Unlike many other sets of electric heated motorcycle gloves, Macna Neutron wireless heated gloves don’t have to be plugged into a bulky power supply.
The waterproof gloves come with a discrete, wireless, rechargeable lithium battery in the cuff that lasts for four hours.
Keeping your hands warm and dry is not just a matter of comfort, but also safety. If you have cold hands, you can’t control the throttle and levers as well. The pain from the cold can also divert your attention from the road ahead.
Wireless connection
Macna Neutron gloves are not cheap at $399.95, but they would be far more convenient to use than others that need to be plugged in.
These heated gloves have a three-setting regulator on the top side of the cuff.
Even when the heater is switched off, the Bemberg thermal lining should keep your hands warm while their Outdry system should keep them dry.
The Outdry water-impregnable membrane is laminated directly to the inside surface of the outer shell of the glove.
They say it is 100% waterproof because the membrane prevents the gloves from becoming waterlogged.
I’ve ridden with other waterproof gloves that don’t let your hands get wet, but the outer glove still absorbs water which makes your hands cold.
It also means you don’t have to hang your gloves over a heater overnight to dry them out for the next day’s ride.
Glove construction
Macna Neutron gloves are made from tough but flexible goat leather with a nylon upper cuff.
They come with R.I.S.C. carbon knuckle protection, EVA padded palms and TPR padded fingers.
They have a 30-degree closure strap and buckle with wrist and cuff straps, a visor wipe on the left index finger, an ergo-thumb design and “touch tip” in the fingers for operating smart screens without having to remove your gloves.
As this video shows, you can convert the gauntlet glove into a short summer glove in seconds and then quickly pull a fully waterproof cover over them.
The goat skin gloves are not cheap at €179.99 (about 294) but they may the only pair of gloves you will ever need. They also only come in sizes large to 3XL.
Siima founder Giorgos Evripidou says the gloves are Euro approved, designed in Cyprus and made in Indonesia.
He says that since I had written about the lack of such an all-round, all-weather glove, he would send me a pair to review, so stay tuned.
All-weather travel glove
The Sibirsky Adventure Glove is designed for riders who spend long days in the saddle, travel a long distance and in all types of weather.
They feature a four-way air mesh in between fingers to allow a steady air flow for the hot summer months, while the inner shell is Thermolite for warmth.
It will be interesting to see how these seemingly conflicting vents and liner work in different temperatures.
You could always pull on the thin but fully waterproof overglove to add some warmth.
We are also interested to see if the overglove makes them cumbersome and isolates the feeling of your fingers from the throttle and levers.
Siima says the gloves have 11 “protection points” of armour or extra leather thickness on the palm, knuckle, fingers and wrist.
Some other great features are a wiper blade on the left index finger, a pull string on the overgloves to seal against the rain and a grip patch on the palm for better throttle grip.
They also feature touchscreen-sensitive index and middle fingers. We’ve tried these before on other gloves and found some work better than others, so we shall see.
Sibirsky Adventure Glove tech specs
TPR flexible ventilated knuckle protector,
TPR finger knuckles,
Superfabric palm slider,
Carbon PU upper wrist protector,
Superfabric back thumb reinforcement,
Drum-dyed goatskin (outer shell),
Thermolite insulation for all-season temperature regulation (inner shell),
180gr bemberg +5mm sponge (inner shell),
Reflective stripes for night visibility (gloves & rain overgloves),
They say there is not enough material in a glove to obtain a sample for the thermal comfort measure.
While gloves can have extra layers of insulation for winter and perforations and even small vents in the knuckles for cooling in summer, they can’t be an all-weather glove.
They are simply too small to have zip-out thermal liners or zip-open vents for cooling.
It’s a shame as hand comfort is important.
I find that if your hands are cold your whole body is cold and vice versa.
And when you are uncomfortably hot or cold, it affects your concentration which can lead to mistakes with injurious repercussions.
All weather solutions
Many riders wear silk or felt gloves under their motorcycle gloves for extra warmth in winter.
However, we have found it either makes the gloves too tight with the liner in or we have to wear oversized gloves to accommodate the liners and they are too loose when we take them out. That adversely affects throttle and lever controls.
