Top 5 Motorcycle Gloves Under $50
Hello! I’m RyanF9 and these are my top 5 gloves under 50 bucks. First up is the best budget choice for general motorcycling use , and it’s the Z1R 270 .
Like most cheap gear, this glove is a knock-off of something more expensive. I won’t say that Z1R stole the design from Icon, but we all know that’s probably what happened because the 270 looks suspiciously similar to the 100-dollar Icon Pursuit.
But , I’ll be the last one to cry foul because the Z1R 270 manages to be just as good for 60 dollars less.
It’s a goat skin construction, with a full polyester comfort lining. As the product page will tell you, this knuckle protector is impact foam. But what they don’t tell you is that the impact foam is hidden underneath a rigid shell. I’d guess it’s some kind of molded plastic and whatever it is , these lower finger shields are made from the same stuff.
On the flip side, the goat skin is doubled up on the main sliding zones and we have four foam disks to damp out handlebar vibrations.
So the materials are good, the design is cleverly-suited to motorcycling and it doesn’t look like it’ll fall apart any time soon. At 40 bucks, that’s about the most I can ask of a glove.
Four options on the Z1R 270 – men’s, women’s, men’s perforated, which I have here, and women’s perforated. My hands are 3 ¾ inches across the palm, by the way, which puts me in this size large. It’s bang-on for width but the fingers are too short. If you have lanky hands like mine, size up.
Now, ADV and dual-sport riders have plenty of options south of 50 bucks, but here’s the best one.
Icon’s Anthem Blender .
Why you would name a motorcycle glove after a kitchen appliance is beyond me. Maybe they’re trying to say that it “blends” street and dirt ability?
If that is what Icon’s on about, I can see what they mean. The topside is textbook dirtbike stuff. Stretch neoprene cuff, stretch polyester backing, some other stretchy fabric between the fingers. It gives a really thin, precise fit that ventilates super well for off-roading and summer use.
But on the flip side I have a goatskin leather palm for sliding on asphalt. Icon does need to feed their goats more because this is one of the thinnest leather palms I’ve ever seen, but whatever. You probably also noticed this D3O sticker, which means there’s viscoelastic armour hiding under the knuckles.
When it comes to dirt-worthy gloves that also sport leather palms and knuckle armour, I simply can’t do better for 45 bucks.
But Icon could have done better, if I’m being honest. Like this silicone printing on the palm, which they think is totally rad but I think it looks stupid . Because if you’re going to give me silicone, I want it up here on my braking and clutching fingers.
The D3O knuckles are a bit stupid too. Viscoelastic materials make exceptional body armour but they’re a tad uncomfortable in a glove like this. Icon – I know you’re super proud that you made a deal with D3O but some EVA foam would have been better here.
My 3 ¾ inch palm puts me in this size large, and it fits great although that’s no surprise for such a stretchy glove. I should also mention that it’s touchscreen-enabled. Only the right index finger will do the trick, but I guess that’s one more than every other glove on my list.
For cruisin’, give me River Road’s Outlaw Vintage Gloves .
Yes, you already saw these guys in my cruiser glove video, you’re seeing them now and maybe you’ll see them again next year because they cost 35 bucks and I’m a big fan.
Running the stats, we have perforations all across the top, with four big ones at the knuckle and a giant window at the wrist. The closure is simple Velcro, although the cuff is also elasticated for a tight seal. And on the underside there’s some palm padding to soak up handlebar vibrations.
For 35 bucks, I’m getting a lot of cow. This dark brown leather is surprisingly thick for a budget glove, and it has a high-quality feel. That’s good too, because the Outlaw is unlined so my skin is ‘gonna be up against the leather all day long.
My palm is 8 ¾ inches in circumference, and this size large fits great. It’s a bit baggy around the wrist, but then again I am a scrawny little kid. My only beef with the Outlaw is that River Road went overboard when distressing the leather. In some places it looks straight-up damaged, so I’m going to hold onto that one-year warranty card.
Now , you simply can’t buy a decent sport glove for under 50 bucks.
But this is as close as you’ll get – it’s the Five Stunt EVO Lite . And yes, I know, this glove technically hovers around 60 bucks but it’ll drop below 50 during sale season, so stay with me.
As the name suggests, this is a stunter or urban-style sport glove. Meaning that it’s cut off at the wrist and protection is only one-sided.
If you’re doing stoppies in the parking lot or splitting traffic lanes at 30 km/h, this glove will be fine because it has good impact protection. But if you plan on sliding for 100 metres at Laguna Seca, you’re ‘gonna lose a lot of skin.
On the impact side, we have eight knuckle shields, all of which are individually ventilated to flow a tornado’s worth of air . I also have a polyurethane palm slider backed up with high-density foam, so that’s good. But when it comes to abrasion there’s not much to say. These three perforated leather panels are more about style than safety, and the palm is pretty weak textile.
If I want a decent leather construction, I’ll have to cough up another 70 bucks for the Stunt Leather glove.
So the Stunt EVO Lite lacks some features. But I’m still getting that legendary Five build quality, which I won’t find anywhere else at this price point. Everything from the TPU logos , to the stitching , to the silicone detailing is pristine premium. Five only makes motorcycle gloves, so they nail it every time.
My palm is 3 ¾ inches across and this large fits perfectly . I’ll say without a doubt that this is the most comfortable glove on my list. The Stunt EVO Lite is pre-curved so it’s easy to move right out of the box. And the contact feel on my bike’s controls is really sensitive. I just love wearing ‘em.
And finally, my fifth motorcycle glove under 50 bucks is a weather option.
This is the Tourmaster Dri-Mesh Glove . It’s waterproof, it’s breathable and it costs 50 bucks which is rather strange. Most all-season gloves are hella expensive so what gives?
Well the thing is, this Dri-Mesh isn’t really an all-season glove at all. See the waterproof liner locks in a lot of moisture and heat. And because it only comes in black, the Dri-Mesh tends to catch a lot of sun. Ergo, these things get hot and sweaty real fast. Even worse is that, once your hands get wet, they’ll pull the liner out every time you take the glove off and it’s a pain in the ass to feed that back in.
So it’s not a great hot-weather glove, but it’s not a good cold-weather glove either. The waterproof membrane is hidden underneath the mesh, so water is free to soak into the outer textile layer and at 120km/h it is very chilly to have moisture that close to my skin.
If you’re wondering why the hell I included this glove just think – it’s not good in hot weather, not good in cold weather … but there’s a big range of middle temperatures where the Dri-Mesh excels.
In spring or fall, 10 to 25C, this glove works like a charm. It keeps me dry, it ventilates just enough and the build quality is impressive.
Perforated goatskin palm, all the way up the half gauntlet. And this reinforcement is EVA foam – too thin to be much use in a crash but certainly great for damping handlebar vibrations . Up top we have a few more goatskin accents and something Tourmaster calls Armor-link.
That’s a cute name for mesh, but it doesn’t actually slide very well. No knuckle armour either so if you do go down, you’ll be better off landing palm first.
This size large is the right fit for my 3 ¾ inch palm. The waterproof liner is very comfy against the skin, but it’s also just one more layer to feel through. As a result, the touch feedback I get from my bike’s controls is fairly muted.
And that’s it for my top-5 gloves south of 50 dollars. Thank you very much for watching.