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.
Yes, I am a glove junkie, I have four pairs, two gauntlets(Chuchill, my favorite, and the Harley gloves) and wrist Churchills and the short Harley gloves…Never wear the Harley gloves, love the Churchills, the gauntlets are the same as the cops wear.
For the Texan rider looking for gloves: The advice to check snowmobile clothing is good advice. Another source is bicycle gloves. The Specialized Bicycle Co in particular offers a wide range of gloves that allow better control feel than a typical snowmobile glove while protecting your hands from the weather. There are many Specialized dealers around the country where you can try them on before buying. Proper fit is a big deal for most of us motorcycle riders which makes buying online a bit of a roll of the dice.
I have fallen off motorcycles many times over the years and there are 2 constants. First – my hands hit the ground. Second – my head hits the ground. Thanks to always wearing gloves my hands work perfectly – as for my head well that’s debatable.
They’re also handy when staggering around the bush in the middle of the night collecting fire wood….
Keep it up
Mike
Regarding the interest of the Texan in finding some warm gloves, I have a suggestion that comes from 3 years experience riding year round in Minnesota (yes, I had a sidecar). Some of the best, warmest and cheapest gloves are snowmobile gloves. They generally have lots of insulation though this is less necessary in recent years as many snowmobiles have heated grips. Many are made of a durable nylon with leather on the palm side for grip and comfort. Most have very large gauntlets and Velcro wrist adjustments. The pair that I use for cold weather riding are warmer than anything other than my heated gloves.
My one caution is that most are NOT waterproof, so they might not be the best choice in a cold rain, or at least you need a glove cover of some type. In my college days, we used old bread bags for glove protection in the rain. They worked and helped keep the hands warm as well, though they did not make for the best grip. Since I doubt you have many snowmobile shops in Texas, you will probably have to buy them online, although a lot of motorcycle accessory stores also sell snowmobile paraphernalia.
I’ve only been riding a couple of years . Here in Texas snow isn’t a big issue until it is . Can one of you yankees who deal with this every year point to a brand of gloves that is actually waterproof and warm at 70 in the snow . I had to ride a couple of hours home last weekend in the snow . My fingers felt like they would break off . I layered up my clothes and the rest of me was fine but , none of the bikers down here had any advise for actul winter riding gloves . Help this southerner out .
Guilty also. Dakota winter glove, Olympia winter glove (best winter glove), Belstaff leather (spring and fall) 20 years old and favourite, Joe Rocket summer leather glove, Joe Rocket perforated glove, and HD perforated glove. Had a set of Joe Rocket amoured gloves (they did not work for my large hands). I am a 3X glove person.
I generally use three different pair, my mesh for summer my water proof insulated for winter and my deer skin leather for general and drill team riding. They have to fit good and be very comfortable so I dont even know that I have them on.
I have accumlated several pair of riding gloves. The technology keeps changing with better fit, feel and of course protection. Currently I use two pair the most, a perforated leather with carbon fiber for warm weather and A new pair of Steve gloves from Held have been a real improvement. They have very flexible Kangaroo leather on the palms for very good feel and dexterity on the controls,combined with real protection in case of a high speed get off. My old ones never to go to waste as my kids seem inherit them for themselves. I always wear gloves when riding.
Imagine having the backs of both hands scorched by a blow torch until the flesh was bubbling and blackened.
A disgusting image, to be sure, but I met a rider whose hands looked just like that. He had slid across the asphalt and somehow his hands had been trapped under his body. Numerous skin grafts had not helped much.
His experience convinced me to always wear gloves, spring, summer, and fall.
I admit that they are the weakest part of my gear. I’m in the market for a heavier pair, but my current gloves do have good velcro closings to keep then on if I go down.
Though some friends do, I’ll never wear fingerless gloves (or a half helmet). My bike has heated grips, so riding in the cold hasn’t been a problem. My next pair will be longer, with semi-gauntlets to better keep out the wind in cool weather.
Precurved fingers really reduce fatigue on long rides, as does cruise control. The various throttle hand rest devices can relieve tension also.
I have no experience with waterproof gloves, yet. My heated jacket has connectors for heated gloves, but I’ve never tried them either.
Pompies said:
Ever noticed that on a balmy 70 degrees (F) weather day your hands are FROZEN stiff by the wind-chill factor after an hour riding?
All I can say is “ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING????”
Because I mean, if you’re not…..you are WAY,WAY too big a wuss to be riding a motorcycle!!!
