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While I have never fallen off of a motorcycle, I have fallen while traveling roughly 35 mph on a longboard, wearing very little protective gear. The gear I had on... slide gloves... dramatically reduced my injuries to my entire body as I was able to put my hand on the ground and trust that the gloves wouldn't wear through. That experience drives my desire for good motorcycle gloves.
Personally, what I look for in a glove, is good padding on the outside of the hand, protection for your wrist, and something very durable on the palm. In a low-side, the outside of your hand will very likely hit the ground. Padding here is typical in motorcycle gloves, but double check, the gloves that came with my bike didn't have any. Your wrists are very complicated, like your ankle. Injuries to your wrist will last a life time, protect them. This generally results in longer cuff or full gauntlet style gloves.
And lastly, something that I think a lot of people over-look, is palm protection. there are motorcycle gloves out there with palm sliders, my next pair of gloves will most certainly have them. In a situation where you have time to react, your body will instinctively throw your hands to the ground to protect your face and cushion the blow of your head to the ground. This will result in your palms directly on the ground. Sure, leather palms are great, but they will certainly rip with large forces and extended dragging. You won't feel that until after all the damage is done. Get something with a slider (kevlar or plastic/epoxy) on your palm. You do the same on the other pointy surfaces of your body (feet, elbows, knees, shoulders, etc.) don't neglect your hands.
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