So the simple answer is there is no all-weather glove that we have found and we’ve tested quite a lot over the years.
Our best advice for handling all weather conditions is to take a spare pair of gloves with you.
After all, they are small enough to fit in your jacket pocket or small shoulder bag.
I have a small tail bag in which I keep a neck sock and two spare pairs of gloves.
This is especially handy in South East Queensland’s autumn/winter/spring where temperatures can more than double on your ride from the single digits in the morning to the high-20s in the early afternoon.
Buying survey
The 2018 Canstar Blue customer satisfaction survey found that 9% of riders don’t wear gloves even though they know they should and 6% have suffered a hand or finger injury while riding.
The survey of more than 400 riders also found that Baby Boomers are more likely to choose comfortable motorcycle gloves.
Meanwhile, Millennial riders buy forstyle and are most likely to buy gloves online and in a deal with other protective gear.
The average rider spends $102 on gloves. Some 21% buy online, 42% try them on in a store first and 29% research gloves before buying.
MotoCAP has published the safety ratings on 13 pairs of leather gloves ranging from half a star to four stars, but has not released any comfort ratings.
In the latest round of testing, the highest performing gloves are the Rev’It RSR 3 unisex gloves which received a four-star rating.
One pair of Alpinestars gloves (pictured top of page) rated three stars, DriRider and Merlin rated two stars, six rated one star and three rated half a star.
The world’s first safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing provides comfort ratings for thermal comfort and waterproofing on jackets and pants, but not gloves.
That is despite some of the gloves tested having perforations for airflow.
However, three pairs of gloves were tested and rated for water resistance because they were advertised as having this feature.
The highest performing pair are the DriRider Apex 2 unisex gloves, which received a score of eight out of ten for water resistance.
MotoCAP ratings
A dummy dressed in riding gear is tested for abrasion resistance
MotoCAP has now tested 31 textile and leather jackets, 18 pairs of jeans and leggings, seven pair of leather pants, one pair of textile pants and 26 pairs of gloves.
Deakin Uni Institute for Frontier Materials Senior Research Fellow and Honda GB400 rider Chris Hurren says the site will have 150 clothing products on its site by the end of June.
“We have purposely targeted only 10% of the market in the first year so that manufacturers have a chance to come along with the scheme,” he says.
“We do not want to put a manufacturer out of business as we want them to improve their products and think about protection and thermal comfort in their design.”
“If they follow this path like car manufacturers did for ANCAP then the rider will always be the winner.”
So far, no article of motorcycle clothing has been provided by a manufacturer.
All have been bought by MotoCAP using a secretive buying system to guarantee integrity.
Dickies has been a go-to name for work wear for generations. The company’s garments are tough, cheap, and available almost everywhere. Dickies’ new Moto Collection adds abrasion-resistant cloth to familiar designs. It’s not the kind of stuff we’d trust to save our hide on a real off, but it’s perfect for wearing in the garage or on a quick rip around the block after cleaning out your carbs for the 1,000th time. The Eisenhower jacket’s contoured arms and gusseted shoulders are comfortable enough in a riding position, but an attractive price is the real winner.
Shop pants typically fit like they’ve been imported from 1950, with high waists and baggy legs. The Moto chinos can be had in a variety of fits, and because they’re made from the same tough textile as the Eisenhower jacket, they’ll stand up to years of crawling around on the concrete while you clean chains and change oil. Dickies threw in a contoured waist to keep the things comfortable on a bike too.
A good pair of boots is as at home in the garage as it is in the office. Red Wing has been making its Iron Rangers for over 100 years. Like the Dickies threads, the boots are made to take a beating, but they’re comfortable enough for daily wear. The Vibram sole stays stuck even on wet concrete, and a thick leather upper will last for years with proper care.
The CDC is pretty clear about dermal absorption. For many workers, toxic substances enter the bloodstream through the skin, not the lungs. Disposable shop gloves are our go-to for keeping the nasty stuff off our hands and out of our bodies, but the cheap, thin parts-store variety are about as durable as a paper towel. These 14-mil bruisers walk the fine line between being tough enough to resist tearing and thin enough to maintain dexterity. At $20 a box, they’re more expensive than the kind you’ll find at the dentist, but you’ll use fewer per project, reducing waste while you’re at it.
