HOW MANY MOTORCYCLE GLOVES DO YOU OWN?

Can a motorcyclist own too many pairs of riding gloves? If you are an avid rider, you may already have a collection of them that you consult when you start your engine.

Perhaps you have riding gloves for hot weather, another pair for cool weather, and different gloves altogether for when it’s raining.  You might even have “rain covers” for your gloves, which can offer more wet-weather protection than “waterproof” motorcycle gloves.  (I’ve owned many pairs of waterproof motorcycle gloves over the years and I find they work well only in light, non-prolonged, rainy conditions).  And, then again, there may very well be your “favorite” gloves.  They are the most worn, and perhaps even on the verge of being worn-out.  Those gloves offer the best balance of comfort and familiarity and make churning miles over the asphalt or dirt all the more enjoyable.

TWO PRIMARY FUNCTIONS OF BIKER GLOVES

MOTORCYCLE GLOVES serve two primary functions:

#1) Good gloves help to make a rider’s experience more comfortable, enjoyable and safer. A rider’s hands control the throttle, front brake, and clutch, as well as the primary steering inputs directing the motorbike where the rider wants it to go.  However, if the rider’s hands are fatigued, cramped, cold and/or sunburned, any of these conditions can adversely effect a rider’s ability to control his/her bike, particularly in an emergency situation, when split-second, life-threatening, precision command is most needed.

#2) Protecting a rider’s hands in the event of a fall is a vital service that motorcycle gloves offer. No rider, when he hops on his bike considers, “This is the ride I’m going to crash.”  But if/when YOU should meet that occasion, your hands will be extremely vulnerable to damage.  And if you find yourself in that circumstance, the last thing you want to realize is that you are going down without gloves.  I’ve been down a few times in some somewhat spectacular crashes, resulting in two totaled motorcycles.  However, in each scenario, good gloves kept my hands from sustaining injury.  I would never exchange the benefits of having good gloves on my hands at the times I most needed them, even for the benefits of the best insurance, and the best hospital services.

So, is there such a thing as owning too many motorcycle gloves?  I can’t answer that for every individual’s circumstance, but there is definitely such a thing as not wearing the right gloves at the right time.

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MORE AND MORE AND MORE MOTORBIKE GLOVES

I’m guilty.

I have too many MOTORCYCLE GLOVES.

In that regard, I’m comparable to some women and their proclivity for more shoes.

And if someone were to buy me another pair of motorcycle gloves as a gift, I would likely be appreciative.

However, in my opinion, a good selection of MOTORCYCLE GLOVES are more practical than many shoes – but I imagine I could find a person or so who might be argue that point.

PRIMARY CONDUIT TO MOTORBIKE CONTROLS

Regardless, motorcycle gloves are the conduit for the primary control inputs of a motorbike: the hands.

Whether your hands are cold, wet, numb, sun-burned, or in any other way, uncomfortable – the control of your motorcycle can be negatively influenced if you are not wearing the right gloves – or worse yet, no gloves at all.

So, I have gloves for wet-weather riding, motorcycle gloves for summer-riding, motorbike gloves for cool-weather, and cold-weather riding. I even have separate “mechanics gloves” for working on the bikes.

Regardless of what time of year it is, or how nice the weather, or even if you are jumping on your bike for a short errand, a rider should ALWAYS be wearing gloves to protect his/her hands from the elements, and more importantly, from the pavement should something go awry. Even if a rider drops the bike while barely moving in a parking lot, there is a potential for abuse of one’s hands. And of course, most any type of fall, of a more serious nature, will involve the riders hands. The outcome of such an event can be dramatically different for the rider who has bare hands.

Buy and wear Motorcycle Gloves whenever you are riding. Buy ‘em as a gift for yourself or for your favorite biker.

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ELECTRICALLY HEATED APPAREL AIN’T FOR ALL MOTORCYCLE RIDERS

There are a lot of advantages to HEATED MOTORCYCLE APPAREL. But they ain’t for everyone.

Sure, they are the easiest way to extend your riding in cold weather.

Yeah, they can make riding long distances in marginal weather considerably more enjoyable.

And, if you have ever tried any kind of electric vests, liners, gloves, chaps, etc., for motorcycle riders, then you probably swear by them, too.

For whatever reason, I was very slow to adopt the concept, even though they’ve been around for decades.

I didn’t even figure I would get much use out of an electric vest, which I chose because of its compact traveling size when not being worn.

