Best RST airbag clothing

RST airbag clothing offers an affordable way for many riders to get the latest safety tech. There are many, me included, who passionately feel that personal airbag clothing is the next game-changer for motorcycle safety and protection.

It kind of stands to reason and if you’re in any doubt, the fact that MotoGP and other race series have made it mandatory for riders should give you an indication of just how important it can be.

French company In&motion joined the game a few years ago and changed it considerably. They had been working with other sports and developed the airbag system, technology and the software that determined whether the rider was experiencing an accident or not and effectively licences it to kit makers.

Related: Best motorcycle airbag jackets

One of the clothing manufacturers to adopt this technology is British firm RST. It has chosen to integrate the airbag into its clothing at the construction stage, rather than use it as a universal vest (which can compromise the fit of the jacket) or a zip-in insert (with the same issues). As a result, RST airbags are permanently fitted and will always offer that protection.

While much of the brand’s range is available with the integrated airbag technology, some of the garments are also available without it, ready for conventional protection such as regular back protectors.

Some people may not appreciate the security that an airbag offers or may feel it’s a little over the top, so they could buy the same garment but without the airbag tech. Having used it myself for the last couple of years though, I wouldn’t be without it.

Here are some of the products in the RST range that are available with integrated airbag technology as well as with conventional protection.

How does In&motion work?

Whatever clothing manufacturer adopts the In&motion system, they all use the same basic hardware; a D3O back protector housing the inflator with a plastic cover over the top housing the main brain.

This ensures that should the battery run out while out, the rider is still fully protected. The brain measures the bike’s speed using GPS sensors and a series of accelerometers and gyroscopes to determine what the bike is doing.

It compares that with millions of kilometres’ worth of data – both normal and crashing – to determine whether the airbag needs to be deployed.

When you get a system that uses the In&motion technology, you can either buy the brain outright (for €399 – it’s a French company, after all) or you can lease it, for €12 a month for the basic, road package. It also has two other ‘maps’ – track and adventure – each of which costs €8 a month but they can be turned on and off as you wish.

What other options are there?

There are various ways to get personal airbag protection and various manufacturers. Helite, for example, favours vests that sit on the outside of your normal clothing so you can wear whatever you want. A neat solution but it can potentially affect the breathability or venting of your clothing.

Both Alpinestars and Dainese have their own systems, both developed in racing with Alpinestars originally using an airbag vest integrated into its jackets and Dainese developing a universal vest designed to fit under any jacket.

However, both of the Italian companies’ systems were initially heavy, cumbersome and expensive, both to buy and to recharge if the airbag is deployed.

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