Every regular rider knows the rules of the road when it comes to taking your bike out. A helmet is, of course, the most important piece of equipment. However, your riding gloves are just as important, but much less talked about. If they are spoken of, it’s often in relation to how hot they are, or how uncomfortable they can be, especially when attempting to maneuver vent locks, chin straps, or D-rings.
If you happen to take a tumble, chances are you’re going to wish you’d been wearing gloves. Even a pair of cheap riding gloves are better than nothing, and said gloves are the topic of our article today.
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Best Cheap Motorcycle Gloves List March 2021
If you’ve ever crashed your bike, you already know that throwing your hand out to catch yourself is an involuntary reaction. Without gloves, you’ll more than likely take on more damage in that hand than anywhere else.
Don’t get caught wishing you’d been wearing gloves. Go ahead and find a pair that best fits your needs and start wearing them today.
Top 5 Cheap Motorcycle Gloves
Here is a list of the best cheap motorcycle gloves to add to your motorcycle gear and protect your palms from sliding off on the pavement.
- Icon Anthem 2 Gloves – Best Budget Summer Motorcycle Glove
- Alpinestars SMX-1 Air v2 Gloves – Best Value Motorcycle Glove
- Scorpion Klaw II Gloves
- Joe Rocket Men’s Eclipse Gloves
- Z1R 270 Perforated Gloves
Icon Anthem 2 Gloves Review
If you’re looking for a cheap summer riding glove that provides lightweight comfort, the Icon Anthem 2 is the pair for you.
These gloves offer a nice, snug, true-to-size fit that gives you plenty of protection, with a D30 knuckle that is both formidable and adaptable. Better still, the material offers a bit of stretch, so even if you size these a little smaller, they can stretch and still fit perfectly.
Battlehide goatskin leather makes sure you’re protected against abrasions while leaving you enough maneuverability to take on controls, snaps, and switches with ease.
Pros Include:
- Backhand made of mesh
- Cuff made of neoprene
- Thumb and index finger allows touchscreen device manipulation
Cons Include:
- Could use more padding
- Velcro closure seems unnecessary
- The fingers are a little long
Alpinestars SMX-1 Air v2 Gloves Review
With stretch material and free-flowing air in all the right places, the Alpinestars SMX-1 Air v2 Gloves make the perfect addition to your summer riding gear. A combination of heavy-duty mesh and perfed leather adds the breathability that makes these gloves so competitive, but they still works great at protecting your hands too.
The short cuff features a redesigned closure and padded fingers for extra protection. With reinforcements in the palm and thumb areas, you’ll get great slide protection, in addition to that offered by the synthetic suede addition in the palms and side areas.
You’ll find the SMX-1 Air v2 works well with touchscreen devices such as GPS systems and smartphones.
Pros Include:
- Excellent breathability
- Poly-blend reinforcements in the sides
- Stretch material in the back and finger areas
Cons Include:
- Not as comfortable as they should be
- Finger sizing is short in some areas and too long in others
- Sizes are smaller than normal
Scorpion Klaw II Gloves Review
The aggressive form and the TPU knuckles found on the Scorpion Klaw 2 gloves just make sense when picking a good riding glove. Made of goatskin leather, you’ll find the construction durable, while the palm and fingers feature pre-curved construction for great comfort while riding. In the knuckle area, you’ll appreciate the rib stretch expansion that gives you a great flexible range.
These gloves breathe really well, making them a good choice for multi-weather riding. They don’t work with touchscreen phones, but under the circumstances, you wouldn’t really need them to. You can expect to order the size you wear, as they are true to size. Some people have issues with the fingers being a bit long, but overall, it’s manageable.
Pros Include:
- Made of durable goatskin leather
- Extra comfort via pre-curved fingers and palm
- Neoprene panel for wrist relief
Cons Include:
- Can’t be used for touchscreen functionality
- Not good for cold weather riding
- Velcro strap/stitching is known to fail
Joe Rocket Men’s Eclipse Gloves Review
These lightweight summer riding gloves offer a pre-curved design with comfortable leather in the palm area. TPR reinforced knuckles give you flexibility with the perfect amount of protection, while the index fingers feature a conductive material that allows you to access your touchscreen phones and other devices.
Sizing is so true to measurement that they fit like a second layer of skin, so if you want something a little less constricting, be sure to order a size larger than normal. Even as thin as they are, riders who have taken a fall wearing these gloves have walked away with little to no injuries.
As the cheapest pair on the list, these Joe Rocket gloves truly are the best affordable motorcycle gloves out there today.
Pros Include:
- Excellent comfortable fit
- Touchscreen capable index finger
- Long-lasting and wears well
Cons Include:
- Sized small (order larger than your normal size)
- Dyes your hand black if you sweat a lot or ride in heavy rain
- Touch screen finger does not always work, can be “jumpy”
Z1R 270 Perforated Gloves Review
Don’t let the affordable price scare you into thinking that the Z1R 270 Perforated Gloves are less than ideal. While not overpacked with features, these gloves offer excellent air flow, they fit great, and they protect in all the places you would expect them to.
What’s more, they hold up well over time with regular wear and break in for superb comfort and fit.
Hard knuckle protection and extra palm padding offer a bit more than some of the cheaper gloves making them a great bargain in this price range. You’ll have a great riding experience whether tooling around town or touring for hundreds of miles.
Pros Include:
- Premium goatskin leather, perforated
- Comfortable full lining
- Velcro closure
Cons Include:
- Sized small
- Fingers long for some
- Velcro straps sometimes get in the way
My Pick for Best Cheap Riding Gloves
What is the best cheap motorcycle glove? The Icon Anthem 2 Gloves will walk away today with the win for the Best Cheap Riding Gloves.
While not the cheapest pair on this list, they do offer a few features that are worth just a few extra dollars. For instance, one thing that riders want these days is the ability to answer a call on their smartphone or dial up a GPS without having to take their gloves off and this pair does that well. Both the thumb and the index finger are touchscreen enabled.
Comfortable and lightweight, they also protect your hands well with a Battlehide goatskin leather palm, a D30 knuckle insert, and a neoprene material for the cuff. Overall, this is protection you can trust and still be able to easily manage helmet vents, chin straps, and other gear controls without having to remove your gloves.