With the advancement of technology, airbags have made their way as a great tool to provide an improved level of protection to motorcycle riders. We have already seen the professionals use airbag systems in several motorsports including MotoGP. Now, Alpinestars, one of the leading motorcycle riding gear manufacturers, has announced a new airbag system for off-road riders.
Named as the Tech-Air Off-Road airbag system, this new safety tool will offer the highest level of protection for off-road riding to a larger number of professional riders. Alpinestars’ Tech-Air range of products already includes several products such as Tech-Air Race, Tech-Air Street, and Tech-Air 5. The company has now added the latest Off-Road airbag system in its Tech-Air range.
Designed specifically to handle the rigours of Rally riding, the new Tech-Air Off-Road provides unrivalled upper body protection. It has been developed and used in the most gruelling conditions including the Dakar 2019 and 2020 races. The Tech-Air Off-Road System brings active airbag technology to off-road riders via a Rally-riding crash detection algorithm that delivers protection to the back, chest, shoulders, and collarbones in the event of a crash. It is integrated with Alpinestars’ Bionic Pro v2 Protection, which provides additional front padding on the arms and chest for enhanced roost protection.
Since 2018, Alpinestars has been providing Tech-Air Airbag System technology to riders in Rally racing with the goal to keep athletes protected in the event of a crash. The final development version of the Tech-Air Off-Road Airbag System debuted at the Andalucia Rally in Spain earlier this month and was worn by Factory KTM, Husqvarna, Honda, and Yamaha Dakar riders including Ricky Brabec and Toby Price, to name a few.
The Tech-Air Off-Road System is now available to a large number of professional riders who will be competing in the Dakar in January 2021, where airbag systems will now be mandatory for racers on motorcycles and quads.
