The motorcycle airbag is now mandatory and this is how the leader works: tested

The airbag and teaching show us that its mandatory use is one of the pillars on which safety aimed at motorcyclists is built.

The current regulation is updated by incorporating this protective element for all those who intend to obtain a motorcycle license, making it part of the necessary gear for practical classes designed for this purpose.

Both the student and the instructor must be equipped with an airbag system that meets EN 1621-4 certification. This is where a brand with a long tradition in the world of motorcyclist gear like Dainese takes center stage, finding the best way to make the most of a system with a complicated operation, but extremely simple to use and keep.

Dainese D-air Smart: professional airbag you can fully trust

Dainese has spent no less than six decades dedicated to caring for motorcyclists, and as an example, we find in the development of its D-air Smart a good way to understand this in practice.

The technology applied to motorcyclist gear not only comes from many years of intense study, but is also directly linked to an extensive professional deployment within the most relevant competitions.

Thus, the successive versions of the airbag systems developed and marketed by Dainese are the result of all this, highlighting its contribution to the most outstanding MotoGP and WSBK riders in their different categories.

With the launch of the Dainese D-air Smart technical vest, the Italian brand aims to bring all its know-how to the field with a product where the developed technology provides absolute confidence, without forgetting a lightweight or the ideal ergonomics so that it doesn't detract from the user's comfort.

In fact, this garment, specifically designed for riding on dirt and asphalt under the Dainese Smart Jacket development line, can be used either in direct contact with the body, under the jacket, or fitted over the outside of it.

Precisely for this purpose, there are elastic zones on the sides, assisted in turn by practical zippers that allow the Smart Air vest to be attached to the contact surface (body or jacket).

In an attempt to offer useful extras that you would miss when putting the D-air over your technical motorcycle jacket, Dainese provides a vertical pocket with ample capacity making it easy to keep objects you need at hand, such as keys, garage remote, credit card for tolls, etc.

Everything seems to indicate that both safety and a perfect fit to the body are guaranteed in the Dainese D-air Smart. To prove it, we put it on to ride a motorcycle on both urban and extra-urban routes.

Before riding, the first checks

Dainese protects its products even before you take it home through a system that prevents the gas from being triggered by external causes. So the first thing we must do is connect the power supply to the tank where the gas cylinder is located.

Once this is done, by the way, with easy access via a perimeter zipper and another specific one in the "operations center," it is right here where we will find the USB-C port with which, as you know, you'll get a faster and more consistent charge using a standard plug and your phone's adapter; if you do it via your computer's USB port, for example, charging times are longer.

With the lithium battery fully charged, capable of providing powerfor up to 12 hours, all that's left is to turn it on and, using the free app offered by Dainese for iOS and Android (Dainese D-air), register the product and adjust it to your needs; among them, your riding environment to set the most suitable activation times: Racing mode from 31 mph (50 km/h) or Road mode from 6 mph (10 km/h).

Now, we can put it on to go riding. First, we do so with the Smart Air under the jacket, confident that it will provide the coverage equivalent to up to 7 standard protectors of our usual technical garment.

The clip that secures the top of the zipper will be the one that activates the protection system, with initial flashes and vibrations that will indicate both the charge level and the "OK" confirming that it is ready to provide the necessary protection, if needed.

This way, the purple LED will be responsible for this and, as soon as we start moving, its change to green at the minimum detected speed will confirm its correct status and readiness. If its gyroscope system and software programming detect any possibility of a rider accident, it will activate automatically without needing to be attached to any part of the motorcycle.

The heat in the middle of summer with temperatures above 86°F (30°C) is less harmful than I expected, even when wearing it inside in direct contact with a technical t-jersey, although there is a small "but"…

Even with a frankly light weight of the set, however, this direct contact with the back, without intermediate linings, means you are quite aware of the whole system "stuck" to your body, although there are padded areas with extra cushioning to avoid this as much as possible.

The truth is that it is not an unpleasant or unbearable sensation, which, it must be said, has an easy solution: wear it over the jacket, where you can better monitor the LED blinking that will indicate, among other details, the remaining charge level.

As for riding in the rain, of course it is prepared for it, although it is more advisable to wear it under a waterproof garment and thus protect it as much as possible, especially to prevent the battery from coming into contact with moisture.

Lightweight and fully effective

In any case, the sensations while riding are like any other day on a motorcycle, except that this time it is with a lightweight and totally effective airbag system, mainly for the back and spine. It should also be remembered that the ambient temperature indicated by Dainese should not exceed 104°F (40°C), nor be below 32°F (0°C).

Its autonomous operation, automatic activation, long battery life, and overall comfort proven even at high riding temperatures, lead us to think that it no longer makes much sense to ride without a "360" element like the Dainese D-air Smart.

Mandatory in the teaching field, it is undoubtedly also essential for everyday use where none of us are free from suffering an accident with incalculable consequences… certainly less severe if assisted by a reliable airbag system like the one Dainese offers, for an MSRP of 649 euros.