Airbag

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.