Price and availability confirmed at time of publication. Subject to change, please visit the product website for the latest prices and availability.
From Aerostitch to Hugger, these eight pairs of motorcycle riding gloves provide quality, durability and style for your motorcycle riding gear collection:
1. Depending on your climate, warm weather may be drawing to a close for the year. So if you’re looking for a pair of motorcycle riding gloves that are comfortable in a variety of riding temperatures (except truly cold!), look no farther. Aerostich bills their Hot Weather Vegan gloves as a summer glove “ideal for all warm to hot weather rides.” They’re right, except we’ve found them nice even on 50-degree mornings. Unlike some other heavily-vented riding gloves, these feel like you’re wearing something that won’t grind away immediately if you were to hit the pavement. They’re short, without a gauntlet, but still feature a hook-and-loop closure at the wrist. There are double layers of material in the slide areas, along with a lightweight knuckle protection built in on top. No bling, lots of comfort. Order a size larger than you normally wear, as they fit tight. We ordered a large instead of a medium, and they fit well, but snug. Price: $47.
2. Definitely a summer-only riding glove, Tourmaster’s Intake Air Gloves move more air than almost anything out there. The backhand is made with abrasion-resistant Armor-Link mesh set off with perforated goatskin. They also feature Carbolex-covered EVA foam knuckle padding and wrist armor, and the palm is made of perforated goatskin with a light EVA foam padding to reduce shock and vibration. They feature a medium-length (but not a full gauntlet) cuff with a hook-and-loop wrist closure. Thin and light, they are very comfortable and cool, even on 95 degree-plus days. While they may lack the protection of some of the heavier motorcycle riding gloves here, summer gear is often a trade-off of safety versus comfort. Available in red, black, blue, silver and white. Price: $39.99.
3. Fulmer used to just make helmets, but now they make a full range of motorcycle riding gear from gloves to jackets and pants and more. We’ve been wearing a pair of their Deerskin Summer Weight Gloves (G11). They feature a one-piece deerskin leather palm with a cool, breathable and stretchy material on the top of the hand. Easy to put on and pull off, they feature a hook-and-loop closure at the cuff and deerskin reinforcements at the finger tips and knuckles. Minimalist and lightweight, they are comfortable and won’t get in your way, but they are a little thin for our preference. Price: $25.95.Â
4. These Sparta Gloves from British Motorcycle Gear are another lightweight, warm-weather riding glove. They feature 0.8mm cowhide skin in the palm with a durable, abrasion-resistant nylon fabric at the back of the hand. Breathable, comfortable and stretchy, they feature a double-layer of leather across the impact areas of the palm, along with gel-type padding across the knuckles. Flexible, lightweight but well-made, we’re betting we get a lot of miles out of these. Price: $59.Â
5. One of the latest short motorcycle riding gloves from Joe Rocket is the new Supermoto 2.0 Glove. Made of drum-dyed leather, they feature the same protection as the old Supermoto glove, which is quite a lot. The palm and knuckles wear carbon pads for slide protection, and the knuckles feature a two-piece, injection-molded split-knuckle armor that makes you feel like the Dark Knight himself. Though the armor feels a little invading at first, it does make you feel like you’d do alright in a concrete versus glove battle. They also feature a short, breathable, perspiration-wicking cuff. Available in black, blue, red and gunmetal (silver). Price: $69.99.
6. As much as we like plain black motorcycle riding gear, brown and tan leathers can be a nice change without making you feel like a road racer. Held’s Classic gloves are available in both a cool black/tan color pattern (shown) and all black. And when they say “classic,” they aren’t kidding. These are exactly the cut of motorcycle riding glove you’d expect if you walked into a bike shop 45 years ago, only the materials and finishing are completely 2012. Made with an outer shell of soft cowhide and an inner lining of 35 percent cotton and 65 percent polyester, they feature a traditional-length (i.e., longer) gauntlet. No armor, no reflective piping, no flash. Just good leather and a nice lining sewn together very well. Their one “feature” is a nice snap-closure band at the wrist. Price: $59.99.
7. These Classic Riding Gloves from Hugger feature everything you’d expect in a nice set of leather riding gloves, with the added bonus of being waterproof. They feature a seamless palm made from Technaline waterproof leather, an elasticized wrist with a hook-and-loop closure strap, and a liner made of Wonder Dry, which absorbs moisture from your skin and releases it after you’ve taken the gloves off. Soft and comfortable, they’re well-made and break in nicely. A solid pair of traditional leather gloves with updated features. Nice. Price $45.
8. Looking for something a little different, we ordered a pair of Deer Tours Black Outseam gloves from Lee Parks Design. Described as “premium riding gloves for touring and cruising,” they are probably the most comfortable motorcycle riding gloves here. After less than 100 miles they felt like we’d been wearing them for years, completely broken in and oh-so soft. Good for a variety of temperatures, they’re made of 2.75-ounce deerskin. They feature a seamless palm with a double-stiched Ergo Tech palm patch that doesn’t bunch up and provides strong abrasion resistance. All the rest of the seams are on the outside — hence the name — which make them feel more like a second skin than a pair of gloves. Hand washable and repairable at the company’s U.S. factory if you damage them, they may be our new go-to favorite. They’re not cheap, but they’re the only gloves here made in the good old U.S. of A. Price: $84.95.