Summer motorcycle gloves in Australia: cool hands without giving up protection (2026)

Every Australian summer, the same thing happens at the lights. A rider pulls up, peels off one glove, then the other, and stuffs them in a pocket for the rest of the trip.

It makes sense in the moment. Your hands are cooking, your palms are slippery on the grips, and the gloves feel like the one piece of gear you can do without on a short run.

They are the one piece you can least afford to lose. Australian crash research found that gloves did more to keep riders out of hospital than any other item of gear studied. And your hands are almost always the first thing to hit the road.

The short answer: you don't have to choose between cool hands and protected hands. A good summer glove puts the airflow on the back of the hand, where nothing touches the road, and the toughness in the palm, where everything does. Get that one rule right and most of the heat problem goes away. This page explains why, what Australia's crash testing says about summer gloves, what NSW learners must buy, and how to pick the right pair for the riding you actually do. We sell two summer gloves, and they're here on the same terms as everything else.

On this page: 1. Why gloves matter most in summer · 2. What makes a glove cool · 3. What makes a glove protect · 4. The summer rule · 5. Short cuff, gauntlet or fingerless · 6. NSW learners and P platers · 7. Our two summer gloves · 8. Looking after gloves in the heat · 9. So which glove should you buy? · Quick answers

1. Why gloves matter most when it's hot

When you come off a bike, you put your hands out. It's a reflex nobody can train away. That means the palms and the outside edge of the hand take the first hit and the first slide, often before any other part of you touches the ground.

A study of 212 riders who crashed in the ACT, led by Australian road safety researcher Liz de Rome, compared what each rider was wearing with the injuries they ended up with. Riders wearing gloves were far less likely to be admitted to hospital, and gloves showed the strongest link of any item of gear the study measured. The same study found that about a quarter of the gloves failed in the crash, which tells you quality matters as much as wearing them (de Rome et al., 2011).

Now add the heat. University of Wollongong researchers found that in hot weather, riders are about three times less likely to wear protective gear. So the item of gear that does the most good is also the one most likely to end up in a pocket in January.

That is the whole problem this page solves. The best glove for summer is not the one with the highest score on paper. It's the best one you will keep on at 38°C.

2. What actually makes a glove cool

Hot hands come from three things: no air moving over the skin, sweat with nowhere to go, and a tight seal at the wrist that traps both. Good summer gloves deal with all three.

One thing worth knowing: MotoCAP, Australia's independent gear testing programme, rates jackets and pants for breathability but does not rate gloves for it. So when a glove calls itself "summer" or "air", that's the maker's word. Use the table above to check for yourself.

3. What actually makes a glove protect

MotoCAP buys gloves from shops and tests them three ways: how long the palm lasts sliding on an abrasive belt, how much force gets through the knuckle protector, and how much pressure the seams take before they burst. Those results become a star rating out of five. We went through all 308 gloves it has rated under its current method (MotoCAP, collected 5 November 2026). Four things stand out.

1. The palm decides the score. Every one of the 43 gloves rated 4 stars or more scored 9 or 10 out of 10 on abrasion. Of the 87 gloves that scored 5 or less on abrasion, not one reached 4 stars. If the palm wears through, nothing else on the glove saves it.
2. Seams are the next weak point. 133 gloves, 43% of everything tested, scored 1 out of 10 on seam strength. A glove that splits open mid-slide has stopped protecting you.
3. Leather palms win. 36% of leather gloves reached 3 stars or more. Only 4 of 31 textile gloves did. Most of the difference comes down to what the palm is made of.
4. Armour helps, but it isn't everything. Gloves with knuckle and palm protectors reached 3 stars more often (41%) than knuckle-only gloves (22%). But armour can't make up for a palm that wears through.

Most gloves don't do well. 68% of the 308 score 2 stars or less. So "it's a motorcycle glove" tells you very little on its own.

