Alpinestars has committed to bringing its TechAir system to something we’d actually want to wear later this year, and now it’s teaming up with BMW on a new line of branded jackets with the integrated airbag. But unlike similar kit from Dainese, it doesn’t matter what kind of bike you ride.
Dainese’s D-Air system requires you to either ride a D-Air-equipped Ducati or install its M-kit on your bike in order to detect a crash and deploy the airbag. With the Alpinestars setup, there’s nothing to install. Just throw on the jacket (male or female versions will be available) and ride, and if it detects an impact, the airbag will fully inflate in a claimed 25 milliseconds.
BMW doesn’t explicitly say that the system can be used on any bike, but touts that it “independently functions without the need for sensors to be installed on the bike and the subsequent need to link a specific motorcycle to the airbag system used by the rider.”
Neither company is saying when the new kit will go on sale, but sometime this summer is pretty much a given. And if you don’t want BMW gear to clash with your Suzuki, Alpinestars’ unbranded jacket should land around the same time.