How to Choose Motorcycle Gloves
Your hands do the steering, braking and clutch work, and they are usually the first thing to touch the ground in a fall. Good motorcycle gloves protect them and make the bike easier to control. This guide covers the choices that matter: length, material, protection, season and fit.
Short cuff or gauntlet?
- Short cuff: ends at the wrist. Cooler, quicker to pull on and easy to stash in a pocket. A good match for city riding and warm weather.
- Gauntlet: extends over the jacket sleeve, covering the wrist and sealing out wind. Better for highway speeds, cold weather and maximum coverage.
Leather or textile
- Leather: molds to your hand over time, gives good feel on the controls and resists abrasion well. It needs occasional conditioning and is not naturally waterproof.
- Textile and mesh: lighter and more breathable, often with a waterproof liner for wet-weather models. Usually quicker to dry.
Many gloves mix the two: leather on the palm for grip and abrasion resistance, textile or mesh on the back for airflow.
Protection to look for
- Knuckle armor: hard or padded protection across the knuckles.
- Palm reinforcement: an extra layer or slider at the heel of the hand, where you instinctively land.
- Secure closure: a wrist strap that stops the glove pulling off in a slide.
- Double stitching in high-wear areas.
Pick for the season
- Summer: perforated leather or mesh for airflow.
- Three-season: unperforated leather or lined textile.
- Winter: insulated and waterproof, with a long cuff. Heated gloves add battery-powered warmth for riders who are out in real cold; check battery life against your typical ride.
Touchscreen fingertips
If you use a phone or GPS on the bars, touchscreen-compatible fingertips save you taking a glove off at every stop.
Getting the fit right
- Fingers should reach the ends without pressing hard against them.
- Make a fist: the glove should not pull tight across the knuckles or bunch in the palm.
- Grip the bars: check there is no loose material between your palm and the grip.
- Leather stretches slightly; textile does not. Use the size chart on each product page.
Browse all motorcycle gloves, then match them with a riding jacket. Next up: how to choose a motorcycle jacket.