4. The summer rule: air on the back, toughness on the palm

Put sections 2 and 3 side by side and the answer is simple. Cooling happens on the back of the hand. Protection happens on the palm. They are different parts of the glove, so a well-designed summer glove doesn't have to give up one for the other.

MotoCAP's own results prove it. The DriRider Air-Ride 2 Short is a short-cuff summer glove with mesh panels and perforated leather for airflow. It scored 4 stars, with a perfect 10 out of 10 for abrasion, and it sits in MotoCAP's lowest price band (MotoCAP). Mesh where the air goes, leather where the road goes.

The gloves that score badly in summer are the ones that get this backwards: thin textile all over, including the palm, because it's the cheapest way to make a glove feel light. They feel great in the shop, and they are why 18 of the 31 textile gloves MotoCAP has rated sit at 1 star or less.

So the summer glove check is two questions. Where is the mesh? And what is the palm made of? If the answer is "on the back" and "leather, or reinforced with leather", you're looking at the right kind of glove.

5. Short cuff, gauntlet or fingerless?

Short cuff. The natural summer choice. It ends at the wrist, sits under or over a jacket sleeve, and lets warm air escape. It's also quick on and off, which matters when you stop and start all day. For city riding and commuting, a short cuff with a hard knuckle and a reinforced palm does the job. You don't need a bulky race glove to ride to work.

Gauntlet (long cuff). Covers the wrist and lower forearm and seals over the jacket sleeve. Better protection for the wrist in a crash, which matters at highway and touring speeds. Hotter, because the seal traps air. Worth the heat on long, fast days. Overkill for a 20-minute commute.

Fingerless. People search for these more than for any other style of summer glove, so here's the plain answer. When you put your hands out in a fall, your fingertips and the heel of your palm land first. A fingerless glove leaves the fingertips bare. It keeps your palms off the grips and stops blisters, and that's all it does. If cooler fingers is the goal, a full-finger glove with mesh fourchettes gets you most of the way there and keeps your fingertips.

Cycling gloves, gardening gloves and work gloves have the same problem: they're made for grip, not for sliding along a road at 60 km/h.

6. If you're a NSW learner or P plater

Since 1 July 2026, learner, P1 and P2 riders in NSW must wear motorcycle gloves made to EN 13594:2015, Level 1 or Level 2. The penalty for riding without them is a fine and two demerit points (NSW Government).

The check is on the glove itself. Look for a label sewn inside that shows the motorcyclist symbol, "EN 13594:2015" and a level number, 1 or 2. You'll often also see "KP", which means the knuckle protector was tested too.

Summer doesn't change the rule. If you're on L or P plates, start your search with gloves that carry that label, then use the summer rule from section 4 to pick the coolest one. Our NSW glove requirements page has the full detail, and our complete motorcycle glove buyer's guide explains every label.

7. Our two summer gloves

We make two gloves for hot weather, at two price points. Here's what each one is built for.

The Crosstown™ is built exactly to the summer rule. Micro mesh across the back of the hand for airflow. Genuine leather reinforcing the palm and the side of the hand, the places that land first. A hard knuckle that flexes with your hand under a stretch panel, so it doesn't dig in when you grip the bars. It's independently tested to EN 13594:2015, Level 1 (KP), the standard NSW learners and P platers need, and it costs $49. And it carries the X on the cuff, so it looks as good off the bike as on it.

The Armoured Riding Gloves are the cheapest way we know of to get a hard carbon fibre knuckle on your hand. Breathable textile, TPR guards along the fingers and an anti-slip palm, for $19.99. A good spare pair for the top box, a light glove for scooter runs and short trips, or a second pair to swap into when the first one is soaked with sweat.

Motrox Armoured Riding Gloves: carbon fibre knuckle, TPR finger guards, $19.99.

