electrical tape along the bottom of your helmet face plate, you can then lift and adjust it to block just the sun and radically improve your vision if you're riding right towards the sun in the late afternoon or early morning without blocking large chunks of your field of vision.
posted by rmd1023 at 9:13 AM on July 23, 2009

Best answer: Gloves serve two purposes, one is to protect your hands while riding (from drying out, bees, rocks etc..) while giving you good feedback, the other is to protect your hands while crashing. I've been riding for 17 years and I've managed to test out a few types of gloves in various crashes (low speed, high speed, dirt, etc.). For the first part your gloves need to fit while you're riding. So when testing gloves in the store put them around some grips and see if they bunch up, or the fingers are too short, or the armor digs into your wrist. The second part is not something you want to test, but you want to be sure it works. Without knowing what brands/styles you are looking at, look for a glove that has double leather on the palm, and the fewest panels, with the best stitching. In my experience, when you crash, you don't slide long enough on your palms to abrade through good double leather, but the impact/friction of hitting the ground will blow out cheap stitching and cause the glove to unravel. From what I remember, several British bike magazines did simulated crash tests with gloves, and while cost sometimes makes a better glove, usually more expensive gloves have more components and panels (thus more likely to fail). One the the best gloves they tested were the bright blue welders gauntlets that cost like $20, because the leather is thick and there are only a few seams. The problem with welders gauntlets is they were really bulky and uncomfortable to ride in. For the record I rode with Held gloves for years (and actually crashed in them 2 or 3 times at moderate speed), as did many of the racers we sponsored (and they paid for their own gloves). I'd heard that the quality had dipped and eventually replaced them with a pair of Lee Park Designs deerskin gloves. I love them, but haven't crash tested them yet.

For your training course, a sturdy pair of leather work gloves would probably suit you just fine. That would give you time to find a good pair for riding on the street.
posted by gofargogo at 9:18 AM on July 23, 2009

You may want to try JC Whitney. I don't know if they still sell directly to the public like they did back in the 70's when they were Warshawsky's & located next door to Cabrini Green, but you could give them a call & ask. You'd probably be best served getting a cheap pair of yard gloves from your local home improvement store & get your motorcycle specific gloves when you have some time to shop around.
posted by torquemaniac at 9:42 AM on July 23, 2009

I actually have two pairs. One for cold weather and one for warm. I like these for summer riding.
posted by Silvertree at 10:32 AM on July 23, 2009

After 15 years of riding, I've pretty much given up on wearing gloves, except in the winter, when I wear $5 snowboarding gloves from Sears. For summer riding, if I had to I'd stick to something like this -- hands get HOT in the summer (especially when you're sitting still, as you will in class), so lighter & breathable is better. Keep that in mind as you fulfill the requirement for the class.

Also keep in mind that Harley stores have good quality stuff, but you're paying a massive premium for the Harley emblem. Find a local parts dealer and shop there instead.
posted by coolguymichael at 12:02 PM on July 23, 2009

Good on you for taking the MSF course.

You didnt say what type of bike you'll end up with - but being in Chicago, you'll probably end up with more than 1 pair anyway (warm weather, cold weather, maybe even wet weather).

I have leather ones for cold weather that aren't as dextrous as the warm weather mesh gloves I use 90% of the time here in Texas.

I've used Olympia brand gloves for several years. Mesh ones like these are good and have gel in the palm that helps with vibration fatigue.

I'd check out a sportbike place in south Chicago to find a selection, or if you have a CycleGear store nearby. Google for powersports dealers in your area.
posted by clanger at 3:51 PM on July 23, 2009

If you are on a budget (or are just not sure if you will be staying with motorcycling), a better option than the regular leather work gloves are roper gloves, originally made for people doing work on horseback. They look just like regular work gloves, but they are cut slightly differently, and made from slightly thinner leather, to allow more finger sensation and movement. Any ranch supply store, or most hunting and outdoors stores, should have an assortment -- they are often made from deer, elk, and kangaroo skin.

Or, if you want to spend a little bit more money and get an official motorcycle seal of approval, you can buy the same thing from Aerostich -- you'll want the catalog eventually anyway.

In super hot weather, and for low speed in-town riding only, I strongly prefer the gloves made for off-road riding (examples from New Enough) -- super ventilated, and just barely enough padding and abrasion resistance for non-high speed riding (if you are willing to accept some more risk).
posted by Forktine at 9:43 PM on July 23, 2009