A gauntlet glove protects more than a short-cuff glove, because its long cuff covers the wrist and closes over the jacket sleeve, so no skin shows and the sleeve can't slide up your arm in a crash. Short cuffs run cooler and tuck under the sleeve, which suits hot, slow riding.
EN 13594:2015, the European motorcycle glove standard, gives Level 2 only to gloves whose cuff reaches at least 2 in (50 mm) past the wrist line, so a cuff that stops at the wrist bone tops out at Level 1. Gauntlets add a second closure and block wind, while short cuffs win on airflow and quick on-and-off. In dry weather the gauntlet goes over the sleeve, and in rain the piece higher on your arm overlaps the lower one. Leather jackets with slim zip cuffs pair best with gauntlets, and a short cuff works only when the sleeve still covers it with your arms on the bars.
Which protects more, a gauntlet or a short-cuff glove?
A gauntlet protects more than a short-cuff glove, because the longer cuff covers the wrist joint and overlaps the jacket sleeve, so no strip of bare skin opens up in a slide. The difference is coverage, not palm strength: a short glove can use the same leather and knuckle armor as a gauntlet and still leave the wrist as the weak link.
The glove standard builds that difference in. EN 13594:2015 requires a Level 2 glove's cuff to reach at least 2 in (50 mm) past the wrist line, according to the test house SATRA. A cuff that ends at the wrist bone can't meet that, so short gloves top out at Level 1 even when their materials perform at Level 2, a point UK gear maker MotoGirl makes in its glove guide. Sources disagree on the Level 1 minimum: SATRA lists 0.2 in (5 mm), while Scott Sports' 2016 glove manual gives 0.6 in (15 mm).
A label still beats a long cuff on its own. A short glove marked Level 1 KP has passed abrasion, cut, tear and pull-off tests, and an unlabeled gauntlet has proven none of them, so read the label before you judge the cuff.
What is a gauntlet motorcycle glove?
A gauntlet motorcycle glove is a riding glove whose cuff runs past the wrist onto the forearm, long enough to close over the end of a jacket sleeve. Many gauntlets add a second closure at the cuff, such as a zip or a hook-and-loop strap, on top of the wrist strap, so the glove is held at two points.
Gauntlets are the usual cut for racing, touring and winter gloves, the kinds of riding where speed or weather punishes an open wrist. The long cuff also stops wind from funneling up the sleeve on a cold highway morning.
The cost is bulk. A stiff leather gauntlet takes a moment to work over a thick textile sleeve, and it closes off the sleeve opening where air would otherwise flow up your arm.
What is a short-cuff motorcycle glove?
A short-cuff motorcycle glove ends at or just past the wrist bone and closes with a single wrist strap, and it's built to tuck under the jacket sleeve. Riders also call them short gloves, and mid-length cuffs sit between short cuffs and full gauntlets.
Short cuffs are common on summer, urban and cruiser gloves. They pull on fast at a fuel stop, they don't fight a tight leather sleeve, and they leave the sleeve opening free for air.
The weak point is the overlap. Reach forward to the bars and a sleeve that's a little short pulls back toward the elbow, leaving a strip of wrist bare to the road in a fall.
How do gauntlet and short-cuff gloves compare?
Gauntlet gloves win on wrist coverage, certification ceiling and wind sealing, and short-cuff gloves win on airflow, weight and how quickly they go on and off.
Each cuff style below is compared on the points that matter in a crash and on a long ride.
| Feature | Gauntlet glove | Short-cuff glove |
|---|---|---|
| Where the cuff ends | On the forearm, past the wrist | At or just past the wrist bone |
| Wrist coverage in a slide | Full, overlapping the sleeve | Depends on the sleeve covering it |
| Closures | Wrist strap, often plus a cuff closure | Single wrist strap |
| Highest EN 13594 level possible | Level 2 | Level 1 |
| Usual sleeve position | Over the sleeve (under-cuff designs exist) | Under the sleeve |
| Airflow up the arm | Blocked | Open |
| Wind and cold | Seals the sleeve end | Lets wind in unless the sleeve cinches over it |
| On and off | Slower | Quick |
| Best match | Sport, touring, winter and highway riding | Hot-weather, urban and short slow rides |
Cuff length is one of four differences between glove families, alongside palm sliders, knuckle armor and waterproofing, and all four are lined up in motorcycle glove types by riding style.
Should gauntlets go over or under your jacket sleeve?
Gauntlets should go over your jacket sleeve in dry weather, cinched down so the end of the sleeve sits locked inside the cuff, because a sleeve trapped under the gauntlet can't ride up your arm in a slide. That's how most gauntlets are designed to be worn, as webBikeWorld's Mark Hinchliffe noted in a 2017 glove review.
Rain changes the rule on some bikes, because water runs downhill along your arm and the higher piece has to overlap the lower one, the way roof shingles shed water.
