Motorcycle Riding Gloves & Accessories for Hand Protection 

Protecting your hands during motorcycle rides is one of the most important things you can do, especially since you need those hands to be able to fire up, control and repair your bike.

Your hands can experience fatigue from repeated gripping and shifting, not to mention motorcycle vibrations. Constant exposure to the elements like wind, rain, sun and snow while riding can also have negative effects on your hands. Numbness, windburn, forearm fatigue and throttle hand pain are some of the effects motorcycle drivers experience from regular riding.

The best protection for your hands when riding a motorcycle is of course gloves, but there are other items you may not have thought of. Here are some accessories and riding gear to consider for protecting your hands and wrists while riding a motorcycle.

Wrist Brace

Mostly recommended for dirt bike riding, a wrist brace is an optional piece of protective gear used by riders who have experienced wrist pain or injuries. The wrist brace is designed to prevent hyperextension and provide additional protection during a crash. Even if you’ve never had a wrist injury or pain, (no pun intended) it doesn’t hurt to have one.

Palm Protectors

For palm comfort, palm protectors can be worn underneath motorcycle gloves to protect your hands from blisters and vibration, and to provide better grip. They’re an added layer of protection to allow you to ride longer with more comfort and less pain.

Wind Guards

Also known as hand guards, brush guards and handlebar wind deflectors, these accessories are usually made of heavy duty plastic, and are mounted on the handlebars to shield your hands from wind, and from flying debris.

Heated Grips

These grips are a great accessory for keeping your hands warm in cold weather riding conditions. Hand/thumb warmer kits are also an alternative to consider. Heated grips are easy to install, and come in a variety of styles for different motorcycle types (street bikes, dirt bikes, cruisers, etc.). Once installed, they keep your palms and fingers warm when you grip them. These grips are good for short treks, and in weather that’s chilly enough, but perhaps not ideal for freezing temperatures. 

So now that we’ve covered a few non-glove accessories to protect your hands, here are (again, no pun intended) a handful of motorcycle riding glove types to consider.

Heated Gloves

Where heated grips may not suffice, heated gloves will do the trick. These gloves protect entire hands from top to bottom from frosty weather. On heated grips, you curl your thumbs and fingertips around the grips for warmth, but the top of your hand is still exposed. And your hands aren’t protected when you take them off the grips. (Once again, no pun intended) On the other hand, heated gloves keep your entire hands warm at all times while you’re wearing them. These gloves come in rechargeable battery-powered and wired bike-powered options, as well as hybrids of both.

Gauntlet Gloves

The style known as gauntlet gloves are elongated to protect both your hands and wrists, and are designed to prevent cold air from creeping up your sleeve. They’re typically made of leather, come in heated and non-heated varieties, and the extended cuff can go over or under a motorcycle jacket sleeve. They may also include armored padding.

Armored Riding Gloves

Speaking of armored padding, for maximum protection for your hands during a motorcycle crash, armored gloves are the way to go. These specialty gloves are padded not only to protect your hands from impact, cuts and scrapes during a motorcycle crash, but to provide more comfort from vibration and for grip control while you’re riding. Armored gloves are more expensive than other motorcycle riding gloves, but they’re worth the investment when it comes to protecting your hands.

Shopping for Motorcycle Gloves

Always try on any pair of motorcycle gloves before buying them to ensure you’re not only getting the right amount of protection, but also a good degree of mobility. 

Also, keep palm protection in mind, as many standard motorcycle gloves don’t have much padding for the palms. Your palms are usually the first thing to hit the pavement during a fall, as your instinct is to put your hands out in front of you to break the fall, so a little extra palm padding is something to consider. 

Don’t forget about your knuckles, as a broken knuckle is enough to put you out of riding for an indefinite amount of time. Effective motorcycle gloves tend to have hard knuckles for maximum impact protection, so if you come across a pair with weak knuckle protection, you might want to try on a different pair. 

Lastly, when shopping for motorcycle gloves, seek out a pair designed to reduce hand fatigue. Look for features like gel filling, palm and finger padding, and slip- and vibration-resistance, as well as comfort and fit. If the gloves are labeled as “windproof”, even better, as they’re made with a laminated film on the interior or exterior of the glove to prevent windburn.