[BBBingo]

Anyone interested in one of those new airbag suits Dainese will FINALLY be bringing to the US market.

Regulatory hurdles have kept them off US roads and tracks until now, Europe has had them since 2011.

This is the hardware:

D-air’s brain resides in the suit’s back hump. Seven sensors, including three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, a GPS receiver, and 2GB of internal memory and a lithium-ion battery are packed into the compartment.

This is how the software works:

the key to the racing suit’s effectiveness are algorithms written into the software. Because repacking/rearming the suit requires sending it back to Dainese, you don’t want the airbag deploying unless it is absolutely necessary. This means there are certain situations in which the suit will not deploy. Right now, only a D-air racing suit (intended for track use) is available, but a street version is currently undergoing certification. At speeds below 31 mph, the airbag won’t deploy, and it can also detect how you are crashing. In other words, it will deploy for a highside or lowside in which there is tumbling but not a simple slide on your backside. When the sensors determine a crash is imminent, it triggers the Cool Gas Generator, which deploys the 4-liter airbag to protect the shoulders and collarbones in just 30 milliseconds (about a tenth of the time it takes to blink your eye). It then stays firmly inflated for about five seconds and deflates completely in about 30.

 

[Helios]

I'm interested in it, but it sounds very, very expensive. Safety is important, but I only have so much money.

 

[SpeedyGonzales]

I actually want to see a video of it deploying. Sounds interesting but I do agree with Helios, very very expensive.

 

[Helios]

I could see the guys from Jackass playing with these suits in various circumstances.

 

[SpeedyGonzales]

That guy was lucky enough to slide off the bike and not go flying. Not sure how the airbag will do in a variety of crashes. Dainese should hire Jackass so they can test it out for them. If it's Jackass safety approved then it'll protect you from most incidents.

 

[corsa]

I'd definitely get them, living a city you get a lot of bad drivers and the potential for you to get hit just sky rockets, might as well make the investment.

 

[BBBingo]

They used to pop up and out

but now they're contained within the suit (see how it puffs up)

take this into account as well:

Proof of D-air’s effectiveness? Since 2009, only one MotoGP rider wearing the suit has fractured a collarbone, while riders not wearing D-air have suffered 52

In terms of cost, $2,499 for the cowhide suit isn't Terribly more then what you would spend on a full suit anyways. $500-$1000 more. But the way I see it is we don't get the benefit of the best doctors and time to heal, if you crash at the track you still need to go to work the next day/next week. If that extra $500-1000 allows you to walk away unharmed and keep working its surely worth it IMO.

Yea if you're a street rider exclusively its not for you...

 

[moto]

The newer model looks like it has more of a full upper body protection. Does it look like the arms puff up too?

 

[BBBingo]

The newer model looks like it has more of a full upper body protection. Does it look like the arms puff up too?

no its pretty much the same as the older one, they just brought it inside the leather. The arms don't puff up but it does cover your shoulderr down to where they meet your biceps.

 

[corsa]

Inside the jacket is smart, a setup that makes it easier to deflate and pack back in than the type that is outside of the jacket.

 

[SpeedyGonzales]

You don't need to send the newer version to Dainese to insert it back in anymore?

 

[Helios]

Seems like it would need to be packed in a specific way. Again, I am just wondering how expensive these things are.

Do all the riders who race professionally have these? Are they standard?

 

[SpeedyGonzales]

I think it was around 6k Euro. It's not standard but it may be in the future if it lowers the rate of death.

 

[corsa]

While that is a lot of money to be spending it sure beats all you'd have to pay being in an accident that'll land you in hospital for who knows how long and cost you what ever it will.

Just have to look at it as life insurance.

 

[BBBingo]

You guys are insane.. did you read the link in the OP? It has the answers to all the questions you're asking...

It costs $2,499 for cow leather, $4K for custom fitted kangaroo leather.

You have to send it back to Dianese in the event of a crash to repack...

and WTF do you guys mean standard, standard what... that implies that someone is supplying them...

The airbags aren't for saving lives, they're for keeping bones from being broken. Like I said elsewhere if you're picture yourself getting more involved in track days you most certainly should think about getting one just to reduce your chance of injury. As amateurs we don't have the luxury of the best doctors and a dedicated recovery regime. We all have jobs and responsibilities. $2K really isn't that much to ask, considering Dianese is literally THE BEST and the suit will last you for YEARS... like I said I view it as an investment into my health and safety...

 

[corsa]

I agree, it's not much to ask for, just have to look at it as an investment, investing in your safety and bettering your outcome from an accident. I'm sure there are those that wish they had this during times when they met the pavement

 

[BBBingo]

I agree, it's not much to ask for, just have to look at it as an investment, investing in your safety and bettering your outcome from an accident. I'm sure there are those that wish they had this during times when they met the pavement

for regular people collarbone/shoulder injuries can cause YEARS of aggravation...

 

[moto]

Maybe they'll come out with something for legs too. Watched a video from a motorcycle paramedic and people lose legs from accidents.

 

[BBBingo]

Maybe they'll come out with something for legs too. Watched a video from a motorcycle paramedic and people lose legs from accidents.

thats more from the leg getting caught and ripped off then from impact. airbags won't help there regardless...

 

[VroomVroom]

Those leg injuries can be caused by your own reflex too. When you feel that you're going to crash on your motorbike, you try to put your foot down on reflex and it can happen to the best of them when they panic a bit. At over 100mph you can probably imagine what happens to your foot+leg.
Airbags won't help in this case.