Shark Leather’s Shopping Guide to Buying Motorcycle Gloves

How to choose motorcycle gloves for the perfect grip

Whether you’re on the road or tearing up the racing track, it’s important to protect your hands. Motorcycle gloves are your first line of defence. Maintaining a good grip is imperative when you’re riding, so choosing the right pair of gloves will help ensure your safety.

With so many brands proclaiming to be the best motorcycle gloves and a huge range of style to choose from, it can be hard to make a decision.

If you’re visiting our Shark Motorcycles Leather store in Helensvale on the Gold Coast, our friendly staff in store can help. If you’re buying motorcycle gloves online, this glove buying guide will help you decide on the right fit for you.

Things to take into consideration before purchasing motorcycle gloves

The weather
Whether you’re racing superbikes at Philips Island or road-tripping across the ditch in New Zealand, you need to take the weather into consideration. Sweating’s fine when you’re working out, but when you’re riding it can make your gloves extremely uncomfortable. Look for gloves with breathability, vented ports like the Bronx Air Gloves or include the use of mesh like the affordable Ventilator 3 gloves with touchscreen technology. If you live where it rains a lot, wet weather gloves like Five Gloves with WFX waterproof skin and extra grip will ensure you maintain a good handle on your bike and stay dry.

Stitching

Not all stitching is created equal. If you’re wanting gloves that are really going to protect your hands during a high-speed accident (especially important if you’re racing), look for double-stitched or triple stitched gloves that use abrasion resistant high-tensile thread such as our very own Shark brand GP 17 Race Glove.

The length

The longer the glove, the better the protection. The longer gloves are often referred to as gauntlet gloves (extend past the wrist). They provide added protection for during crashes and also keep you warm during cold or wet weather. Shorter gloves are usually worn during and summer and provide you with more mobility.

Touchscreen technology

Say goodbye to the hassle of trying to remove your gloves just to use your smartphone. Thumb and index finger enhanced gloves allow you to use your GPS, mobile phone and a myriad of other techy gadgets without taking your gloves off. Many riders opt for fingerless gloves and compromise their safety.

Sizing

You want your gloves to fit snuggly, but not be so tight that they cut off your circulation or feel uncomfortable and restrict your motion. Nor should they be too big, as it reduces your handling on the bike, your hands move around inside the glove which can be distracting and during wet weather, the rain that runs down your sleeve may just drip straight into your glove.

To get the correct measurements when you’re buying motorcycle gloves online is to put your hand flat on a tape measure, and take the measurement from the knuckle of your forefinger to the knuckle on your pinkie. It pays to take the measurements of both hands
because quite often, one hand will be slightly larger than the other. If this is the case, opt for the larger sized glove.

When you’re trying to decide between leather and textile gloves, remember that textile gloves won’t stretch or give at all. Leather gloves will run in and give by about 5%.

What’s the best motorcycle gloves to buy?

The best type of motorcycle gloves is not an easy answer. There is such a huge variety of brands and styles to choose from. It comes down to your needs and riding style.

Fingerless gloves

Great for a summer’s day and good for when you need your fingers to thumb through your smartphone and while they provide some padding, they don’t offer full protection. In saying that, they look super cool and are better than no gloves at all.

Gauntlet gloves

Designed for the professional racer with the added protection that covers or slides under your bike jacket. Extends past the wrist to the forearm for safety in case of a high-speed crash.

Short cuff gloves

Provide more flexibility and are ideal during street cruising during summer. They are lightweight compared to gauntlet gloves and offer value for money.

How much should I spend on motorcycle gloves?

It’s not unusual for exclusive renowned brand-name gloves with all the bells and whistles to cost in excess of $500, but it doesn’t mean you have to spend that much to get the hand protection you need. There are really good gloves no matter what your budget is. The price will be influenced by a number of different things such as the material it’s constructed with,
the type of features and how much protection they provide. Obviously, the fingerless gloves are at the lower end of the scale, while the professional waterproof gauntlet race gloves at more costly.

Explore the range of motorcycle gloves Shark’s Motorcycle Leathers stock and if you have any questions, check out our frequently asked questions, online shopping guides or feel free to call and talk to one of our expert team.