Riding gloves

[huskerchic]

I've been riding a lot lately, and after a while my hands get a bit numb. So, I need some advice on which riding gloves to get. I am also going to be replacing my grips, and was wondering what I should get to help with the vibrations. Thanks in advance!!!

[Tocsik]

Sportique carries a new line that's pretty inexpensive. They have jackets from the same company that are pretty cool. I don't remember the name.

I use mesh motorcycle gloves for Summer and I have a pair of waterproof, lined leather gloves for Spring and Fall. In the Winter, I use Firstgear Glacier gloves.

Just go to a couple of motorcycle and/or scooter shops and try some on.
The best gloves are the ones you will actually wear. Same is true for helmets, jackets etc.

[BuddyRaton]

If your getting numb from vibration try relaxing your grip.

[lmyers]

If your getting numb from vibration try relaxing your grip.

+1

But as far as gloves go, I trade off between a pair of Corazzo Carbone's and the pair I got at Amerivespa from GoGo Gear. They're both good for summer riding. In the winter I wear felt-lined leather gloves that are not armored but are nice and toasty.

[huskerchic]

I'm not gripping hard at all. After about 15-20 miles I feel like I have to shake my hands when I come to a stop light. I know I haven't rode this much in years, but I don't remember this happening in the past. Maybe it's because I'm feeling o.l.d. hahaha. I'm looking at getting some gloves with gel in the palm... maybe that would help absorb some of the vibration.

[TVB]

It might not be from the vibration, but from the way you're holding your arms, position of your back, or something. There are lots of places to pinch nerves or restrict blood supply.

[trackpete]

If the vibration is really only bad at speed and low frequency I'd suggest getting your tire balance checked.

I haven't tried one on a scooter but I have a bar snake on my Yamaha Vmax and it made a huge difference in high frequency vibration, almost completely eliminating it. If you are putting on new grips it's fairly easy to put one of these in at the same time and they are absolutely worth the cost if your vibration is high frequency.

Also, on my Rattler I've found that holding the rear brake when stopped significantly increases idle low frequency vibration, not sure if yours is the same or if you're doing that... if it is, um, don't? lol

[huskerchic]

Great. Thanks Pete! Hope you're trip is still amazing! I am in complete awe that you rode that far. Keep on scootin!

[ericalm]

Look at gloves with gel inserts in the palms.

I'm having a similar problem now; the Stella vibrates much more than the Vespa or Buddy. The effect is much less when wearing my heavier gloves which have a lot more padding in the palms than my summer gloves. My next pair will have gel in the palms but I own too damn many gloves now.

BarSnake looks interesting… and… awesome web site.

[Lostmycage]

Look into bar end weights (they make some that have a compression fit) and gel grips. It'll help a lot with vibrations. It'll make those nice gloves even more vibration resistant.

You could also pack the handlebars with lead shot, really fine stuff. The extra weight can help tame vibrations as well using same concept as the Barsnake.

[Stormswift]

I've been having this problem and I thought it was just me. It is usually my left hand. I tend to use rear break more then front. I am working on how relaxing my grip on handlebars. I think that will get better as I get more proficient. I tried 2 pairs of gloves same manufacturer but went to medium mesh vs small leather. Did not make any difference at all except the larger ones fit worse finger length-wise.

[Rippinyarn]

I'm a huge fan of the cheap foam grips from J.C. Whitney, they are on all of my scoots except the Blur and I just ordered a set for it yesterday

And I swear by DynaBeads. Controversial, I know, but they work for everyone that I've recommended them to. I like a smooth, non-shaky ride. Interestingly enough, I've never had to use them on the Bajaj, and with my new Zippy 1's, the ride and tracking is better than ever. After the 70-mile rally ride recently, I wanted to do another "lap".

And yeah, I found some excellent winter gloves at the local army-navy surplus store. Like $18 and perfectly fine.

Edit: 'Cause I forgot about the topic.

[Howardr]

I have been finding some nice, padded leather gloves at Harbor Freight. They have a lot of styles. I don't think they have any that cost more than $15. They have to say "Riding Gloves" to be a good riding glove.

Howard

[gearhead]

These olympia gel padded gloves are around $25-$30!! My ruckus has a lot of vibration due to the welded on motor mount that i have. If i dont wear these gloves, my hands will always get numb. also, ive had 2 wrecks wearing these and both times they saved my hands



Believe it or not, but these are the best grips in the world for me! they reduce vibration so much. They are 7/8 foam bicycle grips that you can get at your local bike shop for $7. They are so comfortable!

