Best Cafe Racer Motorcycle Gloves You Need to Know
Motorcycle enthusiasts understand that the gear they use when they are riding their bikes is a huge part of the experience and it's not even close to the same thing if they are wearing something that isn't suitable for the occasion. Best café racer suitable motorcycle gloves are certainly a huge part of this gear we mentioned and they play an important role which is why it's extremely important to have the best gloves possible for the best experience. Gloves are worn for style as much as protection and functionality and there are different types of gloves for different seasons like summer & winter.
Depending on the season, riders can pick different gloves because in summer it might get too hot to wear gloves that have thermal insulation to keep your fingers warm while fingerless gloves are unsuitable for winter because your fingers will freeze, especially if you like riding fast. So we prepared an article that looks at the features and qualities of some of the best gloves for motorcycles allowing you to have the necessary information needed to pick the pair that will fit you the most in style, comfort, protection and functionality but before we get to our recommended gloves let's take a look the gloves on the market from a general perspective.
Gloves on the Market
Motorcycle gloves aren't just there to add to your style and you can earn style points for wearing a pair. They can seriously protect you and prevent you from falling down by offering extra control over the motorcycle. They prevent your palm from getting sweaty and slippery which is a common reason why riders are losing control of their motorcycles. Additionally they can protect you if you tumble of your bike because a lot of them have protection systems in place like extra padding and hard knuckles. The best gloves have a lot of features that designers thought about and made them extremely useful for riders including functionality, material, and protection. There are a lot of brands on the market that offer different kinds of styles and are made out of different materials but most of them are contributing to the riders and are worth their price.
Cafe Racer Style Gloves
There are many different styles of gloves that riders can go for and depending on the style of the rider they can go for different types of gloves from many different brands on the market. But the best gloves aren't only different in their style and looks. They also differ in the amount of protection they provide the wearer, the material they are made of and the functionality they offer to the rider because the primary use of motorcycle gloves isn't just to look cool. It would actually come in a last place if we have to put an order in which we measure the importance of features.
Protection
The primary purpose of wearing motorcycle gloves is protection from the elements and potential accidents that might happen when you ride, especially if you're the type that wants to go fast. Gloves would make sure in the rain your hands are protected from the water and the cold while in summer they would ensure that they don't get sunburns. They also protect the rider from possible crashes as they are infused with padding technology that would absorb shocks and impact and many of them have hard knuckles made out of PVC or other material that further protects the entire hand should a crash occur due to unforeseen circumstances. In this case, the gloves would protect your skin from bruising if you fall down and slide on the road because you were going fast and slipped while the hard shell knuckles will ensure protection of your bones and prevent them from breaking till certain point.
Functionality
The functionality of the glove is the second most important thing that it offers to the rider because the best gloves are designed to have a grip that will prevent your hand from slipping and you are less likely to lose control of your motorcycle. A special material is used in certain parts of the glove to make sure that your hands are stable and won't slip during your ride no matter what the weather conditions may be. Even in rain, the water won't affect the grip of your hand when you're wearing gloves specifically designed for motorcycles. It also prevents accidents by absorbing the moisture of your palm that happens when you're riding for longer period of time or during the summer when it's hot. The gloves have special moisture absorption materials on the inside that are specifically designed for this purpose and they also have a ventilation system that allows the hand to breathe naturally through the leather.
Material
Most gloves are made out of leather because it's proven to be the best material for motorcycle gloves because of the protection and functionality it has but also because it looks the coolest and most stylish. The outside of many gloves is made out of some kind of leather and different companies use different type of leather to manufacture their gloves. While most of the glove is leather there are parts that are covered with a different type of non-slip material that improves the grip of your hand and prevents it from slipping when the weather conditions aren't great. The inside is made of different types of fabrics for padding to increase the impact absorption and some parts include fabrics that absorb moisture to keep your hands as dry as possible.
Style
There are a lot of brands that offer very stylish motorcycle gloves and while it's the last thing that should be on your mind when picking out the best gloves for riding, it still contributes to the choice because we all want to look cool when we ride so we can feel confident and have the best possible time. So far we believe that the full leather gloves are the most stylish ones and the ones that look the coolest but some people might go for fingerless while other may pick a different material that works best for them. Sometimes it also depends on the type or ride you have. If you're going fast than fingerless gloves aren't a great choice because your fingers would freeze and might cause you to lose control of the motorcycle.
