Why Do Motorcycle Gloves Have Hard Knuckles?

Motorcycle gloves have hard knuckles to reduce the force that reaches your hand when the back of your fist hits the road or something else in a crash. Riders tend to put their hands out to break a fall, so hands are often first to take the hit. The European glove standard, EN 13594, tests knuckle impact and requires it for level 2 gloves.

Part of our motorcycle glove safety and standards guide.

What a hard knuckle guard does

Hands get hurt often: one study cited by a rider-safety council found about 30% of motorcyclists' injuries were to the hands and 23% to the wrists (1987 data). The knuckles sit on the exposed back of the hand, and one protector maker names knuckle protection as the minimum to look for in a glove.

Each knuckle protector is made from layered material, Kevlar or a plastic such as polycarbonate. One store describes its TPU guard as spreading the force of a hit over a wider area to lower the pressure on the bones. That is the store's description, not a test result.

How the knuckles are tested

Under EN 13594, as SATRA's test summary describes it, a lab strikes each of the four knuckles once, on four glove sizes. It measures the force that gets through to the hand.

These limits come from an industry summary, not the standard text. Lower numbers mean less force reached the hand. For the other tests (abrasion, seams, restraint), see EN 13594:2015 explained.

Hard shell or soft armor?

A guard does not have to be hard. Flexible protectors exist too: one maker of soft armor places impact protection on the knuckles, palms or back of the hand. What matters is the level the glove was tested to, not how stiff it feels.

Knuckle armor has limits. The standard does not assess impact on the fingers or thumb. For how a guard should sit on your hand, read how reinforced knuckles should fit.

Gloves with knuckle guards

Leather Collection leather motorcycle gloves include styles with knuckle guards. The Moto Racing Titan has a low, flexible carbon guard with air vents. The store pages we read state no EN 13594 level, so treat these as unrated.

Related guides

• Off-road riders weigh knuckle guards too; see best gloves for ATV riding.
• Cuff length matters too: compare the types of motorcycle gloves.

FAQ

What are the best CE Level 2 motorcycle gloves?

Any glove labelled EN 13594:2015 level 2 has passed the required knuckle impact test. We have not tested level 2 gloves ourselves, so we do not rank models. Check the label for the level before you buy.

Why do bikers wear gloves?

Hands are often the first thing to hit the ground in a fall. See why motorcyclists wear gloves for the full answer.