[PeteH]

Back on my first bike, I always used handball gloves. This, of course, was before that revisionist racquetball game came around. Just the right amount of padding in the palms, a mesh back with vent holes on the backs of the fingers, and a velcro wrist strap. Great for summer, and survived a tumble or two in my more careless moments.

Of course, this also was back when baseball players rubbed dirt on their hands rather than wearing gloves, so them newfangled batting gloves might work, too.

Now that I'm scooting again, I'll need to decide whether to get 'serious' riding gloves or work the sporting goods aisle.

[Skootz Kabootz]

Keep in mind that the material sporting goods gloves are generally made from, usually nylon mesh or some such thing, will melt when it slides along the pavement in a fall and burn into your skin. You need gloves made from proper protective material like kevlar that is designed to be abrasion resistant.

[ericalm]

Good leather works pretty damn well.

I've generally been a "get the right gloves made for the activity you'll use them for" guy because good motorcycle gloves will have construction and features designed for crashing a motorcycle or scoot. At the same time, I've owned some pretty crummy motorcycle gloves that offered no better protection than those made for bicycling or other sports.

I succumbed to temptation recently when I found a great deal on these Knog Evel Knievel cycling gloves. I figured I'd check them out and if they didn't work for the scoot, I'd just wear them on my bike.


For what it's worth, they're goatskin leather, double stitched, reinforced in the important places and have padding in the palms. They're much stronger and better for riding than the Olympia leather mesh ones I had a few years ago but stopped wearing because they're too flimsy.

Also: They look totally ridiculous but that does little to deter me!

In the end, I decided they're not up to what I want for protection these days. I may wear them when riding in a parade and for that kind of thing. They'd have probably been trashed when I took a spill last weekend. As is, my leather Brazimotos were ground up a bit. They did the job in terms of abrasion, but have no palm padding and I would up with a sprained hand. I normally wear my heavy duty (and, sadly, discontinued) Belstaff gloves for big rides, but I need to have the velcro replaced on them as it's all a mess.

[TVB]

I succumbed to temptation recently when I found a great deal on these Knog Evel Knievel cycling gloves. I figured I'd check them out and if they didn't work for the scoot, I'd just wear them on my bike.

Or they'd look super at the roller disco.

[ericalm]

Or they'd look super at the roller disco.

Or when I jump Snake Canyon on a scooter!

[michelle_7728]

You know, I had forgotten all about it, but my hands used to get numb when I used to wear my thin mesh gloves.

I started wearing thicker gloves (no gel, just thicker) for winter, then just kept wearing them for padding even during the summer. They never went numb again.

[PeteH]

Keep in mind that the material sporting goods gloves are generally made from, usually nylon mesh or some such thing, will melt when it slides along the pavement in a fall and burn into your skin. You need gloves made from proper protective material like kevlar that is designed to be abrasion resistant.

No argument. My old-school handball gloves, other than the mesh square on back, were decent leather. This was pre-Kevlar.

[PeteH]

Picked up some leather mechanic's gloves at the Harbor Freight today, just to see how they feel. They had lots of styles and shapes, including anti-vibration gloves more commonly used by jackhammer pilots.

Yeah, I know, they're not reeeealy riding gloves, but they feel pretty tough, and grip very nicely.

I also got a hi-viz/reflective surveyor's vest for five bucks, just to keep in the pet carrier for nighttime outings.

[UnionZac]

I picked up a pair of Scorpion "gunners" this winter for cold weather riding, and I was really impressed (as I have been with all of Scorpions products). I was really concerned about winter gauntlets being to big and pillowy, like alot of the gloves i had tried on. The Scorpion gloves fit perfectly, allowed plenty of dexterity, and frankly look totally badass. I was almost kind of sad when it started getting warmer and I could go back to my other gloves which are Olympia "digital protectors", and have held up well the last two and a 1/2 years. (Clearly Scorpion takes it on names)

[rajron]

Now days I usually ride my 300, but, today I took the Buddy for a ride and my right hand went numb, something I never experience with the other scooter; I now remember how my right hand would always get numb in the on the Buddy. I think the problem is I grip harder on the Buddy, because the throttle cable is stiffer, or harder to twist, the left hand was alright. I was using my trusty cheap ole Motoboss mid-weight gloves – I use them when the weather is above 45 and below 75 degree F – warmer weather I use lightweight gloves which feel much more comfortable and my hands never go numb except for longer rides on the Buddy. In the bitter cold mornings, 0 – 40 degree I use my thick insulated Olympin gloves and my hands cramp up after a half-hour of riding no matter what scooter I ride.