We have touched on what Dainese have to offer with airbag protection before, but the question is, with new cheaper alternatives around, is D-Air really still worth it?
What is Dainese D-Air?
So let's remind ourselves with what Dainese currently has on offer by asking the question, what is D-Air?
It is what Dainese refer to as an "intelligent outfit" - basically a wearable airbag designed to deploy when sensors on either the bike or jacket/suit detect an accident, all of the airbag inflation happens in under 45 milliseconds. Dainese D Air is made up of 3 key elements.
- Heart - The 3D airbag is the heart of all D-Air systems. The airbag is designed for comfort and enables a uniform 5cm inflation providing maximum protection should you need it. The really clever bit is that it keeps its shape when inflated, so no surprise it's patented and already being looked at for many other safety applications!
- Brain - The D-Air control unit monitors information from the sensors up to 1000 times a second, this seems a bit OCD to me, but it means the time it takes from the sensors detecting a crash to the airbag inflating is minimised.
- Intelligence - The sophisticated algorithms analyse data from the sensors and decide when to inflate the airbag.
D-Air Products
Okay, so we know what the idea of D-Air is now, but what products is it used in? Well Dainese provides a variety to choose from!
There are currently 3 D-Air Race suits:the Mugello R, Mugello and the Misano D-Air. These suits are designed to function more on the race track than the road. The D-Air suits recognise highside and lowside accidents that happen above 50km/h. This is to prevent airbag activation in situations where there is less risk of injury at lower speeds on a track. The Mugello R has D-Air protection on the neck, shoulders, collarbones and false ribs, while the Mugello Misano only gets D Air protection on the neck, shoulders and collarbones. The Mugello and Misano are both also available as made to measures.
Currently there are 3 types of D-Air stand alone jackets, all for different uses. The Misano D Air jacket (Leather D Skin jacket for sports riding), Cyclone D-Air (Laminate Gore Tex touring jacket) and the Continental D-Air (Laminate Gore Tex urban styled jacket). So you have 3 jackets to suit a wide range of needs, sport touring and urban riding. With these jackets you do not need sensors attached to your bike, the D-Air processing unit is housed within the garment itself. The system houses 6 sensors and a GPS inside the integrated back protector. The D-Air system will recognise the type of accident you are having and act accordingly, ensuring additional protection in head on/lateral collisions, highsides and lowsides accidents. Protection is provided for the shoulders, chest and back.
(includes kit for the bike “M kit” + kit for the rider “J kit”). This is basically available in a Gore-Tex jacket or a D-Air vest that you can wear over an existing leather or textile jacket. This needs to be used in conjunction with the “M kit” which is an electronic control unit that monitors sensors on the forks and under the seat. The M kit will monitor the status of the bike for any impacts to ensure the airbag deploys at the correct time and only from speeds of greater than 10km/h. The coverage on the D-Air vest is on the back, collar bones and chest. This system is designed to deploy the airbag in the event of an impact, collision, or loss of control.
Cheaper Alternatives
So it's understandable that not everyone has the budget to stretch to D-Air, what cheaper alternatives are out there? The cheaper alternatives all generally work with Ripcord Technology. What is that you say? I'll explain, it's a fairly simple concept. The airbag vest will come with a ripcord which you attach to part of your bike securely, if you have an accident there will be tension on the cord which will in turn inflate the airbag. Nice and simple. There are many ripcord based airbag vests out there but for this blog we will look at the Spidi Neck DPS Airbag Vest.
The Spidi Neck DPS Airbag Vest is designed to be worn over your normal motorcycle gear, so in that way sort of functions like the D-Air Street. It is quite light weighing only 1.3kg and is designed to inflate around the neck area. This should drastically reduce the amount of force transferred to the neck in the event of an accident. It should take a bit of force to set off the airbag, so you shouldn't need to worry about setting the airbag off if you forget to unhook yourself getting off your bike!
D-Air vs Ripcord
So we have learned about both of the options, which is best? Well... it really depends on what you can afford. D-Air will inflate in 45ms compared to the Spidi's 200ms, so D-Air is over 4x quicker to react in the event of an accident. The D-Air vest will also protect the collar bones, back and chest, while the Spidi is mainly designed to just protect the neck. The D-Air vest also has the added benefit of the rider not having to have a physical connection to the bike. However, it isn't all one sided. The Spidi Neck DPS Airbag Vest has the added benefit of being more simple than the D-Air alternatives, meaning you don't have to charge it. It is also vastly cheaper to buy.
Ultimately it's down to your budget, if you can stretch to the D-Air, it is, in my opinion, a better alternative than any ripcord airbag vest, however if that is not an option, it's definitely worth investing in the cheaper ripcord alternative which will still provide an extra layer of protection on top of your normal motorcycle gear!
The D-Air range is always advancing and changing constantly, so if you have any questions about it, why not comment? Or ask one of the experts at Bike Stop on 01438 317038. We are always happy to help!
