Airbag

Scooters have historically lagged behind even motorcycles in safety tech. Airbags have been integrated into some motorcycles for nearly two decades now, but haven't featured on scooters? Until now, with the launch of the Yamaha Tricity 300.

Motorcycle airbags have come a long way since Honda first put airbags on the Goldwing. We've spent a month riding in a lightweight vest that can detect crashes as they happen and fully inflate a protective airbag in just six hundredths of a second.

At least two companies are working on the task of stuffing self-deploying airbags into the trousers of motorcycle riders, giving bikers' legs the same level of safety afforded to their upper bodies by airbag-equipped jackets and vests.

The soon-to-be released Misano 1000 leather jacket from Dainese contains a raft of sensors combined with highly-tuned triggering algorithms to produce a full upper-body airbag system for motorcycle riders.

BMW Motorrad and Alpinestars have just launched an exclusive partnership to develop airbag safety clothing. The first product from the pairing will be a motorcycle jacket equipped with an airbag waistcoat based on Alpinestars' Tech-Air airbag technology.