Motorcycle Gloves
When one’s truly passionate about riding all year, he or she must prepare for various climate conditions.
For us motorcyclists in the Northeastern part of the country, especially the sport-touring bunch, this prepping requires motorcycle gloves built for the cold. And these gloves must be capable to withstand rain and the occasional snow shower while temps are dipping below the 70s and 60s.
Since I ride 12 months a year here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, I have a set of motorcycle gloves for the extremely hot and extremely cold conditions. But sometimes you want that in-between glove, especially while sport touring. And that’s when a bit of research brought me to the Weise Manx Gloves, ones loaded with features but at the lower-end of the price spectrum of sport-touring gloves.
The Manx Gloves are designed for the colder temps, and I’ve found them optimal in the 45- to 65-degree range. But any colder or warmer, and you’ll be wishing you brought along another pair. Under gloves could help with the colder temps, but plan on sweaty palms for the 65-plus conditions.
And if it’s drizzling, the Weise Manx Gloves will keep your control hands dry. But if it’s pouring and you’ll be riding for a few hours, plan on wet hands. On recent 200-mile journey through the heaviest of rain (including 60-plus mph winds and temps dipping to 38), I found out the hard way these don’t keep the hands dry, which eventually resulted in freezing hands.
The gloves became saturated after about 20 miles of riding in the former mentioned pouring conditions. This isn’t the best way to test gear, but since I also like to test the sanity of my psychological makeup, I sometimes find myself in scary conditions, which helps optimize my evaluation of gear.
But if it’s just the passing shower or typical drizzle, the Manx Gloves will keep your hands dry. This is due to their "Hipora" glove insert, which is nestled between the glove liner that actually touches your hand (tri-fleece), and the outer glove, which is constructed of full-grain leather and nylon.
The Hipora layer is said to be windproof and waterproof while still allowing the gloves to breath. As stated before, I’ve found the gloves to not be 100-percent waterproof in pouring conditions, so in regards to 100-percent waterproof, I’m not sold. But in standard conditions that 95-percent of the riders endure, the Weise Manx Gloves will work perfectly, and the breathability (in temps under 65-degrees) will keep the hands comfy. As for the windproofing, no complaints here.
Regarding comfort, the Weise Manx feature a tri-fleece inner liner that is soft on the hands. They are not bulky, and have the typical adjustable strap at the wrist and cuff to customize comfort. The Manx series also features stretch panels on the top part of the hand to conform the glove to your hand while twisting the throttle or caressing the brake. And they remained glued to the controls via a Chamude overlay panel on the palms for improved grip…even in wet conditions.
The Manx gloves have many protection features, including a molded knuckle reinforcement, which is covered in leather to supply an attractive look. They also feature internal Keprotec reinforcement to the main impact points; Keprotec is a high-tech, tear-resistant material featuring Kevlar that is resistant to tearing under impact.
And another safety addition to the Weise gloves are 3M Scotchlite reflective panels on the middle/index fingers, which supplies others with night-time visibility.
The UMC Weise Manx Glove Verdict:
If you’re in need of a warmer glove for daily riding in 45- to 65-degree temps that endures the occasional rain shower/drizzle, the Weise Manx Glove is optimal.
If you’re looking for a glove to provide extra warmth on those cold, summer nights, the Weise Manx Glove is optimal.
But…
If you’re planning an all-out touring trip within the 45- to 65-degree temperatures, bring them for the comfort, but also bring a pair of 100-percent waterproof gloves in case the skies start to cry.
The Weise Manx are available in three color schemes (black/red; black/blue; black/black), and are available in sizes S – XXXL.
Weise Manx MSRP: $79.99
