By Wes Siler, Hell for Leather
Motorcycle airbags have for years been just-over-the-horizon technology promising to exponentially elevate impact protection when a rider goes down. Top-level racers are just now taking advantage of the Dainese D-Air and Alpinestars TechAir systems, but so far only rudimentary systems requiring a lanyard connection to the motorcycle have been available to road riders.
[partner id=”hellforleather”]With the releases of Dainese D-Air Street, motorcyclists will benefit from a 75 percent reduction in impact forces to the back over a CE2 back protector and an 89 percent reduction over a CE chest protector. D-Air Street also helps prevent hyperextension, hyperflexion and compression of the neck, all while inflating in as little as 45 milliseconds to guard against frontal impacts. This is the next level of safety.
D-Air Street has four main components:
An ECU/user interface that mounts in the cockpit/on the bars.
Two accelerometers that mount on the fork.
A lean angle sensor under the seat to detects falls.
The airbag unit worn by the rider.
It’s a far more sophisticated setup than the primitive airbag vests that have been available for a while. Such suits work like the kill switch on a jet ski, physically pulling a switch that triggers inflation when you separate from the machine. The problems with that are obvious: It does little to protect you if you aren’t thrown from the motorcycle, and the risk of accidental deployment is huge.
With D-Air Street, accelerometers mounted on the fork can detect an accident and trigger inflation in .025 seconds — before you even realize you’ve hit something. There’s minimal potential for accidental inflation, and the connection between user-worn garments and the ECU is completely wireless.
According to the Motorcycle Accidents In Depth Study, an impact with an automobile accounts for 60 percent of all motorcycle accidents. The time between the motorcycle hitting the car and the rider hitting the car is just .08 seconds. After the head (which should be protected by a helmet), the most frequently injured body parts are the chest, abdomen and back. D-Air Street provide comprehensive coverage of the chest, upper abdomen, collar bones, neck and back.
The lean angle sensor mounted under the seat will detect falls or slides.
Dainese claims the airbag is not subject to interference because it employs a continuous radio signal connection between the wearable unit and ECU. With no existing certification processes in place, Dainese worked with Germany’s super-strict TUV certification program to develop standards for wearable airbags. Over 800 tests will look at the following areas:
General safety
Ergonomics
Radio and telecommunication
Algorithm/software
Functional safety
Chemical harmlessness
Quality management
Dainese tested the system in a variety of circumstances that could hamper inflation or cause injury. Wearing a backpack? D-Air will still inflate. When it does inflate, it won’t impact your helmet in such a way that could cause whiplash. Got a passenger? The airbag won’t throw them off the bike or injure them upon inflation. If the bag inflates while you’re sitting against your top box or luggage, it won’t throw you off the bike.
D-Air is available only at Dainese’s D-Stores, and they’ll handle the installation. Once installed, you need to handle battery charging and installing a SIM card. The battery in the jacket or vest lasts 30 hours and recharges via a USB. The SIM card handles communication between the ECU and the rider and passenger. The garments then “mate” with the ECU so your system doesn’t inflate another rider’s airbag. A cockpit display keeps you informed of battery charge levels and system activation and warns you if something’s screwy. The airbag also vibrates if it needs to tell you something.
Initially, Dainese will offer a Gore-Tex jacket and a vest (no price or availability dates yet). The jacket incorporates a back protector and all the usual armor. The vest is worn over your jacket or leathers, and you can wear conventional back and chest protectors and other armor underneath it. Once installed, operation requires virtually no user input and the area of coverage and level of impact amelioration are both huge.
D-Air Street isn’t for everyone. It will be expensive and it will require installation on your motorcycle/s. You’ll need to recharge batteries and show some responsibility for taking care of it. But for riders who use motorcycles as a primary means of transportation, it will make riding far safer.
Photos and video: Dainese