These Merlin Maple street-style gloves look stylish with their mix of denim and leather, but they don’t offer fashion at the total expense of protection.
Merlin Maple gloves
The $139 Maple gloves come in grey denim with black leather or blue denim with brown leather in sizes small to XXXL.
Despite having denim on the backs of the gloves, that is only a covering.
Underneath is perforated leather, so the combination with denim means you get slightly more abrasion protection as well as plenty of flow-through ventilation.
There are also hard thermoplastic polyurethane protectors across the knuckles and a padded protector on the “heel” of your palm which often contacts the ground first in a fall.
Like all Merlin gear, the Maple gloves are double-stitched everywhere, with extra layers of leather on the palms and down the outside of your hands.
They aren’t made for MotoGP riders, but for street riders who need comfort and fashion as well as urban-speed crash protection.
I’ve also felt confident enough in their protection to wear them on tour.
I found they remained comfortable all day long which is a primary safety issue.
Mind the gap
One of the usual problems with short gloves is that when you reach forward to the bars, your jacket sleeves ride up, leaving your wrists exposed to sunburn.
These short gloves have an extra long cuff so they don’t leave a gap.
The cuffs also have an oversized velcro area for maximum range of fit on the fattest and skinniest wrists.
Another benefit of the soft denim covering is that it acts as a visor wiper when it showers, although the gloves are not waterproof.
Unlike most summer gloves, they have a lining. It’s made of a soft polyester microfleece that is stitched in so you don’t annoyingly pull it out when you take your gloves off.
In these days of touchscreen phones and GPS units, I would have liked the fingertips to have touchscreen-sensitive material.
In the biggest addition to the MotoCAP online ratings of motorcycle clothing since it began in August 2018, 19 articles have been added and none scored more than two safety stars out of five.
The world’s first safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing has added:
13 textile jackets;
three pairs of textile gloves;
two pairs of leather gloves; and
one pair of textile pants.
MotoCAP has now tested 31 textile and leather jackets, 18 pairs of jeans and leggings, seven pair of leather pants, one pair of textile pants and 13 pairs of gloves.
Interestingly, the $230 Merlin Axe kevlar shirt rated a single safety star which was the same rating as all the newly added textile jackets.
Merlin boss Steve Franklin with their Axe kevlar shirt
The shirt also rated just two stars for thermal comfort because “there are no vents fitted to allow airflow to aid cooling in hot weather”.
Poor results
MotoCAP says the latest results highlight the lack of protection in some gear with none of the 19 new products scoring more than two stars for safety.
“There was more variation in the thermal comfort rating, with ratings ranging from one to three stars, with five different textile jackets gaining three stars for thermal comfort,” MotoCAP says.
“Many of the garments were also advertised as water resistant, and were tested for their ability to keep the rider dry in wet weather.
MotoDry Airmax
“There was significant variation in performance in this category. The highest performer was the MotoDry Airmax ($250) textile jacket, which scored 9 out of 10 for water resistance.”
Yet the two-star safety rated jacket only scored three stars for comfort.
MotoCAP advises riders to consider both the safety and comfort ratings when choosing the right gear for their ride.
Products added
MotoCAP testing equipment at the Deakin Uni Geelong campus surprise
Deakin Uni Institute for Frontier Materials Senior Research Fellow and Honda GB400 rider Chris Hurren says the site will have 150 clothing products on its site by the end of June.
“We have purposely targeted only 10% of the market in the first year so that manufacturers have a chance to come along with the scheme,” he says.
“We do not want to put a manufacturer out of business as we want them to improve their products and think about protection and thermal comfort in their design.”
“If they follow this path like car manufacturers did for ANCAP then the rider will always be the winner.”
So far, no article of motorcycle clothing has been provided by a manufacturer.
All have been bought by MotoCAP using a secretive buying system to guarantee integrity.