8. Looking after gloves in the heat

• Dry them every time. A glove that goes back in the top box wet with sweat stays wet, smells, and breaks down faster. Turn the cuff open and leave them in the shade with air around them, never on a dashboard or in direct sun.
• Wash the salt out. Dried sweat leaves salt in the lining and stiffens leather. Hand wash in cool water every few weeks in summer, following the care label, and let them air dry slowly.
• Keep a second pair. On hot days, swapping into a dry pair halfway through a long ride is the single best comfort upgrade there is.
• Check the palm and seams. Thin spots on the palm or loose stitching between the fingers are the signs a glove is near the end of its life. Those are the two places MotoCAP found gloves fail.
• Replace after a crash. Even if a glove looks fine, a palm that has slid on the road has done its job once.

For the rest of the summer kit, our summer riding gear guide covers jackets, pants and layering, and riding in 40°C covers hydration and heat stress.

9. So which summer glove should you buy?

Start with the riding you actually do, then apply the summer rule.

City riding and commuting, L or P plates in NSW: a short-cuff glove labelled EN 13594, with mesh on the back and leather on the palm. That's what the Crosstown™ was built to be, at $49.

City riding and short trips on a tight budget, or a second pair: a light glove with a hard knuckle that you'll actually wear every time. Our Armoured Riding Gloves are $19.99.

Long highway days and touring in the heat: a vented leather glove with a high MotoCAP abrasion score, and consider a longer cuff. At sustained high speed the palm matters even more, and the heat penalty of leather is worth paying.

Whichever you choose, carry one habit out of this page. When you pick up a summer glove, turn it over. The mesh tells you how cool it will be. The palm tells you whether it will protect you. And the glove you leave on at the lights is worth more than the best glove in your pocket.

All our gloves are in the motorcycle gloves collection. For everything else about choosing gloves, from labels to sizing, read our complete motorcycle glove buyer's guide.

Quick answers

What are the best summer motorcycle gloves in Australia? Look for mesh on the back of the hand and leather on the palm, ideally with a good MotoCAP abrasion score. That combination has scored as high as 4 stars in Australian testing. If you're on L or P plates in NSW, the glove must also carry an EN 13594 label.

Are mesh motorcycle gloves safe? Mesh on the back of the hand is fine, because the back takes far less sliding than the palm. Mesh or thin textile on the palm is the problem. Check what the palm is made of.

Are fingerless motorcycle gloves OK in summer? They protect your palms from the grips and that's about it. Your fingertips land first in a fall. A full-finger glove with mesh between the fingers is nearly as cool.

Leather or textile gloves for summer? The best summer gloves use both: mesh or textile on the back for airflow, leather on the palm for protection. In MotoCAP testing, leather-palmed gloves scored much better than all-textile ones.

Short cuff or gauntlet in summer? Short cuff for city riding and commuting, because it's cooler and quicker. Gauntlet for long highway days, where the extra wrist protection is worth the heat.

Do I need motorcycle gloves in summer? Legally, if you're a NSW learner or P plater, yes, all year round. Practically, yes for everyone: gloves showed the strongest protective effect of any gear in Australian crash research.

How do I stop my hands sweating in motorcycle gloves? Choose mesh on the back and between the fingers, a short cuff, and padding only where you need it. Dry gloves fully between rides and carry a second pair for long hot days.

Can I use my phone with summer gloves on? Only if the glove has a touchscreen fingertip. The Crosstown™ has one on the index finger.

What does Level 1 KP mean on a glove? It means the glove passed EN 13594:2015 at Level 1, the level NSW accepts for learners and P platers, and that its knuckle protector was tested too. Level 2 is a higher level of the same standard.

MotoCAP ratings belong to MotoCAP and were collected from its website on 5 November 2026; the gloves named were tested by MotoCAP, not by Motrox. Sources: MotoCAP gloves · MotoCAP: DriRider Air-Ride 2 Short · MotoCAP testing process · de Rome et al., 2011 · University of Wollongong · NSW Government