These are my gloves to the left. I wear them because I love my knuckles. You’ll notice that the backsides have kevlar plates across all the knuckle points. If I go down, I may end up with broken fingers, but I expect to still have my knuckles.
I see motorcyclists all the time riding without gloves and I wonder…do they value their hands. Maybe they do some kind of work where their hands don’t matter. Maybe they just just expect to never go down. Who knows what their reason is, but I think it’s foolish to gamble such an important part of your body for the pleasure of a motorcycle ride.
I can think of numerous times when I have scraped the skin off my knuckles doing minor things like tightening a bolt and having the wrench slip off. Just that small incident hurt badly. I don’t even want to think about the pain involved doing the same thing at motorcycle speeds. Ouch!
Motorcycle safety is always first and foremost on my mind when I hop on my bike for a ride. The only protection I have on a motorcycle is my skills, my awareness, and my gear. I wear it all, the boots, the jacket, the pants, the helmet, and the gloves. There are times when it’s so hot when I put this gear on, that I almost can’t ride. It’s times like this when I think about skipping the gear so I can stay cooler. It ain’t gonna happen.
The consequences are just too severe. The human body is just too fragile. One good fall, if it doesn’t kill you, can result in a lifetime of disfigurement and HANDicaps.
I have never had a serious fall on my motorcycle but I have gone over, and I have experienced many falls on my mountain bike. The first thing to hit the ground is usually my hands, trying to break the fall. In every case, I was wearing gloves that saved my skin.
Life without the use of my hands is not an option. Besides my mouth and feet, they are one of the most used parts of my body. I will wear motorcycle gear, including good, protective, motorcycle gloves for as long as I ride. And I will continue to encourage every motorcyclist to do the same thing.
Before you go out for a ride, stop, and think about how your life would be without the use of your hands. WEAR GLOVES!
Don’t own any gloves? Here’s a good place to start: Motorcycle Apparel & Gear at BikeBandit.com!
