Photography: SIMON LEE Five of the best short leather motorcycle gloves featured image
Advice & Guides

Five of the best short leather motorcycle gloves

22 Jun 2020
Updated: 9 Mar 2022 Short leather gloves are great for towns, tours and warm riding days. Here are the five key contenders…

Short gloves are perfect for summer − great for getting air flowing, and no need to fiddle about getting them under or over a cuff.

Our guide to the best short leather gloves has been put together using reviews from the Sportsbikeshop website.

If you’d prefer not to spend this much, take a look at our guide to the best short leather gloves under £70.

Knox Handroid POD MK5 Glove CE - Black

Our price: £199.99

Customer rating:

4.8 (9)

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Sportsbikeshop customers were impressed with the previous version of these short gloves from British manufacturer Knox, with more than one customer calling them the best gloves they’d ever owned. The new MK5 model make our list from the performance of those old MK4s, which were praised highly for comfort, dexterity as 33 reviewers gave them an average score of 4.9 stars. We'll keep an eye on feedback for the MK5s to make sure they remain as popular as their predecessor.

Richa Bobber Leather Gloves - Brown

With an average rating of 4.8 stars, the first eight customers to review the Richa Bobber gloves have been impressed, especially with the comfort and fit of the gloves. Several reviewers have been pleased with the amount of ventilation on the gloves, which has kept their hands cool on warmer rides. Customers were also fans of the retro styling of these gloves.

Knox Orsa Leather Gloves MkII

Knox have knocked it out of the park with their Orsa MKII. One Sportsbikeshop customer calls them “the best gloves in the world”. Some buyers initially thought the Boa lacing system was a gimmick, but soon realised how easy it makes things. Together, the first 69 buyers give the Orsas a 4.8-star average. Reviewers say the cuff is difficult to tuck under leather jacket sleeves, but they easily slide under textiles, and the gloves are comfy and breathable.  

Klim Badlands Aero Pro Short Leather Gloves

Price from: £170.00

Customer rating:

4.7 (19)

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Praise has been high from the first seven reviews for these Klim gloves, with customers describing them as “great gloves” and “top quality”. Customers have commended these gloves for the generous ventilation, comfort, protection and feel. Despite the ventilation, one reviewer likes them so much he stuck with them through winter, in conjunction with heated grips, rather than switching to his winter gloves.

Alpinestars Celer V2 Leather Gloves

Customer rating:

4.8 (15)

Italian brand Alpinestars have plenty of experience in gloves, so it’s no surprise to see these have a 4.71 star rating from the first 14 reviews. Customers have been impressed with the build quality, protection and fit, and several noted the ventilation works well on hot days. While the vast majority of reviewers found these gloves to be comfortable, many also noted that a break-in period was required.