Ducati announced the D|Air-compatible Multistrada 1200 motorcycle that wirelessly links to Dainese‘s D|Air Street motorcycle jacket airbags. A technical collaboration between Ducati and Dainese, the Multistrada 1200 S Touring D|Air features accelerometers mounted at the fork bottoms and under the seat with a D|Air electronic control unit. The accelerometers constantly monitor the momentum of the motorcycle and in case of a crash situation sends the signal to the rider wearing the Dainese D|Air Street jacket to deploy its airbag designed to protect the back, chest and collarbone.
The accelerometers can not only detect frontal, sides, rear as well as low side impacts, but also recognize a rider losing balance at slow speeds or the bike simply tipping over. The entire episode happens in a brisk time of 45 milliseconds that includes 25 milliseconds for the accelerometer algorithm to determine if the airbags need to be deployed and if yes, another 20 milliseconds for the airbags to inflate completely. The system can be paired to two D|Air Street jackets offering protection to both the rider and pillion.
The Gore-Tex constructed Dainese D|Air Street jacket features a pair of of 12 litre high-pressure airbags integrated into the lining that are inflated by two cold technology gas generators. A USB charged battery pack powers the D|Air system and can hold charge upto 30 hours. All this adds an extra 1.5 kgs weight to the jacket and Dainese states the jackets require a maintenance check once every two years.
The instrumentation of the D|Air system is an additional LED panel mounted over the Multistrada’s dashboard and indicates connection to the jacket via a green light and flashes when disconnected. Low battery indications and other errors are denoted in yellow.
Available only for the European market at present, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring D|Air is priced at US$ 29,000 (an additional US$ 967 over the regular Multistrade) and does not include the cost of the jackets. Dainese plans to make the D|Air jacket compatible with other motorcycles brands too.
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