Gloves What gloves do you wear for daily riding?

SMSW

Joined
Sep 4, 2013
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Location
Cleveland
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2010 ST1300
@Jethro posted a thread about some gloves available at Princess Auto that generated some questions re suitability for riding.

What gloves do you wear day in and day out when riding? Daily rides as well as longer trips (if there is a difference).

I wear a pair of Lee Parks deerskin gloves w/ a reinforced palm and knuckles, but I have to admit I wonder how much protection they would provide in a long slide. They are getting old, and sometimes I wear a pair of deerskin work gloves (probably not a good idea) that fit well.

Sullivan and Fox Creek deerskin gloves - for motorcycles - look to me to be very similar to my deerskin work gloves - questionable?

Fit is a big problem for me. My hands are broad with short fingers, so medium sizes are too small, and large yield fingers that are too long. Held gloves, for all their sizes, were a big disappointment - they don't fit my hands.
 
From experience SMSW, and I don't want to repeat it, in the event of a spill your hands will come in contact with the ground. They just will. I have a displaced knuckle and a tethered tendon on my left hand from one such moment and these injuries occurred whilst wearing bike gloves. The mess without proper protection may have been a lot worse.
It's bike gloves for me 100%.
Upt'North.
 
they're all good until you fall off, just like the bucket helmets.

You may or may not hit your head in a get-off, but you'll almost certainly put out your hands instinctively to break your fall. So to me, good gloves are more important than a good helmet.

I've never worn them, but I thought Lee Parks gloves were well regarded.

I have owned quite a few pairs over the years of various brands, and have always gone with the better quality ones for motorcycle-specific use.
 
I have been using First Gear mesh gloves for years. The mesh is on the back so they let some air in, but the palms are leather. They also have armor on the knuckles and fingers with the mesh. The Lee Parks gloves are very good durable gloves because of the thick deerskin. They are like the leather suites that racers wear.

I was in Law Enforcement for over 30 years and investigated way too many motorcycle accidents. Non armor gloves like the ones Jethro is showing just shred when they hit the pavement. The hand joints just grind down on the pavement. Saw it way too many times. Those are just work gloves and at best would be good for ATV or trail riding. But, they are better then nothing.
 
NVDucati said:
When searching for gloves, include the search term "Tactical Gloves"
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Is it any coincidence that when I watch a whole slew of futuristic movies and TV that the gear combatants wear appears to be repurposed motorcycle apparel? From gloves, to boots to protective armor?

How much of the paintball gear - goggles, face shields, chest protectors - started out as motocross gear just redone in black, camo or olive drab after the production run of bright colors of the Lucas Oil series riders are finished?

I personally like to ride wearing tactical boots worn by law enforcement over most riding gear. I like to be comfortable and able to walk while off the bike. Especially when visiting destinations with hiking trails.

Think there's a family resemblance?

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Maybe someone can help with my search? I'm looking for a quality pair of deerskin gauntlets, as I need the longer glove to protect a thin patch of skin that gets exposed to UV at the wrist when riding in my Klim jacket.

I was hoping to find a pair at this year's Vancouver Motorcycle Show, from a woman that usually had a booth there, but the show was cancelled, due to manufacturer supply issues apparently.
 
I've used Tour Master gloves for over 15 years. At first only when the temps dropped below 60F with cheap deer skin work gloves in warmer weather. But then I realized that since I ride more in warmer weather it is more likely I'd go down while wearing warmer weather gloves. So I went to the Tour Master summer gloves with at least come armored panels in the right places.

Currently my daily rider gloves are Tour Master Mid-Tex gloves for cool to cold weather, since Christmas. When used in my handlebar muffs and heated grips my hands are warm down below zeroF. They have extra thick panels for armor over the knuckles and thickened leather on the palm. In temps above 60F I remove the handlebar muffs and change over to my Alpinestars Copper gloves. These have a hard armor plate that covers the finger knuckles as well as thickened leather on the palm. Both pair of gloves are not so pricey as what you can get in other brands but are not really any less for protection.

@Bush , jump on over to https://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/gloves/ to browse a large selection of gloves. There are a lot of deerskin gloves mixed in many of the brands. I always look there first and then shop all over, including Amazon and Google shopping, for the specific brand/model glove I am interested in. Sometimes I buy from Motorcycle Gear and sometimes from elsewhere. Motorcycle Gear has excellent reviews for their stuff (Our Two Cents) and also a really good guide to sizing. I've never been steered wrong by them with that information.

edit: Before last Christmas I was wearing Tour Master Polar-Tex 2 gloves for cooler weather, and TM Polar-Tex 1 gloves before that. Each of those lasted about 6 years each at least.
 
