Motorcycle Gloves

The full family, sorted by what you actually need. Match your temperature range and riding style to a row and you'll land close.

Most riders end up owning two pairs — one warm-weather (short-wrist or perforated) and one cool-weather (lined or fleece-lined gauntlet). If you can only pick one, start with the classic Deerskin Riding Glove and add a gauntlet later.

Deerskin softens faster than any other motorcycle-grade leather. A brand-new pair is snug across the knuckles; within a week of riding it's molded to the shape of your hand and grip. Cowhide never gets there. Kangaroo comes close but costs more and is scarce in the US. Goatskin has similar softness but a slicker grain — better for fingerless summer gloves than full-finger protection.

Our deerskin is American-sourced and dyed through — meaning if you scuff the leather, the color underneath is the same as the color on top. Cheap gloves are dyed on the surface only; a scrape reveals raw fiber underneath within the first season.

Three questions determine which of the three you want:

• How fast do you ride? Above ~50 mph, wind chill through a jacket-sleeve gap becomes real. Gauntlet cuffs close that gap. Below ~40 mph, a short-wrist glove is fine.
• How often do you take gloves on and off? Fingerless is fastest — you keep them on at gas stops. Short-wrist is next. Gauntlets are slowest to remove because the cuff has to come back over the jacket sleeve.
• Crash-protection tolerance? Full-finger gauntlet is the most protection; fingerless is the least. Most short-wrist gloves are in the middle — full-finger protection without the wind seal.

Not a subjective choice — pick by temperature range.

Three specialty features that solve specific problems:

• Fringed cuffs — 4-inch fringe running along the gauntlet cuff, cut from the same hide as the glove so the color matches perfectly. Two use cases: (1) old-school biker style, especially on cruisers, and (2) as a wind-deflector — the fringe actually redirects some of the airflow away from the wrist gap. Available on the Fringed Deerskin Gauntlet and the Buffalo Soldier fleece-lined version.
• Perforated palms/backs — small punched holes across the back of the glove for airflow. Standard on the Perforated Deerskin Driving Glove. Trade: more air in, less crash protection than solid leather. For summer commutes and short rides only.
• Gel palm inserts — a thin gel pad sewn into the palm to absorb high-frequency vibration from the throttle grip. Riders with hand fatigue, carpal tunnel, or long touring days notice the difference. Available on the Deerskin Gel-Pad Glove (full-finger) and the Goatskin Fingerless.

We size XS through XXL. Measure the circumference of your dominant hand at the widest point (across the knuckles, not including the thumb) with a soft tape:

Between sizes? Order the smaller one. Deerskin stretches with wear; a glove that feels perfect on day one is loose within a week. Snug-but-not-tight across the knuckles for the first hour of wear is the target.

A new deerskin glove needs two things: (1) wear time, and (2) periodic conditioning.

Break-in:ride in them. Deerskin conforms to your hand faster than any care product will accelerate. In a week, they're yours.

Conditioning: two or three times a season, work a small amount of leather cream (we like Chilhowee Buffalo Butter) into the exterior. Focus on the palm and knuckle flex points — these dry out first from sweat and sun.

Bleeding (dye on your hands):normal in hot weather with heavy sweat. Hand-wash in warm water with a gentle detergent like Woolite, work the leather while soaking, rinse thoroughly, squeeze (don't twist), air-dry. Two or three washes clears most bleeding.

Full leather-care walkthroughs live on our care guide page.