Presentation of airbag jackets

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Presentation of airbag jackets

Presentation of airbag jackets
THE AIR IS CLEAN

Some clothing manufacturers try to reduce the risk of injury to motorcyclists with airbag jackets that inflate in a flash in the event of an accident.

Holger Hertneck

07/30/2001

Nowadays virtually nobody buys a new car without an airbag. The risk of injury in an accident with a car is much lower than with a motorcycle. In spite of this, airbag technology has so far led a wallflower existence for two-wheelers: the requirement profile is too complex, the accident situations are too different and the demand is too low – still. That may change soon, because the first jackets are in the shops, and the first attempts (see also Dainese crash test on the lower picture bar) give a hint of good things.
The biggest problem with motorcycles is recognizing the accident situation and triggering the airbag. While Dainese Using wireless sensor units that register the acceleration and the distance between the motorcycle and the driver, all other providers work with a rip cord. If the driver suddenly separates from the motorcycle in an accident, it activates a CO2 cartridge that inflates the airbag in a flash. A possible source of danger is that the driver and motorcycle in a duo slide under a guardrail or a truck and do not move far enough from each other – the airbag would then not be triggered.
In order for the airbag clothing to function at all, neither a rain suit nor a backpack may be worn – they would prevent the air chambers from unfolding and thereby endanger the driver. According to the manufacturer, the carriers should also refrain from taking a passenger with them. Pointed or sharp-edged objects in the jacket or vest pockets could also damage the air chambers.
As you can see, a lot of restrictions, but the jackets (with the exception of the D-Air) can be worn as normal functional clothing, as they have CE protectors, thermal lining and waterproof membranes. A car airbag is much easier because it “only” has to inflate quickly enough.

FURTHER VENDORS

There are still no more than the four airbag jackets presented, but other manufacturers are already in the starting blocks – or, like the company Krawehl, phone 040/78919495, which was one of the first providers with the safety jacket in 1989, have long since returned withdrawn. Aprilia also stopped selling the airbag vests that were initially offered to drivers of the Leonardo scooter a few years ago, but Spidi believes in the future of this safety technology and is introducing a second, slightly shorter model of the DPS 02 airbag jacket for the coming season with the designation DPS 03 at a price of 1799 marks aside. If you want to know more about the market situation, you will find a few pages on the Internet on which other manufacturers present their products. Www.eggparka.com: The Japanese company is so far only represented on the domestic market with its various airbag vests. www.motoairbag.com: This manufacturer produces an airbag vest, the air chambers of which are limited to the area around the spinal column. www.motorradairbag.de: For the patented airbag vest developed by two Swabian inventors, which is also available as a kit to give and which can do without a ripcord, so far no producer has been found. www.uspeed.com.tw: Taiwanese company that offers various airbag jackets and vests.

Spidi DPS 02

DPS 02

Provider: agv Germany, Hundsbergstrabe 43, 73642 Welzheim, phone 07182 / 80590-0, agv@bluewin.de, www.spidi.it Price: 1990 Mark Sizes: S to XXXL Colors: Black Features: outer material Cordura with Kevlar reinforcements; CE protectors on shoulders, elbows and in the back; one inside and four outside pockets; removable, waterproof and breathable membrane; removable, aluminum-coated thermal lining; Reflective strips; Width adjustments on the shoulders, upper arms, forearms, cuffs, waist and hem; Ventilation openings on the forearms Airbag: Activation takes place via a pull cord, which is fastened in front of the driver between the seat and the tank and requires around 35 kilograms of release force. The CO2 gas cartridge is level with the driver’s right-hand chest. The replacement of the cartridge, including a security check at the importer, costs 50 marks. The airbag can be used several times, according to the manufacturer it inflates in 0.4 to 0.8 seconds and protects the neck, spine, clavicle and sternum, the kidney area and the tailbone for around 30 seconds. Function: practically identical to the Ixs jacket. A strong jerk and the airbag inflates. The wearer feels like wearing a life jacket. Noticeable chambers in the lateral rib area and on the kidneys; good head fixation, also laterally, thanks to the large, plump neck air chamber. Within about a minute of being triggered, the chambers slowly relax. Replacing the CO2 cartridge and folding the air chambers in the back and neck area takes around ten minutes and is easy to accomplish. Conclusion: High-quality, not exactly cheap airbag jacket, which is suitable as year-round driver’s clothing thanks to its waterproof membrane, thermal lining and protectors