Our Top Picks
While there are a lot of different brands of glove makers that offer their products both online and in their stores, there are some that are much better than others in the quality and attention to detail with which they are made. The competition is vast and everyone are trying to bring out their best product but regardless of trying, some companies have better product than others. They differentiate themselves from the rest by implementing better features, materials, stitching and padding. The ones that we use and recommend are the following.
Biltwell Work Gloves Chocolate
These gloves are definitely the best ones that we recommend to everyone out there because they are extremely versatile for all riders who like functional gloves. They are 100% leather and are constructed with fleece half liner to add to the comfort. They are also perfect for summer, fall and spring.
They have some amazing features as well including anatomically designed suede panels for the palms that have padding inside that can absorb shock and resist abrasion. Wrist opening that can be adjusted with elastic gathers and leather closure and a fleece tricot half liner that won't make you sweat too much. They use single and double needle polyester stitching.
The price of this pair of gloves is $49.95 and you can pick them in a few colors although the chocolate one is the one we recommend as we believe it's the most stylish of them all. They also have different sizes that you can choose from and considering all the features these gloves have and how cool they look, the price is just right and buying them is totally worth it.
Alpinestars Mustang V2 Leather Black
Gloves that offer an extremely good protection as they have PVC knuckles in the leather construction that protects the rider from impacts. They are perfect for every season even though they are made out of leather because they have places made out of perforated leather that lets the hand cool down and breathe in the hot summer days.
The amazing features is what makes this glove among our top choices and recommendations like the perforation zones for increased breathability among the full leather construction. The glove also has a synthetic suede material as reinforcement on the sides and padding in the landing areas for increased safety. An important feature for safety are also the hard PVC knuckles that are covered by leather. They have an ergonomic design so your palm feels comfortable at all times and they have extra foam padding on the fingers. The palm and thumb are reinforced with an advance poly blend for much better grip. The fingertips are compatible with using touchscreen smartphones and tablets.
These cost a bit more than the previous ones and their price is $89.95 but when you take the extra features they have into consideration and the increased safety they offer because of the padding and hard PVC knuckles, if you're riding a fast motorcycle these are much more advantageous for you. They come in a few colors and sizes and they can be found in many motorcycle shops and online stores.
Leather Motorcycle Gloves Fingerless Yellow, Thin
These are the simplest gloves on the market and definitely the cheapest because of their simplicity. They are made out of leather and are best used for casual riders that don't enjoy going too fast because these gloves don't offer a hardcore protection like the ones we presented before.
These gloves are entirely made out of leather but the protection they offer is minimal and not suitable if you like to ride very fast. They are perfect for summer days because your fingers are not concealed and your hand can breathe but they can be worn during late spring and early fall too while the weather is still not cold enough for your fingers to freeze. They are easy to put on and take off and perfect if you're looking to improve your grip when riding.
This pair of gloves is the cheapest and most affordable but if you're looking to get protection out of your gloves for faster riding you won't get much from them. They are about $8 and can be easily found on Amazon and shipped directly to your home.
Joe Rocket WindChill
The best winter gloves without any doubts or suspicions because they will keep your hands warm even in the coldest weather. They are extremely well made and waterproof while they are also insulated for warmth.
The features they have are quite amazing too as they have a mid-liner that is waterproof and 100G thinsulate. The knuckle armor that is high density integrated in the leather gives a lot of protection in case of accidents and impacts and the entire glove is reinforced with leather. There is a gel in the palm area that dissipates vibration and their design is perfectly made for riding because it's pre-curved. The fingers have expansion panels for extra comfort and the securing the glove to your hand is easily done by using the secure hook on the wrist.
This glove is totally worth the price of $76.49 because of how much it offers to the rider in terms of safety and shock absorption but it's also extremely well made and looks very cool and stylish at the same time. It provides the rider with the perfect grip as well and it's definitely one that belong on our top picks list.
Conclusion
Making sure that the gloves you pick aren't just for the looks and style points but also for protection and functionality is extremely important to increase your safety on the road from any potential accidents.
There are many brands that make great pair of gloves and as motorcycle enthusiasts we tried a lot of them but the best gloves we enjoyed the most include those that we shared above as our top picks.
Contributor: Ryan Simon Smith