Tucano Urbano Airscud Flex review | Adds airbag tech to your existing jacket, but for a price

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The Airscud Flex is Tucano Urbano’s latest airbag-ready jacket, and is designed with dual use in mind: it can be worn over lightweight clothing for protection while riding in the city, or alternatively you can wear it underneath a looser-fitting motorcycle jacket to add airbag protection to your existing outfit… just as long as it doesn’t already have a back protector.

Reading between the PR lines, it’s aimed more at urban riding than anything else, although its In&Motion airbag tech has an Adventure mode alongside Street and – far more bafflingly – Track. It sits in the range alongside the firm’s full jacket, which is actually slightly cheaper.

How comfortable is the Airscud Flex?

Now, Tucano Urbano claim there’s “no problem with sizing: if you wear an L, get an L”.

I would counter this claim, because I do wear an L, and my Airscud Flex is a rather tight-fitting XL. Somewhat fortuitously I’ve also been testing a larger-sized RST leather jacket, and the two things work well together, but the Flex won’t go under the replacement jacket: a tighter-designed Spada. I also look a little Bibendum-esque wearing it under a leather jacket…

With that said, and an accompanying suggestion to visit a store to try one on yourself if you’re interested, I would also state that while on the small side, the fit itself is pleasingly well managed, with no annoying extra fabric bunching up anywhere, elasticated hips and shoulders. The zip and safety popper on the front feel robust. You can barely feel the back protector as a result. And furthermore the soft shell collar is pleasingly comfortable against your neck.

Is the Airscud Flex practical?

The Flex has two zipped outer pockets and one inside pocket, but don’t store anything too big in there or it’ll feel far too bulky.

Does the Airscud Flex look good?

I suppose this largely depends on how you use it. Worn on the outside of your clothes, the Airscud Flex looks like any other gillet-style riding gear. Worn beneath another jacket, it can make you appear friendlier with cake than you perhaps are.

Is the Airscud Flex good quality?

The Flex feels well made, with plenty of quality materials used in its construction. There’s no sign of any wear or quality issues.

Protection and CE ratings

From a safety perspective, the Flex is a CE certified ‘Class C’ oversuit, which means it’s been designed to offer impact protection only for the areas covered by the impact protector (in this case the back) and has been designed to be worn alongside other CE-rated safety clothing to enhance protection. It offers no abrasion resistance, so that’s worth keeping in mind if you’re planning on riding with this over a t-shirt in hot weather, for example.

And then of course it features the app-controlled In&Motion airbag system we’ve come to know quite well over the years, making the whole proposition quite a lot more expensive. This is subscription-based, costing £12 a month (or £400 to buy yourself the box outright), and features a few handy features wrapped into its slick smartphone application.

This version has an automatic emergency calling function that can detect a crash and call for help. It also has an unlimited warranty and its software can be updated over the air.

Is the Airscud Flex good value?

I think this looks like an expensive proposition for most UK bikers. There are several RST airbag full jackets (that use the same In&Motion technology) on offer now for less than the Flex, and the firm’s own airbag jacket also costs less to buy.

I suppose it makes sense in hotter climates used as an outer jacket, but that being said, we’d never recommend riding with no abrasion resistance either, even at lower speeds in cities.

This leaves me in a bit of a quandary. Unless you REALLY like your current non-airbag jacket, but it’s just a little too big… in which case the Flex fits the bill.

Tucano Urbano Airscud Flex – the final verdict

Overall, this feels like an expensive solution when compared with full airbag jackets, many of which are available for less money with better protection and the same airbag system, but it does allow you to add airbag tech to existing kit without buying a whole new wardrobe.

While you’re here: How MCN tests products

At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles. We don’t test our kit to destruction; we use it exactly how you do, in the real world and in all conditions. That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on.

Each of our writers has an in-depth understanding of the needs of today’s biker… because they are one.

If you can’t see a review against an airbag jacket on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet. These airbag jackets will only be included if we think they’re important and relevant in the market, and rest assured, we will be working on bringing you a review as soon as we’ve done the miles.

To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.