IXS stunt

Stunt

Provider: Hostettler, Neuenburger Strabe 33, 79379 Mullheim / Baden, Telephone 07631/418040, ixsmail1@aol.com, www.ixs.de Price: 1799 Mark Sizes: S to 4XL Colors: Black, Black / Blue Features: Outer material Cordura and Airdura ; CE protectors on shoulders and elbows; Back protection (CE retrofittable); two inside and three outside pockets; removable, waterproof and breathable Solotex Z-liner membrane; removable inner lining with aluminum coating; Reflectors; Width adjustment on the upper and lower arms, cuffs, waist and hem. Airbag: The airbag is triggered by a pull cord that is attached in front of the driver between the seat and the tank and requires around 35 kilograms of release force; the required CO2 gas cartridge is located at the height of the right driver’s chest and must be replaced at Hostettler after use (one cartridge costs 39.50 marks); the airbag can be used several times; According to the manufacturer, it inflates in 0.5 seconds and protects the neck, spine, clavicle, sternum, kidney area and tailbone for around 30 seconds Function test: A strong jerk on the rip cord triggers the airbag, which inflates easily. The wearer feels like he is wearing a life jacket. Noticeable chambers in the side of the ribs and on the kidneys. Good head fixation, also on the side, thanks to the large, plump neck air chamber. Within about a minute of being triggered, the chambers slowly relax. Replacing the CO2 cartridge and folding the air chambers in the back and neck area takes around ten minutes and is easy to accomplish. Conclusion: High-quality, not exactly cheap airbag jacket, which is suitable as all-year-round riding clothing thanks to its waterproof membrane, thermal lining and protectors

DAINESE D-Air

D-Air

Provider: Dainese Germany, Augustenstrasse 97, 80798 Munich, Phone 089/27370808, eMail: Dainese-DA-CH@t-online.de, www.dainese.it Price: around 1800 to 2000 marks (sales expected from spring 2002) : S to XL colors: black equipment: outer material Cordura with Kevlar reinforcements; CE back protector; one inside and two outside pockets; Reflectors; Lateral width adjustment via lacing Airbag: The triggering does not take place via a ripcord like both competitors, but via contactless sensor units on the motorcycle and jacket that register any acceleration; a display provides the driver with constant information about the proper functioning of the airbag unit; the chambers are filled using three gas cartridges placed in the back; a gas cartridge is responsible for each of the three air chambers; According to the manufacturer, the time until the airbag is fully deployed takes only 20 to 30 milliseconds (0.020 to 0.035 seconds); Since the seams of the vest burst when the airbag is activated, it has to be sent to Dainese for “reloading” and repairs. Functional test: MOTORRAD was unable to carry out its own functional test, as no production model was available yet. On the MOTORRAD website (www.motorradonline.de), interested parties can download two films that show the inflation process and a crash test with the airbag vest. Conclusion: whether airbag technology will prevail with a vest worn over normal clothing or by motorcyclists is accepted is questionable. The advantage of the vest design is the extremely quick inflation in the event of an accident and the very voluminous airbag, which promises a lot of protection in the event of an accident. Another advantage is Dainese’s own release system without the annoying cable connection to the motorcycle – provided that the electronics always play along

ADYTON airbag jacket

Airbag jacket

Provider: Adyton Heimerdingerstrabe 14, 71282 Hemmingen, phone 0173/4814151, info@go-adyton.com; www.go-adyton.com Price: 999 Mark Sizes: S to XXL Colors: blue / black / gray Features: outer material Cordura; CE protectors on shoulders and elbows; two inside and four outside pockets; waterproof and breathable membrane; removable inner lining; Reflectors; Width adjustment on the upper arms, cuffs and in the hem. Airbag: The airbag is triggered by a pull cord that is attached behind the driver and requires around 16 kilograms of release force; the required CO2 gas cartridge is located on the right side of the jacket and must be replaced after use; the airbag can be used several times – the gas cartridge can be replaced by yourself (cost: 60 marks for the cartridge and fastening material); According to the manufacturer, the time until the airbag inflates completely takes between 0.2 and 0.5 seconds Function test: After a strong jerk on the rip cord, the airbag unfolds without any problems. The chambers are then very tight and tightly filled. Noticeable: strong support function on the helmet in the neck and subjectively high sense of protection in the chest and back area, since the chambers are concentrated there. The air does not escape even after many minutes, which could lead to a feeling of constriction. The chambers only relax after the gas cartridge has been unscrewed. The somewhat fiddly reloading of the gas cartridge and fixing the release mechanism with cable ties does not seem as professional and well thought-out as with the competitors Conclusion: Very inexpensive airbag jacket compared with the not yet fully developed reloading function and the peculiarity that the air is not through a regulation valve as with the competition can escape from the bulging chambers

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