I must say, I find myself in to that situation. I always keep in that mind, since, I really enjoy riding I must secure myself the protection needed for future ride.
I listened to a conversation between a female clerk at the bike shop and her female customer. The customer said she felt that gloves in hot weather were just too much. The clerk replied that when her sister had dumped, she had to endure two memorable experiences – first, they take the gravel out of your palms with a fine stainless steel comb, and second, while the palms are healing up over the next four to six weeks,, you need to get other people to do everything for you. “Everything.” she repeated. “Everything for a month or more – think about it.”
The girl thought about it for a couple of seconds, and picked out a nice pair from the display.
How about some “intelligent” tips on how a proper glove should be?
The little I know is condensed here:
1. it must be a motorbike glove (they are pre-curved to your hand holding the grip), gloves designed for other uses (I did try them) just don’t cut it…
2. the more protection, the better: knuckles are the most fragile part and the hard knuckle-protectors never get in your way in any case, plus they look the part, don’t they?
3. palms should be as soft as possible (for sensitivity!) yet very resistant. The good ones have soft material (often kangaroo) surrounded by stitching; as far as I can make it out, this has two functions: it doubles or trebles the thickness of material all around the palm AND providing strong /resistant pads that contact the ground first, leaving the relatively unprotected palm raised from road surface. Clever!
4. gloves must have a positive closure at the wrist, otherwise they will just come off as soon as you touch ground. In that case they are no good at all to anybody but the seller.
I hope someone more knowledgeable than me can tell us what makes a good motorcycle glove.
Fourty-odd years into riding, and I still can’t make out how can one ride a bike without gloves. Yet I see many bikers riding without this essential protection gear.
Gloves are useful ON the bike in the first place: ever had a bug committing suicide on your hand while you are coasting at a nice 40 miles an hour? Ever noticed that on a balmy 70 degrees (F) weather day your hands are FROZEN stiff by the wind-chill factor after an hour riding?
When OFF the bike, gloves are indispensable. Instict makes you stretch out your hands when you fall (no Virginia, I don’t think you should try it), so your hands will be the first to contact the ground and absorb the impact.
I don’t know about you but, even though I plan to never fall, I want my hands protected just in case. Tin-can drivers might disagree with my plans…
does any one know where we can find a pair of mens leather motorcycle gloves in sizes 5 or 6x? please let us know
I have a pair of mesh gloves with great protection for the summer months. I just bought a pair of tourmaster polartex gloves and with a thin underglove, they worked on a 35 degree ride into work this morning. I was impressed. I didn’t think that there were gloves that worked below 40 without plugging them in or getting hippo hands. Only problem with the polartex is that they have knuckle protection.
I must have 8 or 10 pairs. I’m always on the lookout for just the right pair, but after I buy them and try them out a while, they usually are not as good as I had thought they would be. I have a good pair of Triumph warm weather gloves with knuckle protection, leather palms and double velcro wrist closures. My cool weather gloves are by First Gear and waterproof with Thinsulate insulation. I also have a pair of Gerbings heated (and waterproof) gloves to go with my heated jacket liner. I usually carry at least one extra set of gloves in anticipation of the changing weather in the Pacific NW.
i only own 2 pairs now
the full leather which is about 5 months old
and a mesh type gloves that it replaced
i still keep the mesh type though it’s worn off (as in i had to sew the ends of the fingers of the gloves) as a backup if its raining or the leather glove is to be cleaned
i started wearing gloves with the intention of keeping my hands off dirt when i ride to work so my very first pair was a cheap textile gloves with some design effort for protection. i got it for P250 (about $2.50)
When i got my first motor cycle crash, i was wearing that pair and it literally got torn on the palm. good thing that my palm was undamaged but i decided not to use it again…
Unfortunately, my glove collection, though it may have seven or eight pairs would be bigger if they made larger sizes. I wear a size 18 ring on my ring finger and 3x are usually the largest I can find. Then when I try to ride with them, they cause my hands to cramp. SO, I have one half pair and one set of Gautlets that see ALOT of wear. Where are the bigger gloves…4X & up.
Yeah, I am…guilty! They are the weak link to my riding though. I don’t give a lot of attention to weather when I select them and then berate myself when it get’s cold. Shoulda, coulda, gonna…! Fall protection is my biggest concern when buying a pair. I usually get mechanics type, armored knuckles, leather palm and fingers with velcro at the wrist.