Along with your feet and your bottom, your hands are two of the five major contact points that control a bike. Clutch, throttle, front brakes, trip computer, signals, headlights, and so much more are at your literal fingertips—so you should be keeping those fingers and hands protected.
Long-cuff gloves, also known as gauntlets, are some of the best hand protection you can wear. The extra length over the wrists and forearms provides a layer of abrasion and impact protection above and beyond the sleeves of your jacket or one-piece race suit. Many long-cuff gloves also have multiple closures, reinforcing the strength of the gloves and preventing them from coming off your hands (unless you want them to).
We read tons of reviews, did our research, and came up with this list of the 7 best long-cuff or gauntlet gloves you can buy right now. This is, as always, a list based on our own opinions (along with a lot of feedback we’ve seen on forums and Reddit about the real life performance of many of these models).
Looking for a cooler glove? See our list of the best short-cuff motorcycle gloves.
Alpinestars SP-8 V3 & Stella SP-8 V3
The Alpinestars SP-8 V3 gloves are some of the brand’s best, and they’re priced at the $100 mark for both men and women. You get full grain leather construction with Arshield reinforcements on the palm slider to increase abrasion-resistance in the event of a slide.
Impact protection comes from MotoGP-derived SP dual density knuckle protectors, the extended cuff ensures that your wrists will be protected as well as your hands.
Another neat feature of the glove is that Alpinestars have made the tips of the thumbs and index fingers touchscreen-compatible. As more and more bikes feature smartphone integration or touch screen GPS and computer systems, having that touch screen capability is a forward-thinking move.
Finally, the V3 gloves improve on the previous V2s with a new design that reduces the number of seams in the gloves and improves rider comfort.
REV’IT! Xena 3 Women’s Gloves
- Price: $175
- Buy: RevZilla Women’s
- Fit: Gauntlet, Street sport fit
REV’IT! League and Xena 3 gloves are technically the same glove, but they’re named differently for men and women. Featuring a combination of goatskin leather and cowhide leather, the gloves feature protective armor in likely slide zones to keep your hands safe.
The knuckles are protected by a dual set of TPU hard shell impact plastic with EVA foam behind it. The palms, heel, and gauntlet closure all feature impact absorbing EVA foam, while the cuff, base of the outer thumb, and outer edge of the hand feature hard TPU sliders. The cuff and gauntlet also feature a secure double closure with Velcro fastening.
Rukka Virium Gore-Tex X-Trafit
- Price: $189
- Buy: Revzilla / Amazon
- Fit: Touring/Street fit
- Review: webBikeWorld
The Rukka Virium gloves are designed for long-distance touring or day trips. Fully waterproof due to a Gore-Tex liner, the gloves nonetheless breathe well and will not be overly hot or cold.
The finger and thumb incorporate touchscreen-compatible membranes without sacrificing protection. This allows you to adjust the settings on your bike’s touchscreen or use your phone (once safely pulled over) without having to remove your gloves.
Protection comes in the form of impact-resistant foam in the knuckles and fingers, along with a double-strength layer along the edge of the hand. The palms and heel feature padding and slide zones, but they also have extra grippy surfaces to keep your hands on the controls without slipping in the wet.
Lastly—and in a clear nod to long distance riders—there is a visor-wiping blade along the left index finger, in case you ride through rain.
Dainese Steel Pro
The Dainese Steel Pro gloves are CE-rated for track and street use. Basically, these are racing gloves that also offer some of the best possible protection for your track days.
The “steel” part of “Steel Pro” comes in the form of shaped composite inserts on the back of the hand that hold preformed stainless steel and thermoplastic resin—i.e., the stuff that helmets are made out of. You can also find these materials protecting the knuckles.
The palms are fully padded with multiple slide points of hard resin, while the entire glove is made of double-reinforced goatskin leather. Fingers are also lined with the stainless steel inserts, preventing your fingers from bending in ways that would break them. The little finger has extra anti-twisting inserts to prevent rotational forces from causing it to break or dislocate. The cuff is double secured with a tightening strap, followed by a full cuff strap.
Scorpion Exo Tempest
- Price: $90
- Buy: Revzilla
- Fit: Touring/Street fit
For the budget-conscious rider, the Scorpion Exo Tempest is a great waterproof glove that also gives great protection for under $100. The glove is lined with Hypora, allowing for heat and moisture to escape without letting water in. There’s also a thinsulate liner backing the waterproofing, so your hands will stay warm during even the coldest mornings or evenings.
The glove has a full goat-leather palm that does not have the thinsulate lining, which allows for heat from heated grips to pass through. This also provides an excellent tactile connection to the controls.
Protection is offered in the form of hard armor on the knuckles and soft armor on the fingers, with slide areas on the palms and heels of the gloves. The gloves are secured with double closures to prevent any splashes of water from sneaking down to your wrists, and both gloves have a visor-wiping blade on the inside of the index finger.
REAX Ridge WP
- Price: $129.00 Revzilla
- Fit: Street/Sport fit
- Review: webBikeWorld
The REAX Ridge gloves are designed from the get go to be super durable, yet still allow for plenty of rider comfort. Cowhide leather is used along the back of the hand, along with the sides of the hand and fingers. The palm is made of double-thickness goatskin leather. Touchscreen-compatible areas are built into the index finger tips and the thumb pads.
Protection comes in the form of heavy-duty impact-resistant foam wrapped in leather over the knuckles, with a reinforced slide pad that covers from the side of the hand to the heel of the glove. Reflective highlights make the gloves highly visible at night, and due to a special liner, the gloves are fully breathable but also fully waterproof. A wrist strap allows for fine-tuning the fit, while a large velcro closure seals the gauntlet to your forearm or jacket.
REV’IT! Quantum II
- Price: $219.99
- Buy: RevZillaÂ
- Fit: Sport FIt
- Review: webBikeWorld
Rev’It is a Dutch company that focuses on top-tier gear at mid-market prices. While these gloves may be a touch pricey, the protection they offer for a street gauntlet glove is second to none. Made of a combination of cowhide for the chassis and fingers, goatskin for the palm, synthetic PU leather for the closure, and 3D air mesh behind the TPU knuckles, these gloves come from Rev’It’s experience in creating racing gear.
This shows through in that not only does the armor cover the knuckles, but each finger gets one or two TPU armor points that can also act as sliders. The cuff features a double closure, the first tightening the glove to the wrist, the second a large flap that wraps around the wrist with a massive TPU armor pad over your ulnar bump and the bottom of your forearm.
While they may not look like they would handle the heat and stress of sportbike riding, they do provide ventilation through micro-perforations and the venturi effect of the air coming over the knuckles and passing over the main hand exhausts over the middle of the back of your hand. The only thing, truly, separating these gloves from racing gloves is that the ring and little fingers are not stitched together. Otherwise, these are some of the best gloves you can get for spirited sport riding while also keeping your hands and wrists safe.