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I'll admit that I often ride with minimalist gloves, particularly in the summer. And that's a bit of a contradiction to my usual stand-up ATGATT attitude.
Just being real.
I have purchased a couple or three pairs of hi-zoot, hi-dollar gloves, including the famous Held name... that basically disintegrated in 2 seasons.
No crashes, by the way.
The stitching just let go, much to my disappointment. Another pair, forget the name, did much the same. I'll add that, regardless of the "name", the tag stated "Made in Pakistan" on one pair, and some other offshore place in the other.
Not exactly confidence-inspiring.
I'm comfortable with a $40 pair of cowhide ropers or similar most of the time, but only because I haven't wrecked my hands yet...
 
Tourmaster/Cortech Hyper-Flo mesh, Olympia summer weight gloves, deerskin work gloves - sometimes I insert a silk liner in these, Tourmaster Mid Tex, Gerbing T3s depending on the weather. One glove can't possible serve.
 
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Held Freezer gloves in the Winter when it gets too cold for just the heated grips. Z1R Reaper's for anything else. Have a new set of Z1R 270's that I've not opened yet. I also bought the 270 in perforated but it was sewn wrong so I sent it back and have not replaced it yet.

The Z1R's have some hard knuckle protection, palm padding and are all leather. Price is reasonable,
The Held's are a gauntlet style, leather & Gortex but no armor.
270's were bought as they don't make the Reaper's anymore so this was the next reasonable priced alternative. The Reapers have stood up well for daily use.
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rjs987 said:
@Bush , jump on over to https://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/gloves/ to browse a large selection of gloves. There are a lot of deerskin gloves mixed in many of the brands. I always look there first and then shop all over, including Amazon and Google shopping, for the specific brand/model glove I am interested in. Sometimes I buy from Motorcycle Gear and sometimes from elsewhere. Motorcycle Gear has excellent reviews for their stuff (Our Two Cents) and also a really good guide to sizing. I've never been steered wrong by them with that information.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link Robert!
 
Sadlsor said:
I have purchased a couple or three pairs of hi-zoot, hi-dollar gloves, including the famous Held name... that basically disintegrated in 2 seasons.
No crashes, by the way.
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Back in the day when I used to ride a lot more than I do now, my riding buddy had similar issues. He theorized that possibly his sweat chemistry had something to do with it, as I never had issues and we sometimes wore the same brand gloves while riding in the same weather.
 
Hatch NS430 Tactical Gloves. I've worn Hatch Tacticals for the past 15 years...
Added bonus: They are touch screen friendly.
 
Da Bear said:
Hatch NS430 Tactical Gloves. I've worn Hatch Tacticals for the past 15 years...
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Based on the suggestion to look for tactical gloves, I looked up these NS430. This is what I found:
Hatch NS430 Specialist Black Tactical Gloves Features:
  • Constructed of neoprene for comfort, flexibility and warmth
  • Palms made of Synsi-feel synthetic leather for excellent grip and accurate feel
  • Extreme-grip sewn onto palms and fingertips for maximum grip
  • Hook and loop closures keep gloves firmly in place
I am skeptical that a neoprene glove will provide the durabiliy and abrasion resistance to protect hands when sliding down the road. these seem to be designed for max grip and feel rather than abrasion protection.

ST1300A said:
Most of the time I'm wearing a pair of Sullivan gloves (www.sullivanglove.com), mostly their deerskin gloves, Great gloves, made in the US. Not cheep though!
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I've looked at these (as I mentioned) and seriously considered buying a pair. Do they look to you like they will provide decent protection? I have a pair of custom made Thurlow gloves (and a jacket) that I wore for a few years. I stopped because they seemed to be more of a dress glove than a mc protective glove. They are soft and supple, made of deerskin, and fit like a second skin. After a short time, I don't even know I'm wearing gloves. Unfortunately, Thurlow is gone, and the gloves were only single layer, not reinforced on palm and knuckles (like Lee Parks).

@Obo - the Z1R 270 are only $40 at Revzilla. They look good and at a modest price! I'll probably pick up a pair to try - in fact, since Cycle Gear is owned by Revzilla, and there is a new CG store 5 min away from my home, I'll stop there first to see if they have them in stock.
 
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