WHEN INFLATION CAN SAVE A LIFE
This year, airbag suits became compulsory for MotoGP racers and many other competitive motorcyclists now wear them as a matter of course. And the technology is increasingly available to us ‘civilian’ riders.
One of the leaders in the field is apparel company Dainese. Based in Molvena, near Vicenza, north-east Italy, the company was founded by Lino Dainese when he was aged just 20.
The first product the young Italian created was a pair of protective trousers for motocross riders.
Lino, who is still president at age 70, has seen to it that his business has always maintained a close link with motorcycle sport.
Dainese products have been worn by many champions over the years, including 15-time GP world champ Giacomo Agostini and Valentino Rossi.
The airbag system – called D-Air – was conceived by Lino as a small drawing sketched on a paper napkin in 1995. Nowadays, the range includes one-piece race and track-day suits, and leather and textile jackets.
The product I am looking at here is the Cyclone D-Air jacket – a sport-touring textile piece, with leather panels on the shoulders and upper arms.
The garment is made from laminated Gore-Tex, so is both waterproof and breathable. It includes armour in the shoulders and elbows.
Adjusters on the sleeves, neck, waist, hips and wrists ensure a perfect fit.
There is also a removable thermal liner.
The airbag system is selfcontained and comes in the form of a vest which fits inside the jacket.
Zipping up the vest and closing a press-stud fires up the D-Air processing unit – and an LED on the sleeve indicates it is ready for action.
Once you achieve a riding speed above walking pace, a different coloured LED lets you know the system is now in business.
The processing unit houses six sensors and a GPS. If you were unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident, the system would recognise what type of incident was evolving and deploy accordingly.
The airbags protect the shoulders, chest, back and vital organs.
Bear in mind that all of this happens in a fraction of second – well before you impact with anything.
It can be fully charged in six hours via a standard socket cable and lasts 25 hours in stand-by mode or eight hours in use.
I had a big bike smash a few years back and it is remarkable how reassuring it is to wear this jacket which I’d highly recommend.
The Dainese Cyclone D-Air jacket is priced at £1,699, but is currently available at £1,359 at the company’s website dainese.com.
Matching trousers are also available to complete the look.