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Motorcycles aren’t safe machines; just ask the author’s doctors. However, with the right gear, your safety can be substantially increased. A jacket, helmet, gloves, boots, denim, or full-on race suit are all among the normal riding staples and all reduce the likelihood of severe injury. Dainese, however, hopes riders will add one more item to that list and improve their safety even more; the Smart Jacket.
The new Dainese Smart Jacket is a revolution in terms of passive motorcyclist safety. Dainese’s Smart Jacket centers around the company’s proprietary D-Air airbag safety system that was first pioneered in MotoGP. D-Air is a reusable gas-propelled airbag system that, with the help of impact and yaw sensors, can deploy a wrap-around airbag for motorcycle riders. The new Smart Jacket takes that technology to the next level with seven separate sensors and eliminates the need for a second jacket purchase.
In previous iterations of the D-Air technology, motorcyclists had to purchase another expensive Dainese riding jacket with the technology worked into the design. For those that didn’t want to rid themselves of their favorite jackets, it became a non-starter. That’s no longer the case as the Smart Jacket has been designed to fit beneath your normal riding gear, slipping between your torso and your regular daily-use jacket. This saves motorcyclists money, improves their safety, and outfits them with the latest technology. A win, win.
According to Dainese, the airbag in the Smart Jacket has been dubbed The Shield and “envelops the body and delivers maximum protection to the rider. The Shield covers the chest and back, ensuring the same degree of protection as seven Level 1 back protectors, despite not having hardshell protective gear inside.” And like previous models, after the airbag’s use, it can be replaced for a nominal fee at a local dealership.
Dainese will begin to deliver Smart Jackets to dealerships later this summer and offers customers sizes in both Men and Women. As for pricing, Dainese states that the Smart Jacket will set riders back $699, which is not an insignificant amount of money. However, based on the potential for monumental hospital bills, ambulance rides, and/or death, a reusable Smart Jacket is a fairly good deal.