‘Airbag Jeans’ Are Here To Rescue Motorcyclists From Falls Or Collisions
By Nicole Rodrigues, 17 Feb 2023
One of the dangers of riding a motorcycle is the obvious absence of protection during an accident. When you’re cruising on your two-wheeler, you’re pretty much open to the elements, and there isn’t anything between you and the ground if you fall, unlike being cocooned in a car. That’s not to say cars are entirely safe, but they do come with airbags to mitigate damage.
Motorcycles have yet to find a way to install safety features like inflatables to protect riders. Thus, we now have some rather interesting solutions to the problem.
Not too long ago, an inflatable backpack made its way onto the market with the ability to inflate over your head like a giant cloud to protect you from falls. Now, your bottom half will be cushioned thanks to these airbag jeans.
Yes, that’s right, jeans that double up as safety gear, because why not? Style never takes a backseat, but neither does safety. So Mo’Cycle has found the intersection between both and developed a way for riders to protect themselves without giving up fashion.
The inflatable system is stored within the jeans and expands in the event of an accident. In order to accommodate the extra space, Velcro strips down the side rip open once they are deployed.
It should be said that the inflatables extend down to the knee, leaving your shins exposed. So, it won’t give you complete protection, but it will save your hips and knees from damage. When you’re ready to wash them, the airbags unzip so you can chuck the jeans into the washer.
Though, when inflated, the jeans resemble clown pants which might look funny, but if your safety is on the line, goofy pants are a minor matter compared to a broken leg.
However, if you’re insistent on not looking to pull up in a pair of inflatable jeans, you could try the next pair of airbag pants that fit over your clothes and can be stored in your helmet when not in use.
‘CX Easyriders’ from CX Air Dynamics is a pair of pants worn over your clothes like a life jacket. In an emergency, the airbag will deploy and inflate around your hips, upper thighs, and knees to protect you with its impact-absorbing Poron XRD armor. It also comes with a rechargeable compressed air cartridge, which can re-inflate the pants up to five times if you’ve been this unlucky out on the roads.
Mo’Cycle’s Airbag Jeans are retailing for US$499, while the CX Easyriders are going for US$641. If you’re considering either of them, check out the video below to see both in action.
[via New Atlas and CX Dynamics, images via various sources]