Dainese Motorcycle Gear: A Brief Guide
Bike Stop was the first UK supplier of Dainese back in 1981, so it's fair to say we know what we're talking about when it comes to their gear, and it goes without saying that we wouldn't be selling it if it was no good! In this post I'll highlight some of the best gear that Dainese has to offer, including the technologies and features that set them apart.
Dainese has been around since 1970 and is based in Italy, and has always had close links to motorcycle racing, allowing them to offer the best protection available, with technology used in racing trickling quickly down to road riders. D-air, Dainese's proprietary airbag system, is a great example of this with MotoGP riders being the first users of this ground-breaking technology, before appearing in Dainese's consumer goods at a price that puts it much more in reach for the average rider.
While there may be a huge sports and track focus for some of their gear, they also offer some of the best touring, commuting and casual looking gear available. We've all heard about the slow death of the sports and superbikes, so it's fair to say this is essential to Dainese's survival, with effective and attractive kit crucial to them selling well. Not only this, they've proved to be one of the best gear manufacturers at offering the growing number of women riders well-fitting and good-looking kit. Not many women want their gear to be shaped like a bloke's, but with pink bits on it suffice to say!
With such a wide range of gear available it can be hard to keep up on everything Dainese are pushing out, but it's fair to say they remain on the premium end of the gear scale. Their flagship gear includes the racing jackets and suits integrating the latest D-air tech, alongside their super-duper touring gear that also includes D-air.
Presently their D-air leather ' Street' range consists of only 3 jackets, but as of spring 2019 that'll be expanding markedly with new 2-piece suits (the Avro) for both men and women, a sporty jacket for both men and women (the Racing 3), another more sporty jacket for men (the Tuono), as well as a new men's touring jacket (the Carve Master). In addition, the 'Race' range is expanding to include a one-piece suit for both men and women, which is a world first for airbag equipped one-piece leather suits, never before has this been available for women, making it ideal for the lady that likes to go to trackdays and have the ultimate protection on the road.
Sometimes however, you'll find another jacket that takes your heart, or you may already be wearing it, however you might still want the protection that D-air can offer. Not to worry, Dainese also offer a vest that can be worn over your jacket.
A massive growth area for the motorcycle gear industry is the rise of casual style gear with some seriously potent protection. It used to be the case that to get that casual look on a bike, you had to wear actual casual clothing, which is all well and good until you get some adverse weather, or, worse, you come off your bike and find out casual clothing shreds with moments of hitting tarmac, as well as providing zero impact protection. Dainese offers jackets that ape the traditional leather jackets of yore that you could easily wear on a night out, while giving excellent abrasion protection, along with all the impact protection you'd expect from a Dainese jacket. Alongside this, an ever-expanding range of aramid fibre jeans is now available for both men and women, allowing you to look like a 'normal' person when off the bike, as well as giving far superior comfort. These include the abrasion protection of far more than just denim, with the aramid fibre allowing you to slide down the road with much less risk. On top of this, armour is included in key areas to reduce impact damage. Dainese have even gone so far as to start producing boots that could pass for a pair of high ankle trainers, while including armour and waterproofing. There's no excuse anymore to compromise your protection in the name of looking good on a bike anymore! Naturally it's possible to get trousers and boots offering greater protection that aren't quite so subtle looking too!
This expansive range of styles also extends to Dainese's range of gloves, with some more traditional gloves at the bottom of the range, going all the way up to some of the most mean looking gloves on the market, integrating materials such as titanium into the armouring. Both leather and textile, waterproofed (via D-dry) or vented gloves are available with features such as visor wipes and low profile cuffs allowing increased ease of use and utility.
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