- On sport bikes and naked bikes, the sleeve goes over the glove in steady rain, because your hands sit below your elbows and water runs down the sleeve toward the cuff.
- Visordown's wet-weather clothing guide warns that water running down a sleeve gets into a glove worn over it, however waterproof the lining, and calls it a bigger problem for sportbike riders.
- On bikes with tall bars, the gauntlet stays over the sleeve, because your hands sit level with or above your elbows and water runs toward the elbow instead. Some water still finds its way past the end of a gauntlet into the sleeve, as Hinchliffe noted in 2020.
- On sport bikes in the rain, an under-cuff gauntlet such as Harley-Davidson's Admiral Under-Cuff Gauntlet, which has a stretch cuff built to slip under the sleeve, gives you the sleeve-over-glove overlap without giving up the long cuff.
Short-cuff gloves always go under the sleeve, with the sleeve's own closure cinched down over the glove.
Which cuff suits your jacket and riding?
A gauntlet suits any jacket with a slim, closable sleeve end and any ride at highway speed, while a short cuff suits only a jacket whose sleeve still covers the glove with your arms stretched to the bars. The quickest check is a reach test: sit on the bike in your jacket, hold the grips and look for skin between sleeve and glove.
Each jacket style pairs with a glove cuff in a predictable way.
- Leather sport jackets have narrow zip cuffs that slide inside a gauntlet, so the glove closes over the sleeve with no gap.
- Leather cruiser jackets with zip cuffs take a gauntlet over the sleeve, and cruiser jackets with snap cuffs make under-cuff gloves awkward to fasten, as webBikeWorld found in 2017.
- Textile touring and adventure jackets have wide hook-and-loop sleeve tabs that close down over a short or under-cuff glove in rain and tuck inside a gauntlet in dry weather.
- Mesh summer jackets often have loose sleeves, and a loose sleeve rides up in a slide, so a vented gauntlet closed over the sleeve holds it in place better than a short cuff.
- Winter riding jackets pair with insulated gauntlets that seal the sleeve end against cold air.
Do short-cuff gloves come off in a crash?
Yes, a short-cuff glove comes off in a crash when its wrist closure is loose or missing, because the closure, not the cuff length, is what holds any glove on your hand. EN 13594 tests this by pulling a cone out of the fastened glove, and a Level 1 glove has to hold until 25 N (about 5.6 lbf) and a Level 2 glove until 50 N (about 11.2 lbf), according to SATRA.
MotoCAP, the Australian and New Zealand Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Program, puts it plainly: don't buy gloves that pull off with the fastenings done up. The rest of the glove test list sits in motorcycle gear certifications.
Are gauntlets too hot for summer?
Yes, a solid leather gauntlet runs hotter than a short cuff in summer, because it seals the sleeve opening where air would otherwise flow up your arm. A perforated or mesh-backed gauntlet keeps the wrist coverage and lets air through the back of the hand, and the two materials are compared in Ventilated Summer Motorcycle Gloves.
Where can you see leather gauntlet gloves?
AtomBiker, a US online store for motorcycle helmets, jackets, gloves, boots and pants, sells the Hot Leathers GVD1015 black deerskin leather gauntlet gloves, a long gauntlet-style glove with a fleece-lined insulated interior, a double-layered palm, a visor squeegee on the left index finger and a hook-and-loop wrist cuff adjustment. The product page lists no cuff length or EN 13594 level, so run the reach test with your own jacket before you ride in them.
Frequently asked questions
Are short-cuff gloves OK for commuting?
Yes, short-cuff gloves work for commuting when your sleeve covers the cuff in the reach test and the glove carries an EN 13594 label. A short pair for hot days plus a gauntlet for cold or wet ones covers the whole year, and the buying steps are in How to Choose Motorcycle Gloves.
Do racing gloves have gauntlets?
Yes, racing gloves use full gauntlets that close over the leather suit sleeve, so the wrist stays covered through a long slide at track speed. Palm sliders and finger bridges are the other features that set racing gloves apart from street gloves.
Do gauntlet gloves need a bigger size?
No, cuff length doesn't change your glove size, because the size comes from your hand measurement around the knuckles, not from the cuff. The glove chart in AtomBiker's Sizing Guide settles a between-sizes measurement by material instead: the smaller size for leather and the larger size for textile.
How tight should a gauntlet cuff be?
A gauntlet cuff should close snug over the jacket sleeve without squeezing your forearm, so the sleeve can't slide out and wind can't funnel in. The wrist strap does the real holding, and it should be tight enough that the glove won't pull off with the strap fastened.
Do short-cuff gloves leave your wrists sunburned?
Yes, a short cuff leaves a strip of wrist open to the sun whenever the sleeve pulls back on the reach to the bars, and webBikeWorld's Mark Hinchliffe found the gap worst on bikes with a long reach. Sunscreen on the wrists or a longer cuff closes the gap.
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