In my First Gear column in the May 2024 issue, titled “Invest in Yourself,” I discussed the safety benefits of an airbag vest, which protects a rider’s torso and internal organs in the event of a crash. The most convenient ones are autonomous (rather than requiring a tether attached to the motorcycle) and employ “smart” technology that uses gyroscopes, accelerometers, and algorithms to determine when the system should deploy.
Rider staffers are required to wear an airbag vest in addition to a helmet and armored jacket, gloves, pants, and boots when riding test bikes. Most airbag vests cost about the same as a premium helmet, and every motorcyclist should wear one.
Over the past year, I’ve been wearing the Dainese Smart Air airbag vest, which is CE Level 2 certified for chest and back protection. The vest, which weighs about 3.5 lb, can be worn over or under a motorcycle jacket. The outer part of the vest is made of ventilated, breathable textile material with padded neoprene along the back. Inside the vest is the “triple-activation” airbag (it can be deployed three times before needing to be replaced), which covers the chest and back.
Also inside the vest is the gas-generator cartridge and control module, which are contained within a rigid plastic compartment on the rider’s back (hence the padded neoprene). Because I wear the Smart Air vest under my jacket and the back of the vest is bulky, I remove my jacket’s back protector.
The Smart Air runs on a rechargeable battery claimed to last up to 12 hours, but in my experience lasts 8-10 hours. The necessary USB-C charging cable is not provided, so I bought one on Amazon for a few bucks, and I keep it and a wall socket block in the zippered front pocket. If I’m on a long ride, I’ll plug it in during lunch to ensure the battery has juice until I get to my destination.
Operating the Smart Air vest is easy. Put it on, zip it up, undo the red safety guard over the snap near the top of the zipper, and then snap the activation flap across the zipper. The safety guard prevents the vest from turning on by accident, which can happen with vests that use a magnetic closure for activation. On the upper left chest is a small D-air badge that buzzes and lights up when the vest is activated. The LED light pulses or flashes in various colors to indicate the system’s activation status (whether it is armed) and the battery’s charge status. You can also pair the Dainese D-air app with the vest to download over-the-air firmware updates, check battery status, and change settings.
Should a deployment happen, the Road Shield gas-generator cartridge will need to be replaced. This can be done by the user, but you’ll need to buy a new cartridge ($139). I recommend buying an extra cartridge and carrying it with you so it can be replaced during a ride. An accidental deployment happened to me on a ride while wearing another brand’s airbag vest, and without an extra gas cartridge I had to ride home without the protection of an airbag.
Read all of Rider‘s apparel reviews here.
The Dainese Smart Air airbag vest retails for $749 and is available in three sizes: XS-SM, MD-LG, and XL-2XL.
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