MotoCAP, the world’s first safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing, uses a secretive system for buying and selecting gear for testing to guarantee integrity.
Deakin Uni Institute for Frontier Materials Senior Research Fellow Chris Hurren says they have so far not been supplied with any test products by any manufacturer.
“At this point the scheme is totally funded by Australian State Governments, some of the auto clubs and insurers and the NZ ACC,” he says.
“All garments are purchased from retail and online without the manufacturers knowledge or involvement.”
Secretive buying system
MotoCAP testing equipment at the Deakin Uni Geelong campus
Their sourcing system is quite secretive with one of the two garments used for testing bought in stores in Australia and New Zealand.
“We never buy more than one garment type at a time so a typical buying run may consist of one leather jacket, one textile jacket and a pair of denim jeans,” Chris says.
“Another buying run may be a textile jacket, a pair of textile pants and a pair of gloves. The person doing the in store purchase is a rider and they try on the garments like a normal buyer so almost impossible to detect.
“We then use the same covert purchasing system for an online purchase of a second garment generally of a different size and/or colour if available.
“The delivery address is changed regularly and never to the University.
“This is all done to ensure that manufacturers can not trick up the garments to get a higher score. The only time industry knows that they have been sourced for testing is when the results are displayed on the website.”
Manufacturer involvement
However, manufacturers have been invited to submit rider gear for testing and rating.
“There are two methods for manufacturers to organise for their product to be tested but neither of these have been utilised yet as the program is still in its infancy,” Chris says.
“A manufacturer can pay for a garment to be purchased using the above method and added to the testing program.
“A manufacturer may also get their product tested before it enters the stores by providing a number of boxes (50+ garments depending on the product and size of company) of their manufactured product in a warehouse where it is randomly sampled for three garments.
“Two of these garments will be tested and the third held to be compared with retail stock when it arrives in store. If what turns up in store is different to what was tested then their rating will be rescinded and they will be prosecuted by the ACCC for false advertising.
More ratings
MotoCAP textile jacket ratings
So far, MotoCAP has tested 18 textile and leather jackets, 18 pairs of jeans and leggings and eight pair of gloves.
The last ratings posted were for textile pants about five weeks ago.
In the next few weeks MotoCAP will post ratings for seven pairs of leather pants and an additional posting of gloves, textile jackets and textile pants.
That means they will have every product class covered: gloves, leather jackets, leather pants, textile jackets, textile pants, ladies leggings and denim jeans.
Chris says they will have more than 150 products on the website by June 30.
“We have purposely targeted only 10% of the market in the first year so that manufacturers have a chance to come along with the scheme,” he says.
“We do not want to put a manufacturer out of business as we want them to improve their products and think about protection and thermal comfort in their design.”
“If they follow this path like car manufacturers did for ANCAP then the rider will always be the winner.
MotoCAP, the world’s first safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing, is important but may be too complex and not comprehensive enough, says a British motorcycle manufacturer.
The Australian ratings system for motorcycle pants, jackets and gloves launched in September 2018.
Since then, MotoCAP has copped some criticism for “faulty comfort ratings” and for only targeting 10% of rider gear for testing and rating per year.
However, many Australian rider representatives have supported the service for reminding riders about the importance of having quality safety gear.
MotoCAP is important
Steve Franklin, major shareholder of Manchester-based Merlin motorcycle clothing company, agrees that MotoCAP is important and should not be underestimated.
Merlin’s Steve Franklin with their flanno leisure gear
He says he misjudged the importance of the British the Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme (SHARP) which is a similar system to MotoCAP, but for helmets only.
Steve says he has concerns that the MotoCAP the rating and testing regime is too complex for consumers to understand.
“It needs to be more simple. Customers want proper and simple advice,” he told us while in Australia recently to meet retailers and distributors Link International.
“There is nothing wrong with trying to improve road safety.”
However, he says the complex MotoCAP rating system could give consumers the wrong impression.
“If we give consumers the wrong info, we lose their confidence,” he says.
The fastest-growing sector of the motorcycle clothing market is leisure safety gear while traditional Cordura and leather suits are decreasing in demand, says a British motorcycle clothing brand.
