About 30% of motorcyclists' injuries are to the hands and 23% to the wrists.¹ Imagine what it is like to lose part or all of the functions of your hands.

Gloves need to keep your hands warm, not sweaty. They must be sufficiently robust to provide protection from harm without restricting your ability to operate controls. They will be of little use unless designed and fitted to stay on in a crash.

If gloves meet the European standard (a minimum of 2.5 seconds abrasion resistance) they will be marked EN 13594. If not, don't treat your hands as an afterthought. (You and your machine may need them again one day.) Here's what to look for:

• Do they cover at least 50 mm beyond the wrist joint and provide impact protection over the knuckle? (Multiple layers of material such as Kevlar.)
• The base of the palm also needs to be covered with abrasion-resistant material that will withstand you sliding on your hands along the road.
• How are they fastened? If you have to pull them on, they can also be pulled off. Test the fastening system by having someone try to yank the gloves off.
• Do they fit your hand without feeling tight or too loose? Head out to your bike and test them by holding the handlebars. Then perform the following checks:

1. Can you feel and operate all controls and switches?
2. Can you adjust your visor?
3. Are you aware of any tightness or pressure points, such as at the tips of fingers?
4. Is there any bunching of fabric or padding? Pre-curved construction will avoid this.

• There should also not be any hard seams or sharp edges such as staples or buckles penetrating the protective layer of the glove. Avoid metal studs. Keep in mind friction can turn metal studs into searing hot points.
• Vents on the back of the hand allow air flow for cooling, but look at the design. How is the vent positioned and attached to the main protective layer? The vent may also provide a tear point for the main protective layer in a crash.
• How are the fingers protected? Your little finger could be the first part of you to hit the road. They can take the full weight of your twisting body and can be wrenched into unnatural positions resulting in permanent damage or amputation. Gloves with webbing between the little finger and the next finger are designed to reduce such injuries.
• Look at the stitching, it should be regular with no dropped stitches as this may lead to seams bursting under pressure. Seams should also be external rather than internal so they do not rub and irritate the skin.
• How are any protective layers attached? Any additional layers should be double stitched. Check too, to ensure that additional layers are stitched on top of the main protective layer, rather than merely a separate double section that has been sewn in. Such an inserted double section is actually weaker and will leave your skin exposed if ripped off.
• Finally, are they marked as complying with ISO 11642, which is a test of colour fastness in water? This will mean your hands avoid being stained every time the gloves get wet.

1) Otte, D. & Middelhauve, V. (1987), Quantification of protective effects of special synthetic protectors in clothing for motorcyclists, 1987 International RCOBI Conference of the Biomechanics of Impacts, Birmingham, pp 1-18.