Riding motorcycle is fun, but there are lots of factors that can spoil the fun.
One of them is inappropriate riding gears, which will make you less comfortable on the motorcycle and therefore make you unable to fully enjoy the ride.
To avoid such problem, pay attention to detail, not only to your motorcycle, but to your riding attire. This includes accessories such as hand gloves.
In fact, hand gloves, even if it small and looks insignificant, can affect your entire ride.
Gloves give you a better grip on the sometimes slippery handle in the motorcycle, especially if you sweat a lot.
Gloves also protect the back of your hand from sunshine and offer extra protection if you somehow gets involved in a small accident.
To pick the perfect hand gloves for riding, there are four aspects you’ll want to consider.
They are the material, the fitness, the versatility and the feature. If you get the four aspects right, you’ll feel more comfortable during your ride.
Materials
There are various materials for gloves, but the best for riding is leather. Leather is thick enough for protection, but also flexible enough to give you better grip and comfort.
Leather is also waterproof, so even when you’re riding under the rain, your hands won’t be wet or feel cold.
However, leather can still be separated into several types and each has its own characteristics.
Leather from cowhide is thick and heavy. However, thanks to that, it offers high protection.
Another, popular natural leather is Kangaroo skin. It is almost as strong as cowhide but thinner, so it is not as rigid and heavy.
Sometimes, to take the best of both materials, you can find a glove with cowhide on the back of the hand and kangaroo skin on the palm.
Another thing you should check is the lining of the material. Where are the stitches located, inside the gloves or outside?
If they are inside, try the gloves first before buying and make sure they don’t chaff your skin and make you uncomfortable.
Fitness
A fit gloves is not too big for your hand, but not too restrictive as well.
If it is too loose, it will make your hand slips a lot inside the gloves, distracting you from the ride.
If it is too restrictive, you may feel a tingling sensation on your palm as the blood couldn’t flow easily due to the pressure from the gloves.
Gloves and jacket are very important for a motorcycle rider. Also, because both of them protect your upper body, it is important for your gloves and jacket to fit each other.
Fit means that your gloves and jacket can overlap each other without making too much bulge or making you uncomfortable.
However, since jacket is obviously more expensive, you should make sure the glove fits the jacket instead of the other way around.
Versatility
The best riding gloves will differ according to the kind of motorcycle you’re riding and the season.
If you ride a sport bike, usually the palm of your hand will support a lot of weight.
You can look for specific gloves for sport bike, which is usually pre-curved in the factory so it can offer the best support.
Meanwhile, other type of motorcycle usually will not put as much weight on your hand so there is no need for pre-curved gloves.
It’s almost impossible to get a glove that works in both cold and warm weather.
Cold weather gloves will be thicker to insulate heat, and long as well so you can cover your wrist with it and overlap it with your jacket.
Warm weather gloves should have excellent ventilation to prevent you from sweating too much.
Features
Several features that will help you as you ride are armor in the knuckles and heel of the palm and strap closures.
The first feature is extra protection in case of crash, and the second feature will keep the gloves in place.
Another feature to consider is tiny carbon fiber buds on the palm of the gloves.
Not only they will provide extra grip for the motorcycle handle, they can also offer protection to your palm in case of crash.
Another feature to check is the ventilation for warm weather gloves and insulation for cold weather gloves.
Looking for all the aspects above right in a pair of gloves can be difficult.
However, don’t be discouraged to try as many pair of gloves as possible until you find the perfect one.
Take your time when shopping for gloves. After all, you’ve learned how important a good pair of riding gloves for your ride.
Once you have purchased your riding gloves, you have to clean them regularly.
Even if gloves typically don’t get that much dirty, they are still exposed to the outdoor environment and regularly absorb your sweat as well.
Once every few months, wash them in warm water with light soap. Rinse the soap with cold water and let them dry naturally.
You don’t iron gloves, as the heat will definitely ruin the material, especially if they are made from synthetic leather.
Check all the stitching and see if there is any loose thread. If you find any, glue the loose part together to seal the space close. If you let the tear stay gaping, the other stitches may soon follow loose.
This is a small guide for choosing hand gloves for riding.
If we have missed something, let us know through comments.
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