The trend mirrors growth in retro and naked bikes and the decrease in sportsbike popularity, says Merlin major shareholder Steve Franklin.
He and his Yamaha-loving sons, James and Patrick, flew out from Manchester recently to meet Australian retailers and distributors Link International.
Merlin execs (from left) Patrick, James and Steve Franklin
The Merlin executives also claim modern riders want clothing made with sustainable materials by manufacturers with integrity.
Steve says Merlin products are CE-approved, materials are sourced directly from experts and each manufacturer is inspected frequently for quality control.
“I want to be able to sleep at night,” he says, claiming they have only 0.97% returns on faulty gear and that one-third of that is down to user error.
Merlin flanno leisure jacket has DuPont kevlar throughout
They say the biggest market for motorcycle gear is now “moto leisure”.
Steve explains that it is like Nike’s “athleisure” range which appeals to people who want to look like an athlete but be comfortable.
“Similarly, moto leisure has all the safety gear but riders are able to go into a pub and not look like they’ve just had their knee down,” Steve says.
“It’s something you can wear all day.”
Heritage rider gear that reflects neo-classic motorcycles, such as the Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle that Steve rides, represents 45% of the market.
Steve says tech wear such as Cordua adventure suits and leather race suits are only 37% of the market and decreasing while the other two sectors are in “double-digit growth”.
That adds up to more than 100% of the market, but Steve says there is a lot of overlap where riders wear items from each section.
He says their women’s range was greater than 20% of their stock, but they pulled back.
However, James says they are now expanding their women’s range again.
“It’s a small part of the market but there are many more women’s groups emerging,” he says.
“They don’t all want to wear pink. They don’t want traditional riding gear but something that is a bit fashionable.
“Our feedback is that most brands just do dumbed-down versions of men’s gear.
“We recognise that women’s fit is different, even in women’s boots.”
Merlin employs fashion industry expert Melanie Field to help with women’s sizing so “it’s not just a small version of men’s gear”.
“She also has an eye on what colours and styles are currently fashionable,” James says.
Sustainability
Merlin Maple gloves with organic cotton denim panels
Riders are now seeking sustainable, organic materials directly sourced from reputable manufacturers, Steve says.
“The speed of development in organic materials is really gathering pace,” he says.
James points out that 76% of the materials they use is bought directly from “the experts in the field”.
“This ensures we have control of the quality,” he says.
Merlin also employs local inspectors in each of the countries where their products are manufactured to guarantee integrity and quality control.
They produce 60% of their gear in Pakistan and the rest in Portugal, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and India.
“We don’t manufacture anywhere that we don’t don’t have someone on site to make regular inspections,” Steve says.
He and his sons also spend 16 weeks a year doing inspection tours of manufacturing sites.
They say 75% of profits are turned back into the company to improve quality.
Safety standards
Merlin Holden leather jacket
Steve says rigid European CE approval standards are “both a curse and a blessing”.
“The cost of gaining CE approval is onerous at $10,000-$15,000 per product,” he says.
“We have to test the smallest and largest sizes and one in the middle, plus each different colour.”
Link International Merlin brand manager Ron Grant also points out that Merlin doesn’t just use high-quality safety materials in the impact areas specified for CE testing, but throughout their garments.
However, James says CE is also a blessing by making it “really difficult to get into this industry”, so it is “flushing out the bad quality and those operating in the black market”.
He says gaining CE approval was easy for them because they were exceeding the full testing process before CE became mandatory last year for manufacturers operating in Europe.
About Merlin
Merlin Chase heritage jacket
Merlin was registered in 2011 and started trading in 2012.
The name and logo come from “merle” which is French for blackbird.
It is 100% owned by the company’s 200 full-time staff who become shareholders after six months.
Steve’s background was in turning around ailing businesses.
“I just wanted to start a business then get someone to take it over,” he says.
“But once my sons entered the business, we found we had a passion for making good products and not just for business,” he says.
“We don’t cut corners. We wanted to make the best quality product we could with the technology and materials available.
“We’re always improving the product so it is relevant and exceeds customer expectations.”
