Winter Riding Gloves
Winter Motorcycle Gloves: A Guide to Warm and Heated Options
Insulated, lined, mitten-style or heated gloves, or heated grips? How each keeps your hands warm on a bike, with wind chill figures at road speed.
Winter motorcycle gloves keep your hands warm in one of two ways: they hold in the heat your body makes (insulation, liners, mitten shapes), or they add heat (heated gloves and heated grips). In a cold-weather field test, only heated gloves, mittens and mittens with liners kept fingers at or above 59°F (15°C). Speed makes the problem worse, because wind on a moving bike makes the air feel much colder than the thermometer says.
For glove basics beyond winter, see how to choose motorcycle gloves.
Key takeaways- At 40°F (4°C) and 60 mph, the wind chill on exposed skin works out to about 25°F (-4°C).- Holding heat in: insulated gloves, liners and mitten-style gloves. Adding heat: heated gloves and heated grips.- Mittens beat unheated gloves for warmth, but cost dexterity.- Heated gloves had the warmest fingers in the Antarctic field test.
Why your hands get cold so fast on a bike
Wind chill measures how fast exposed skin loses heat to wind and cold. The US National Weather Service publishes the formula, which uses air temperature and wind speed.
On a motorcycle, your riding speed acts like wind on your hands. Running the NWS formula at road speeds gives these figures:
Cold fingers are a control problem, not only a comfort one. In Army research, a 5°F rise in finger skin temperature (50°F to 55°F) brought about 50 percent more dexterity.
| Air temperature | Speed | Wind chill (about) |
|---|---|---|
| 50°F (10°C) | 60 mph | 39°F (4°C) |
| 40°F (4°C) | 30 mph | 28°F (-2°C) |
| 40°F (4°C) | 60 mph | 25°F (-4°C) |
| 32°F (0°C) | 60 mph | 13°F (-10°C) |
Five ways to keep your hands warm, compared
You can combine them: try a liner under a heated glove, or heated grips with a lined glove.
| Option | How it works | Main trade-off | Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insulated leather gloves | A lining such as Thinsulate, cashmere or shearling holds warmth in | No added heat; limited on long, cold rides | – |
| Liners | A thin layer under your glove adds warmth and moves sweat vapor | Needs a roomier outer glove | – |
| Mitten-style gloves | Fingers share one space | Less dexterity | – |
| Heated gloves | Wires in the glove, powered by a battery or the bike | Cost, wiring or runtime | – |
| Heated grips | Elements in the grips warm the palm side | Back of the hand is not heated; uses bike power | – |
Heated gloves
Heated gloves come in two power types. Battery gloves run for roughly 2 to 8 hours depending on heat level in one maker's 7V line. 12V gloves wire to the bike and have no runtime limit while the engine runs.
In the Antarctic field test, electrically heated gloves had the highest starting and ending finger temperatures. Our picks and buying criteria are in best heated motorcycle gloves. If you already own gloves you like, compare heated glove liners vs heated gloves.
Heated grips
Heated grips warm your hands from the palm side, through the glove. One maker's grips draw 30 watts at 12 volts for the pair. Your bike's alternator must keep up with the lights and the grips, or the heat drops off.
We weigh both options in heated grips vs heated gloves.
Mitten-style gloves
Mittens without liners generally kept fingers warmer than unheated gloves in the field test. A separate chamber study at -4°F (-20°C) found the same pattern for mitten-style work gloves. The cost is grip and feel: Army research reports mittens can cut dexterity by 50 to 80 percent.
See gloves vs mittens for cold-weather riding and our guide to gloves that keep your fingertips warm.
Liners
Mittens with liners were among the coverings that kept fingers at or above 59°F (15°C). Merino wool absorbs sweat vapor and releases it into the air. A liner that fits correctly feels slightly big on the bare hand.
Start with best cold-weather glove liners, then merino wool glove liners if wool is your pick.
Insulated and waterproof gloves
A lined leather glove blocks wind with the leather and holds warmth with the lining. One retailer suggests unheated winter gloves are enough for about an hour at 32-41°F (0-5°C), and that colder or longer rides call for added heat.
Dry matters as much as warm. Read what water-resistant gloves can and cannot do before you pick from the best waterproof motorcycle gloves.
Where to start
- Short commutes above freezing: a lined or insulated glove, plus a liner on colder mornings.
- Long rides near or below freezing: a 12V heated glove, or heated grips with a lined glove.
- Hands that always run cold: a mitten-style glove or a heated glove.
For the glove itself, Leather Collection leather motorcycle gloves are hand-stitched cowhide, 0.8-0.9 mm thick. The range has no winter, insulated or heated motorcycle glove, so pair one with a liner for cool days rather than deep winter.
For fit and season advice, see choosing winter motorcycle gloves by fit and season.
Related guides
- Riding an ATV in the cold? Start with our guide to ATV riding gloves.
- For long cuffs that seal your sleeve, see the types of motorcycle gloves.
Quick answers
How do you keep your hands warm when riding a motorcycle in winter?
Hold heat in with insulation, liners or a mitten shape, and add heat with heated gloves or grips when it nears freezing or rides get long.
What are the warmest motorcycle gloves?
Heated gloves. They kept fingers warmest in the Antarctic field test. Among unheated options, mittens beat gloves.
What is the best hand warmer for motorcycles?
Heated gloves or heated grips. Chemical warmers placed at the wrist increased heat loss in the field test.
Motorcycle Leather Gloves Editorial Team
Motorcycle Leather Gloves articles are researched from published sources, cited in the text, and reviewed before publication.