Words and Pictures by Kenn Stamp


One of the hardest parts about being a moto-journalist is being objective. We have to put aside any personal feeling, biases, and/or prejudices and just report in a comprehensive, objective, and fair manner. This means that even if we absolutely love something we can't just come out and say "Wow! We love this ____" without people pointing their fingers and muttering deprecations like "sell-out" under their breath.

That being said I'll let you in on a little secret; I love these gloves! Listen.....I think someone just muttered "sell-out" under their breath. Well mutter away ye who doubt, it changes naught. Plain and simply these are some of the nicest gloves I have ever worn.

So I guess that means they are perfect right? Let's look at them a little more closely and see if that is true shall we?

The Ceno Shorty gloves are a mini-gauntlet style glove that allows your jacket sleeve to go under the glove instead of on top. While not offering the same level of protection as a full gauntlet glove the mini-gauntlet is much preferred over having no gauntlet at all. The Ceno Shorty gloves are a 1.0mm leather glove with even more leather reinforcing on the palm for added abrasion resistance. Because you can never have too much abrasion resistance, the fingers and palm of the gloves are lined with Schoeller Keprotec material too.

The knuckle protection which is made from Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) for maximum protection from abrasion and impact. The backs of the fingers also benefit from added padding and some quite large solid plastic "sliders" as well. The plastic sliders are some of the tallest I've ever seen and should provide great protection if your hand gets caught knuckle side down between your body and the ground (no I'm not going to test and see just how much protection).

One thing that is always talked about but not always found is external seams on the fingers. I've owned more motorcycle specific gloves (even big name ones) that have had their seams sewn on the inside of the fingers. The Ceno Shorty gloves are made with the seams on the outside of the fingers thereby eliminating any source of irritation on long rides.

If I asked you which pair of jeans were your favorite you would probably pull out the pair that you've had the longest. Same thing if I asked you about t-shirts or shoes; things that are broken in are softer and more comfortable. Motorcycle gloves are often the same way; sometimes it takes a little time (and hot water) to break in a glove so that it...well....fits like a glove. This doesn't apply to the Ceno Shorty gloves. Right out of the package these gloves were soft and fit absolutely perfectly. The material used on the glove liner feels almost like a micro-fiber and gives the gloves a plush feeling.

The added plushness on the inside doesn't equate to less feedback when riding. The added softness actually dampens vibrations to some degree while keeping your hands cushioned and comfortable on longer rides.

The Ceno Shorty gloves aren't vented or perforated so wearing them in the heat of summer probably won't be something you'll do. Conversely they really aren't winter gloves either as below 50 degrees my fingers got a little cold. I would say that for most of you the comfort range will be between 50 and 80 degrees. Much hotter than 80 and you'll want ventilated gloves while temps under 50 will have most of you reaching for some better insulated gloves. That being said, my fingers get cold VERY easily so you may find that the Ceno Shorty gloves are good for colder temps than I have outlined above. The gloves do have a velcro closure on the mini-gauntlet to block any wind from making a -turn and heading into your sleeve.

So to recap:

Comfortable right out of the package
Mini-gauntlet for added protection
Seams on the outside of the fingers
Plush feeling interior

No ventilation

Komodo makes the Ceno Shorty glove in all black, black/blue, black/red, and black/yellow so you should be able to find a color that matches your bike, helmet, jacket, or personality.

The very best part is that they will only set you back $69.95. (note: As of 11/13/2008, the Ceno Shorty gloves are on sale for $49.95 for a limited time)

You can check out all of the products that Komodo offers at their website www.komodogear.com

To discuss these gloves go to our forums