Tag Archives: motorcycle gloves

First motorcycle jacket to score 10-star rating

The RST Ventilator textile jacket is the first jacket to receive a full 10-star rating for thermal comfort in the MotoCAP ratings system since it began a year ago.

It is one of six jackets and nine pair of gloves to be added to the list of 110 motorcycle protective clothing items.

MotoCAP has now tested 49 textile and leather jackets, 18 pairs of jeans and leggings, seven pair of leather pants, one pair of textile pants and 35 pairs of gloves.

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.

Top star

RST Ventilator jacket top rating star
RST Ventilator jacket

The $350 RST Ventilator jacket scored a full 10-star rating for thermal comfort, thanks to mesh panels in the arms, chest and sides.

However, it only scored two out of five stars for safety despite elbow and shoulder impact protectors and pockets at the back for aftermarket impact protectors.

Dainese fighter jacket rating star
Dainese fighter jacket

In the latest round of testing, the highest protection rating went to the $800 Dainese Fighter leather jacket.

It scored a three-star rating even though it has the same impact protectors as the RST.

Glove ratings

For gloves, two products scored equal high protection ratings of three stars.

These were the Five Gloves X-Rider Water Proof and the Ducati Performance C2 leather gloves.

Gloves are not tested for comfort under the MotoCAP rating protocols.

Transport for NSW says that to measure for comfort a large square of fabric must be obtained.

“There is not enough material in a glove to obtain a sample for the thermal comfort measure,” they say.

The new ratings can be viewed on the MotoCAP home page by scrolling down to “Latest Rated Products”.

  • MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Macna Neutron heated gloves are wireless

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.Macna Neutron wireless heated gloves

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 constructionMacna Neutron wireless heated gloves

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. 

We’ve tried this touchscreen feature on other Macna gloves and it works ok, but not all the time.

Macna Neutron is available in black only from selected motorcycle retail outlets in sizes S to 4XL.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

First all-weather motorcycle glove

Just days after we lamented there was no such thing as an all-weather waterproof glove, along comes the Sibirsky Adventure Glove from Siima.

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 gloveSiima Sibirsky Adventure Glove for all weather conditions

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 specsSiima Sibirsky Adventure Glove for all weather conditions

  • 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),
  • Inside lining: tri-fleece liner,
  • Elastic mesh on the wrist (short cuff),
  • YYK durable zipper to transform into short cuff,
  • Shield wiper (left index finger),
  • Pull string “auto-cuff (rain overgloves),
  • Grip patch at palm,
  • Wrist velcro closure,
  • 4way air mesh ventilation,
  • 100% waterproof rain overgloves,
  • Touch screen friendly index & middle fingers,
  • Stretch panels on thumb and fingers,
  • Double stitched,
  • Reflective stickers.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Best all weather motorcycle gloves?

Unlike motorcycle jackets and pants, motorcycle gloves really don’t have all weather capabilities.

That’s why MotoCAP, the world’s first service that rates protective motorcycle gear for safety and comfort, does not provide ratings for glove comfort.

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 solutionsMacna winter and summer gloves tested

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 surveyMacna Saber gloves

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 for style 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.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Maple gloves combine leather and denim

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.

Merlin Maple glove gloves

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.Merlin Maple glove gloves

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.

However, I’ve simply added $US20 Farkle Fingers on the thumb and forefinger so I can use my phone to take photos when I stop without having to remove the gloves.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

19 products added to MotoCAP ratings

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's Steve Franklin with their flanno leisure gear
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 added MotoCAP
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 Motorcycle clothing rating system launched target
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.

Click here to find out how products are selected for rating in secret.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

MotoCAP ‘important but too complex’

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
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.

Merlin’s $300 Everson textile jacket rated only two stars for safety and half a star for comfort in the MotoCAP ratings.

MotoCAP rates eight textile jackets complex
MotoCAP textile jacket ratings

Complex testing

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.

Click here for the Merlin catalogue.

Testing times

MotoCAP has also copped criticism for only targeting 10% of rider jackets, pants and gloves testing and rating per year.

Steve says it is “early days yet” for MotoCAP, but is concerned that boots are not included.

Meanwhile, helmets are covered in SHARP and Australia’s CRASH testing.

Helmet still crash tested in Australia rotation
CRASH testing

“While MotoCAP is evolving, at least we know that our CE standards are right,” he says.

“The tricky part is giving consumers info that they can understand.”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Merlin add flanno jacket to heritage range

British heritage motorcycle clothing brand Merlin have announced a new range of products that include several lifestyle products such as protective flanno and waxed cotton jackets.

The flanno jacket (pictured above) looks and feels just like a flannelette shirt but has an abrasion-resistant Dupont Kevlar lining and impact-resistant CE Armour.

The shirt comes in a choice of red, grey, dark blue and green checks in men’s sizes S to 3XL for $229.95.

Australian importer Link International says the Staffordshire company is 100% owned by the family and employees.

Brand manager Ron Grant says the heritage lifestyle gear is not designed to protect a MotoGP racer in a 200km/h+ crash.

However, he says the makers are diligent about addressing the latest European safety standards and guarantee high-quality workmanship with “almost zero” warranty claims.

He says Merlin produce the type of quality gear that is comfortable for all-day wear and doesn’t look out of place when you get off your bike.

Two of the company’s family owners are currently in Australia and we hope to catch up with them to talk more about their new range.

Click there for the full catalogue.

Heritage products

Merlin Victory waxed cotton heritage jacket
Victory

Waxed cotton is back in fashion and the Merlin Victory jacket in sand, olive and navy colours looks like it just stepped out of the 1950s.

However, the $329.95 jacket comes with modern protection from Dupont Kevlar 220g armour.

Merlin Chase heritage jacket
Chase

Merlin’s plush Chase leather jacket is made of full-grain 1.2-1.3mm grade AAA cowhide leather in a mixture of smart black and plum hides for $499.95.

It features removable thermal gilet liner and SW Level 2 armour in the shoulders and elbows.

Merlin Holden heritage jacket
Holden

The Italian-inspired Holden leather jacket has even thicker full-grain 1.3-1.4mm grade AAA cowhide leather with subtle dark blue contrast patches on the chest and arms.

It also costs $499.95 and comes with the same liner and armour.

Merlin has a new range of leather gloves including the Boulder ($139.95), Padget ($139.95) and Maple $99.95) plus the casual leather and denim Icon gloves ($79.95).

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com