15 Recommended Smartphone-Compatible Motorcycle Gloves! Plus a Clever Trick to Make Your Existing Gloves Smartphone-Compatible

スマホ対応のバイクグローブおすすめ15選!手持ちのグローブをスマホ対応に改造する裏技も

Smartphone-compatible motorcycle gloves are now a must-have!

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Smartphones have become indispensable in our daily lives, and they are now an essential item for motorcyclists as well.
Whether it's for navigation on a touring trip, communicating with fellow riders, checking the weather, taking photos at a touring destination, or updating social media, there are many opportunities to use your smartphone.
For example, when you get lost and want to check the navigation immediately, or when the weather starts to look suspicious and you want to open a weather app to check it, or when you want to find information about nearby spots, you want to operate your smartphone quickly. However, with regular motorcycle gloves, the screen doesn't respond, so you have to take off your gloves to operate it.
This is very troublesome and is one of the concerns many motorcyclists have.
"Smartphone-compatible gloves" can solve this problem. As the name suggests, you can operate your smartphone without taking off your gloves.

15 Recommended Smartphone-Compatible Gloves

This time, we will mainly introduce smartphone-compatible gloves with simple designs that can be easily used for city riding.

Alpinestars Mustang V2 Gloves

Source: https://www.bikeman.jp/

Alpinestars gloves are highly recommended for their excellent smartphone touch sensitivity.
This model is also excellent in terms of specs, with synthetic suede reinforced sides, leather-covered hard knuckles, and reinforced thumbs and palms for superior grip.

Alpinestars Celer Gloves

Source: https://www.bikeman.jp/

Full-grain leather refers to the densest part of the hide before tanning, left untreated. The Celer Gloves use full-grain goat leather.
They are excellent in terms of both performance and feel, offering superior durability and breathability, and developing a beautiful luster with use.

Alpinestars Atom Gloves

Source: https://www.bikeman.jp/

These are smartphone-compatible gloves that combine mesh and leather for lightness and comfort. They are especially effective in summer.
They are also relatively cheaper than the two models mentioned earlier, making them recommended for those who want to try Alpinestars.

Alpinestars SP-5 LEATHER GLOVE

Source: https://www.bikeman.jp/

The palm is full leather, and the top hand is made of high-performance PU leather mixed with perforated goat leather. An ergonomically designed stretch insert on the palm provides excellent operability for these gloves.

Alpinestars SP-2 V2 Gloves

Source: https://www.bikeman.jp/

These versatile mid-cuff gloves offer high durability and excellent fit, suitable for everything from street riding to track racing.
With a more vibrant color scheme than the other gloves introduced, they would be useful not only for city riding but also for races.

Alpinestars SMX-1 Air V2 Gloves

Source: https://www.bikeman.jp/

These are sports mesh gloves that mix mesh material and perforated leather. The palm is full leather, but with carbon-like wave knuckle protection system, they will be very useful, especially in summer.

MOTOWN Easy Riding Gloves

Source: https://amzn.to/48yk9Er
These are smartphone-compatible gloves with excellent cost performance, available from around 1,000 yen.
We highly recommend these gloves for anyone who wants to try them out first. Compared to Alpinestars and similar brands, the functionality is commensurate with the price, but the simple design, essential performance, and the fact that they are washable are all attractive points.

RS Taichi Velocity Mesh Gloves

Source: https://amzn.to/4aReZoA
These are all-around gloves that effortlessly meet the necessary performance requirements for motorcycle gloves, including fit, breathability, grip, and smartphone responsiveness. The price is also relatively low, so they are recommended for those who want slightly more serious motorcycle gloves.

FREE×FREE All Season Leather Gloves for Motorcycles

Source:  https://amzn.to/48LcEK4
These smartphone-compatible gloves have a simple yet casual design, perfect for city riding. The all-season compatibility is also a nice bonus.

ROUGH&ROAD Protection Riding Gloves RR8019

Source: https://amzn.to/41VuOXt
These smartphone-compatible gloves come in an attractive range of 7 colors. They have a soft feel and flexibility, and their appearance exudes a quality beyond their price.
The touch function on both hands is also a subtle but appealing feature.

KOMINE Motorcycle Light Mesh Gloves MG-003

Source: https://amzn.to/48OqXNT
These Komine motorcycle gloves have a graphical and distinctive design. They omit protectors for simpler operation and a more affordable price point.