However, after several years of liberal use, I have grown to like the darn thing so much, that I have included it in my gear for summer tours, as well. There are cool nights at high altitudes, or other occasions when the weather is just plain bad, that I’ve been happy to pull out my electric-heated gear and pleasantly make my way forward, when in earlier times I would have needed to shorten my riding pleasure.

THE MAKING OF AN ELECTRIC WIMP

Be forewarned, heated apparel can be like a drug. Once you cross that line and get plugged in, you won’t go back. You’ll become addicted and no amount of rehab will save you.

And if you are the kind of rider that parks your bike when the mercury drops below 70 degrees, you’ll KNOW you are a complete wimp when you could just as well put on some heated garb.

But the worse part is this: If you are a grizzled rider who is the last to put your bike away for the winter, and the first to get it out in the spring; and if you find a certain amount of personal satisfaction in tolerating temperatures that scatter many riders into their cages for protection, then you, too, are at risk!

At first you’ll be happy that you can ride in colder weather quite comfortably. But later on, you’ll find that you plug yourself in at higher and higher temps.

And when you find yourself looking around to make sure you are not being watched because you are putting on heated gear at temperatures you used to consider easily tolerable … well, you’ve turned into an ELECTRIC WIMP …. (But I won’t tell on you).

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HERE’S A BAD GIFT THAT IS SURE TO PROVOKE CONTROVERSY

To state the obvious, FINGERLESS MOTORCYCLE GLOVES do NOT protect your fingers.

OK. I said it.

And yet, fingerless gloves are very fashionable biker apparel, particularly for warm weather.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I wore them for years (when I was a bit younger).

In fact, even back then, at least I would never ride without some kind of gloves.

Fingerless gloves are just so darn comfortable in the summer:

• They’re light
• They allow air to freely circulate, keeping your hands cooler
• Many fingerless gloves provide padding on the palms for protection and comfort for that part of a rider’s hands

And I certainly wasn’t wearing them as a fashion statement back then (in the 1970’s, motorcycle apparel had not yet become the behemoth industry that it has in the 21st century).  I wore them because they were comfortable.

But in terms of function versus modern motorcycle fashion, fingerless gloves are weaker on the function side of things, compared to full-fingered, motorcycle gloves.

It goes without saying that fingerless biker gloves are considerably better than not wearing any gloves at all, since they partially fulfill the fundamental purpose of motorbike gloves. (See Motorcycle Gloves: Two Primary Functions).

And if your loved one requests fingerless biker gloves as a gift – well, I wouldn’t try to talk them out of it. But the fact is, they may be popular, and they certainly are comfortable in hot weather, but from a safety standpoint, a rider is better off with full protection….

FULL-FINGERED MOTORCYCLE GLOVES are simply a better choice from the standpoint of protecting a rider’s fingers should he or she take a tumble.  And on that day, one’s viewpoint about choices between function and fashion (or comfort) becomes more certain.

Even if a rider wearing fingerless gloves NEVER FALLS, and learns the hard way how important every component of rider safety is, fingerless gloves won’t even protect your hands from sunburn, in the exposed areas, as full-fingered gloves would.  (Another thing I learned the hard way).

On the other hand, as stated above, if your friend, family member or loved one SPECIFICALLY requests fingerless gloves, you would be wise to give him or her what they want….

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WHICH IS BETTER – HEATED MOTORCYCLE GLOVES OR HEATED GRIPS?

Jeez, heated motorcycle grips do make crisp morning rides, or cool evening rides, all the more enjoyable.  You can also use thinner gloves for the same cool-temperature riding conditions than you might use if you did not have heated grips.  Some riders prefer thinner gloves to thicker gloves since they can deliver a more sensitive tactile connection to their bike’s controls.

Some motorcycle manufacturers offer HEATED GRIPS as an option on certain bikes, and for a few bikes they are even available as standard equipment.  You can also buy aftermarked heated grips for most any motorbike, which need to be connected to your bike’s electrical system.  Some such aftermarket products are complete grip replacements, some have heating elements that are installed under your grips, and others have heating elements that wrap around the exterior of your existing grips.

All are beneficial for extending your riding enjoyment in cooler temperatures. But if you are truly into COLD weather riding, you may want to consider purchasing heated gloves, which, compared to heated grips, keep both the inside and outside of your hands warm.  Of course, heated grips are only designed to warm the inside of your hands and fingers.  However, heated grips are considerably more convenient, since you simply turn them on with a switch and ride your motorcycle.  Whereas most heated gloves require a manual electrical connection which can take another moment or two of attention every time you get going after taking a break, getting some gas, stopping to take photos, or getting something to eat.

The good news is you have a choice!

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