Amazing Airbag Protection for Ducati Riders

The cooperation of expertise between Ducati and Dainese has produced an intelligent system that uses sensors built into the Multistrada 1200 S Touring’s electronics to constantly understand the vehicle’s dynamic situation, deploying only when subjected to a genuine accident scenario. The Multistrada D|air system completes the data analysis and airbag deployment inside both the rider and passenger jackets in just 45 milliseconds, considerably reducing the risk of injury upon impact.

The Ducati D|air is the first production motorcycle with an integrated jacket airbag system to complete the necessary tests for certification by Germany‟s rigorous TÜV SÜD, the association responsible for defining the standards for wearable airbags. Ducati’s premiere of the technology, developed with Dainese, further underlines the Italian motorcycle manufacturer‟s commitment to enhanced safety, already represented by their Ducati Safety Pack consisting of multi-level ABS, traction control and power-controlling Ride-by-Wire.

This intelligence comes from a sophisticated algorithm, which manages data delivered from two triple-axis accelerometers fixed to the left and right fork bottoms of the Multistrada‟s front suspension and an additional two rear triple-axis accelerometers mounted in the D|air Electronic Control Unit (ECU) positioned under the seat. When the sensors detect a potentially dangerous crash scenario, an algorithm is triggered which takes just 25 milliseconds to decide if airbag deployment is necessary or not. If deployment is necessary the D|air ECU onboard the Multistrada, which is continuously in bi-directional radio contact between the system and the Dainese jackets, initiates and completes airbag inflation in just 20 milliseconds, a total of 45 milliseconds from the start of impact.

The system adds just 1kg to the Multistrada and the only visual difference to the model is the addition of an extra LED display on the main instrumentation that constantly provides the system’s active status.

The Ducati Multistrada D|air®, which is also equipped with Ducati’s semi-active Skyhook suspension, will be available in European Ducati Dealerships from May 2014 onwards along with the D|air Street jackets.