Motorcycle-Intelligence.com

Are you a motorcycle glove junkie?

Do you have more riding gloves than might make sense to a casual observer?

If you are a season rider, you’ve probably got a few pairs to select from, when you crank over your bike’s motor.

Some gloves are easy to justify:  Motorcycle gloves for hot weather.  Riding gloves for cool weather.  Different gloves for wet-weather riding.  Maybe you even have “rain covers” to pull over your gloves when Mother Nature offers a worldly cleansing while you’re on the road.  Of course if you are dirt-bike rider, that opens up another opportunity for a collection.  And perhaps you don’t like to mix your “riding” gloves with “working” or “mechanic” gloves.  (Should you confess to owning heated, electric gloves?) Finally, there’s “those” gloves.  More concisely, your “favorite” motorcycle riding gloves.  Regardless that they may be the most worn, and maybe even close to being completely worn-out.  “Those” are the gloves that offer the indescribable balance of tactile comfort and familiarity, having participated in endless miles of motorcycle enjoyment.

For all the experiences that a good pair of motorcycle gloves may offer, their primary function boils down to two primary areas of service:

#1) Increased comfort, enjoyment and control. Your hands may seem to automatically handle the front brake, throttle and clutch: particularly when your hands are comfortable.  And of course, given that relative comfort, they naturally and easily convey the necessary steering to guide you along your motorbike path.  But, what if your hands become fatigued? Cramped?  Cold?  Or even sunburned?  As you know and have likely experienced, any of these conditions can negatively affect your riding control – ESPECIALLY in an emergency, when your split-second, precision command is what you most need to avoid a potential disaster.

#2) Protection. What would motorcycle riding be like without the full use of your hands?  Protecting your paws in the event of a mishap is arguably the primary service your riding gloves may offer – even if they are never called upon to fulfill that duty.  It’s probable that you don’t get on your bike thinking, “Today’s the day I’m going to crash.”  Heck, even if you haven’t been initiated into the brotherhood of motorcycle riders who continue to enjoy the sport after biting some asphalt, perhaps you can at least imagine that if/when YOU “might” meet such an occasion, that those mitts of yours would be vulnerable to damage.  Ultimately, if you should find yourself in that unfortunate circumstance, the last thing you want is to be going down without wearing motorcycle gloves.  (As well as wearing the rest of your gear!)

Speaking from experience, I’ve bitten the asphalt a few times. In fact, two of the crashes were somewhat dramatic.  Over the course of a few decades of riding, two motorcycles were totaled as a result.  However, in each case, motorcycle gloves kept my hands from sustaining injury.

So, are you a motorcycle glove junkie?

That’s one habit you can live with.