Best Motorcycle Riding Gloves in India (Summer, Touring, Rain)
When you fall off a motorcycle, your hands instinctively go out first — which is exactly why unprotected hands are the most commonly injured body part in low-speed crashes. Yet gloves are the gear most Indian riders skip. A pair of proper riding gloves costs less than a tank of fuel and is the difference between dusting yourself off and months of skin grafts on your palms.
This guide covers what to look for, the three glove types you'll actually choose between, and the brands worth buying in India.
What a riding glove must have
Palm protection first: a reinforced palm slider or double-layer palm absorbs the slide when you instinctively put your hand down. Knuckle protection second: a hard or armoured knuckle guard against impact. Then secure retention — a wrist strap plus a cuff closure so the glove can't be torn off your hand mid-slide (a glove that flies off protects nothing).
Look for abrasion-resistant materials (leather palms, or textile with leather/synthetic reinforcement), reinforced stitching, and ideally CE EN 13594 certification, which is the glove-specific standard. Touchscreen fingertips are a nice-to-have for using your phone at stops.
Summer / mesh gloves
For hot Indian conditions, ventilated short-cuff gloves are the everyday choice. Mesh or perforated-leather backs flow air while keeping a protective palm and knuckle. Rynox Air GT, Raida's summer gloves and Korda's vented range live here, typically ₹1,200–₹2,500.
These are commuter gloves: enough protection for city and moderate highway speeds, with the airflow to make them wearable in 40°C heat. The right default for most Indian riders' daily use.
Touring / gauntlet gloves
For highways, long rides and varied weather, a full gauntlet glove (longer cuff that seals over the jacket sleeve) gives more wrist coverage, more impact armour, and often a waterproof membrane. Rynox Storm Evo, Raida and Royal Enfield touring gloves fit here, usually ₹2,500–₹5,000.
The extra cuff length matters in a crash — it prevents the glove riding down and exposing your wrist — and seals out wind and rain on long rides. If you tour or ride fast, this is the tier to target.
Rain and cold
For monsoon, look for gloves with a genuine waterproof membrane (not just 'water-resistant' coating) — many touring gauntlets include one. For hill cold (Ladakh, Himachal in winter), insulated gauntlets or a thin liner glove under your summer gloves keeps fingers working; numb hands can't operate the brake and clutch.
Avoid the trap of one glove for everything: a heavily waterproofed winter glove is miserable in Indian summer heat. Most riders end up with a vented summer pair and a touring/rain pair.
Frequently asked
- Are riding gloves really necessary for short city rides?
- Yes — most hand injuries happen in low-speed urban crashes, exactly the riding you do daily. Your hands reflexively break your fall, and unprotected palms shred on tarmac instantly. A ₹1,500 pair of vented gloves is cheap insurance for the gear most likely to save you from injury.
- What's the minimum I should spend on gloves?
- Around ₹1,200–₹1,800 gets a properly protective vented short-cuff glove from Rynox, Raida or Korda with palm and knuckle protection. Below that you're usually buying fashion or work gloves with no impact protection or proper retention.
- Short-cuff or gauntlet gloves?
- Short-cuff for everyday city and summer (cooler, easier on/off); gauntlet for touring, highways and rain (more wrist coverage and weather sealing). Many riders own both. See our dedicated gauntlet-vs-short-cuff guide.
- Do touchscreen fingertips wear out?
- Yes — the conductive thread on touchscreen fingertips degrades over time and with abrasion. It's a convenience feature, not a protection feature, so don't choose a glove on touchscreen capability alone.
- Which glove brand is best value in India?
- Rynox and Raida offer the widest range and best protection-per-rupee across summer and touring gloves. Korda is strong in the value summer-glove segment, and Royal Enfield gloves are easy to try on at dealerships.