Kinda like asking what color is best. I use full-finger leather in case I need to get up close and personal with anything on the motor while it's still hot.
HD cutoffs or full-finger....thickness and construction depending on season. Are you sure this isn't a trick question to see how many people answer?...since you very obviously know what you are doing...as a racer.
I wore fingerless gloves for awhile because, in spite of the danger of losing fingers if I fell, I couldn't feel anything with full fingered gloves. Then I discovered Lee Parks DeerTour gloves. They have a layer of padding across the knuckles as well as the heel of the hand but, most importantly, I can still reach in my pants pocket for my keys, change, etc. I wear them pretty much exclusively now. Well, until winter when I am forced to wear some insulated gauntlets.
One of my boys brought them to me as leftovers from his tour in Afghanistan and they are excellent for riding.
They are a lot warmer than you'd think and even though they are not waterproof, they dry REALLY fast and are all day comfy in the hot Georgia sun.
Yeah they are pricey, but I'd have another pair in a second when these wear out.-
FWIW, I've got about 15k or so on these gloves in the past year in sun, rain, and all around riding.... plus a few months of combat time before they came to me..
There is a hole in the right index finger about 1/2 the size of a pea....pretty durable if'n you ask me.
Fox Creek Leathers has the best quality stuff I've seen.
I bought their gloves that have the seams on the outsides so they are much more comfortable than other designs.
Enjoy,
RJ
I have a helluva time finding gloves that fir properly. My hand is a "large" on most gloves, but my finger-length calls for "extra large". I'm stuck with either a glove that's too loose, or the tips of my fingers go numb from pressing on the front of the gloves. I wear fingerless gel-palmed Power Trip gloves when the weather permits. I've got full-finger Power Trips for when it cools off, a pair of Fox Creek deerskins for down to about 50, and the Gerbings gauntlets for when it's really cold.
Fox Creek is excellent, no regreta with anything they have.
Chilhowee Leather is also good and has a choice between US made and imported. Their US made stuff is pretty good, too, and their prices are affordable.
As for material, as others have said, deerskin is -very- nice. Hard to beat for gloves.
I wear a full fingered glove OK-1...066 anti vibration gloves. Not because I have too much vibration but because i have a wierd habit of thumb position on the throttle. Anyway these are full leather with a padding in the pressure points to help you feel comfortable whether its a 2 hr ride or 10 hr ride. My only complaint is when they are new, they are kid of stiff.
I have some unlined full finger leather gloves that have a snap wrist band. They have holes cutout for my knuckles and another larger hole by the wrist snap so I get some ventilation. I got them for $20 at Wilson's Leather and they are still on sale right now.
I have some tan "roper" gloves that I bought at Tractor Supply one day when I was riding and it was cold enough that my fingers were going numb. They add enough warmth for any weather that I'm likely to go riding in these days. The only problem for me is that the fingers are just a bit too short when my hands are wrapped around the grips, but I have that problem with every glove even though I buy the largest size that I can find. They started off as this yellow type color that isn't that great, but once you wear them in a bit, they definitely have a "character" to them that you won't find with all the black glove guys out there...
If you are looking for a glove in mild to hot weather I tried several gloves, never found one that really fit well. Hand hand cramping problems also. On the suggestion of a friend I went to Lowes (yes the home improvement store) and looked in their work glove section. I found a pair of gloves I love. combination mesh and leather with articulated protection for back of hand and leather protection on front. they fit perfect, are cool, and practically eliminated the numb fingers problem. Mechanix Wear Impact Pro gloves.