The Best Short-Cuff Motorcycle Gloves

Why We Picked It:

The Dainese Blackjack gloves are made of goatskin leather, which is supple enough to allow for a large range of movement, but also tough enough for motorcycle use. These gloves are excellent in terms of protection, with armor in the knuckles and over the fingers, padded and reinforced palms, and side-of-hand reinforcement.

These gloves should stand up to most weather, but are specified as being better in warmer weather. If you need to keep your hands a little warmer, either a thermal glove liner or using a jacket liner with thumb hooks meant for adverse weather would do well to protect you from the cold.

Why We Picked It:

The Klim Induction is one of the most protective gloves in the short cuff market. Full carbon fiber at the knuckles offers excellent impact resistance, while the entire body of the glove is made of goatskin leather.

The glove is reinforced through multiple layers on the palm and heel of the hand, and offer excellent side-of-hand protection as well. Comfort is maintained with a breathable mesh over the back of the hand, allowing the wind to carry away heat, but not penetrating into the glove itself via the mesh to make it uncomfortably cold. Padding throughout also allows for excellent impact resistance, no matter what angle an impact may come from.

Why We Picked It:

Merlin is a company that doesn't cut any corners, ever, when developing PPE. Sometimes that will result in some pretty pricey bits of kit, but not so with these gloves.

Made from goat leather, the gloves are perforated to help keep your hands cool. Knowing that these gloves are more intended for the highway cruiser, the palms are double layered and reinforced at knuckles, so you won't get fatigue from holding the throttle.

In terms of armor, Merlin didn't skimp there either with a full set of D3O armor across the knuckles. There is also a large palm slider area backed by impact foam that covers the palm heel and blade edge in a wraparound fashion. This earns the Clanstone D3O gloves a CE Level 1 protection rating.

Why We Picked It:

The Scorpion EXO SGS MK II Gloves are the non-gauntlet version of their popular Scorpion EXO SG3 MK II track gloves. This version offers track day protection in a short-cuff package and is pretty much unbeatable at this price point considering the features provided.

The chassis features supple premium top grain goat leather that is seen throughout with perforation on the back of hand. The carbon fiber reinforced hard knuckles protect the dorsal, while the KNOX SPS palm sliders allow the hands to slide along the tarmac instead of catching and sending you tumbling. Extra value comes in the form of TPU armor on the fingers as well as extra leather overlays and padding along with the fingers, palm, and pinky. 

These gloves also feature a TPR closure system for maximum security, pre-curved palm and fingers for comfort, KWIKTOUCH touchscreen compatibility, and double reinforced stitching for maximum durability.

Why We Picked It:

The REV’IT! Avion 3 gloves are made out of perforated goatskin leather, giving them excellent ventilation and great tactile feedback from the handlebars. There is a polyester lining backed by a tri-fleece lining that will keep your hands warm if the wind picks up, but will also wick away the moisture if you’re riding on a hot day.

Armor comes in the form of hardshell knuckle guards backed by foam, as well as armor down the outside of the fingers. There is an impact resistant polyethylene pad across the heel of the hand to provide a sliding area should you come off the bike at speed. There is a full width accordion stretch zone across the back of the hand, which allows the cuff to be pulled tight and fastened without stretching the leather out.

Why We Picked It:

Another staff pick from Revzilla, the REV’IT Sand 4 Gloves are an expertly engineered summer glove that can take you anywhere you want to go. They have been specifically designed to provide the best of both ventilation and protection. The REV’IT! Sand 4 Gloves breathe like an off-road glove without compromising on-road protection.  A goatskin palm extends down the wrist and wraps around both the thumb and pinky. These gloves also feature abrasion-resistant stretch mesh fabrics for breathability and an integrated TPR knuckle protector for impact protection.

Additional TPR protectors on the fingers, thumbs and palms help the gloves slide rather than grip to the road in case of a fall. The Sand 4 Gloves also include an oversized pull tab on the cuff for ease of use. Perhaps one of our favorite non-safety features, the smart-connect fingertips allow you to use your touchscreen devices anytime without removing your gloves. Bonus!

You can check out the waterproof variant here: $160 men’s.

Why We Picked It:

Gloves generally fall into one of two categories: cheap and quality. The two have never seemed to meet in the middle, until Cortech decided to force the issue. What you get for this less expensive glove (it feels wrong to call it cheap) is quality and protection you would expect above $70, but at a price that a beginner can get on board with.

A definite warm or hot weather glove, the biggest feature of the glove is not only does it have full TPU knuckle protectors, it also has vented sliders on the fingers, and each part of the thumb has its own non-Newtonian foam armor. While the top of the glove is abrasion resistant air mesh, all the entire palm is made of premium goatskin, layered in key areas with Clarino suede for abrasion resistance and allowing for a deft touch on the controls.

While these are not track gloves, as that’s what long cuff gloves are for, these are definitely worth it in terms of hot weather day to day gloves. As well, the thumb and index finger of each glove is touchscreen compatible. At a cent under $40, these gloves definitely get the “Bang for your buck” recommendation from us!