POWERAGE Soft Feel Winter Gloves PG-21250

Source: https://amzn.to/48PFwAG
These long gloves offer excellent cold protection. The soft feel allows for natural finger touch when operating a motorcycle, and the fit is excellent. The basic performance is more than satisfactory, making these gloves especially recommended for those who prioritize warmth.

SIMPSON Fleece Gloves SG-6173

Source: https://amzn.to/420IdgU
Simpson is renowned for its comfortable fit. These smartphone-compatible gloves feature an orthodox design and can be used in spring, autumn, and winter.

DEGNER GOAT LEATHER TOURING GLOVE TG-47i

Source: https://amzn.to/3tY8Vdc
These smartphone-compatible gloves are made from goat leather, which is known for its comfortable fit and ease of use.
Their calm and simple design makes them suitable for a wide range of uses, from city riding to touring.

GOLDWIN Anti-Vibration Short Leather Gloves GSM16605

Source: https://amzn.to/48NJ9ax
These smartphone-compatible gloves are simple and versatile, made from colorfast, water-repellent goat leather, making them suitable for various situations. They feature an anti-vibration function that reduces vibrations from the motorcycle handlebars, making them ideal for long rides.

Smartphone-compatible gloves not responding? Causes and solutions.

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Some of you may already be using smartphone-compatible gloves, but do you ever find that they don't respond? There could be several reasons why smartphone-compatible gloves don't respond, but the main reason is likely "material deterioration."

The cause of unresponsiveness may be the deterioration of the material woven into the fingertips.

The mechanism of smartphone-compatible gloves is that "conductive material (conductive thread)" is woven into the fingertips, which enables smartphone operation.
The conductive thread plays a role in reading the current between your fingertips and the smartphone, so if this conductive thread deteriorates, it naturally becomes difficult for the current to be transmitted to the smartphone, resulting in a state where the smartphone does not respond or responds poorly even when operated.
However, does this mean you have to buy new gloves? Here are three ways to deal with gloves that have become unresponsive.

Solution 1: Check for dirt on the gloves or smartphone.

If newly purchased gloves aren't responding, first check for any dirt on the fingertips or smartphone screen.
Even when using a smartphone normally, if your fingertips are wet or dirty, the phone might respond poorly or not at all.
Similarly, if the gloves or smartphone screen are dirty, they won't respond, so start by checking for dirt.

Solution 2: Check if the glove size is correct.

As mentioned earlier, "conductive thread" is woven into the fingertips of smartphone-compatible gloves, and this conductive thread reads the electric current between the fingertip and the smartphone. Therefore, if you are wearing gloves that don't fit, they may not respond.
Before purchasing gloves, it is recommended to make sure they fit your hand size, and if possible, try them on before buying.

Solution 3: If it still doesn't respond

If your smartphone still doesn't respond after trying solutions 1 and 2, it's likely due to deterioration.
If deterioration is the cause, you can either give up and buy new gloves, or try the trick introduced below.

【Hack】Modifying your existing gloves for smartphone compatibility

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So far, I've listed a few smartphone-compatible gloves, but of course, there are times when you're fond of the gloves you're currently using.
Also, there are cases where you're already using smartphone-compatible gloves, but they've deteriorated and become less responsive.
In such cases, try the hack of modifying your existing gloves to be smartphone-compatible.

Try wearing finger sleeves.

Source: https://amzn.to/3RWX7jH

These are gaming finger sleeves. They claim to enable comfortable smartphone operation by using silver fibers with excellent conductivity.
However, since they are worn over gloves, they might not be suitable for bulky winter gloves or for people with large hands.

Sew special thread into the fingertips.

Source: https://amzn.to/48uoIjd

This is "conductive thread," a special thread that conducts electricity. Try sewing this onto the finger parts of your existing gloves.
By sewing it onto the pads of your index finger and thumb, you can operate your smartphone with the same feel as usual.

Try using "Smart Touch" to make your gloves smartphone-compatible.

Source: https://amzn.to/3vyZVvJ

As stated on the package, this product can make your motorcycle gloves smartphone-compatible.
However, it seems it cannot be used with winter gloves or rain gloves that have double-layered fingertips.

Try using a smartphone-compatible sticker.

Source: https://amzn.to/4aP4lPf

Finally, there's a product that allows you to operate your smartphone just by attaching it to your gloves.
This can be cut into any shape or length, allowing you to attach it to your gloves in a way that fits your finger size.

Summary

We've covered recommended smartphone-compatible gloves, reasons why your gloves might not be responding and how to fix it, and even a trick to make your existing gloves smartphone-compatible.
Hopefully, this helps you find the right gloves based on your budget, design preferences, and performance needs.

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