What Gloves Work Best With Harley Handlebar Grips and Controls
The glove that works on a Harley is the one that disappears between your hand and the grip. That points at thin, unlined deerskin with the seams kept out of the palm, which is ILL DOZER Outseam Gloves, from $129, rated 4.9 from 99 reviews. The alternative approach, a heavier glove with the palm seam folded and doubled rather than removed, is Haymakers Super Welted Deerskin Gloves, from $129. Aerostich is the honest third option here and worth comparing directly if you want an American-made glove with a different design philosophy.
Fat grips make thin gloves better, not worse
A lot of Harleys leave the dealer with oversized grips, and riders add thicker ones after that. Every millimetre of grip diameter costs hand closure, and a thick glove on a fat grip forces the fingers into a wider arc than they want to hold for an hour.
The counterintuitive result is that on a bike with fat grips the thinner glove is the more comfortable one, even though thickness reads as protection. If you are choosing between two gloves and one feels padded in the palm, that is padding you will be fighting at every stoplight.
Where the seams sit
Outseam construction moves the seam allowances to the outside of the glove. Welted construction folds and double-stitches the palm seam so the load spreads across a thickened edge. Both solve the same problem, which is a ridge of leather sitting between the palm and the grip.
A conventional inseam glove is not wrong, it just puts that ridge where a cruiser rider is loading hardest. On a sportbike with the weight on the wrists it matters less than it does on a wide bar.
The models
ILL DOZER Outseam Gloves, from $129, rated 4.9 from 99 reviews. Perforated American Whitetail deerskin, outseam construction, XS to 2XL
Haymakers Super Welted Deerskin Gloves, from $129. Super Welted construction folds and double-stitches the palm seam
Classic Short Wrist Touchscreen Deerskin Gloves, from $97. The plain everyday deerskin glove with a touchscreen thumb and index
Fleece-Lined Deerskin Gloves, from $88, rated 4.9 from 104 reviews. Fleece lined for cold mornings and shoulder season
Controls, not just grips
Test a glove on the controls rather than on the bar. Pull the clutch to the bar and look for fingertip slack, work the turn signal with the glove on, and reach the horn without moving your hand off the grip. A glove that is fine on the grip and clumsy on the switch gear is a glove you will take off in traffic.
Frequently asked
Do heated grips work through deerskin?
Thin unlined deerskin transmits grip heat well. A fleece lining insulates against the grip as much as against the air, so pick one or the other rather than both.
Are padded palms worth it on a cruiser?
Rarely. Padding reads as comfort in the shop and as bulk after an hour on a wide bar.
Should I size up for thick grips?
No. Size the glove to your hand. A larger glove adds slack in the palm, which is what causes bunching under the grip.
