Bering announces road-focused £350 C-Protect Air airbag vest

BERING has introduced the C-Protect Air, its urban-focused airbag vest designed for casual riders on their city commutes.

Airbags have become increasingly commonplace over the past decade or so since they first became present in Grand Prix racing. 

But the technology has often focused on sports and track riders, which in some ways makes sense because the forces involved in impacts increase as speed increases, and race tracks are where riders are travelling with the most speed.

On the other hand, there are far more motorcyclists who never visit the track and do all of their riding on the roads. They can still benefit from an airbag system, but one that integrates with ordinary riding gear - as opposed to track-focused one-piece leather suits - is more appropriate. 

The leaders in airbag technology, especially when considering the track, are Dainese and Alpinestars. Since airbags became mandatory safety equipment in MotoGP a few years ago, the devices of Dainese's D-Air and Alpinestars' Tech Air have been applied to the leathers of riders with other brands, such as Bering for example. 

But, on the roads, Bering now has its own system, called the C-Protect Air. 

This is a vest which can go over your regular riding gear and reacts as an ordinary airbag, by inflating on impact to limit the damage to the rider. 

The vest operates via a cord which attaches to the rider’s motorcycle as shown in the photo above. When the cord is broken, the trigger is activated and the airbag is deployed. 

Bering says that the C-Protect Air vest can be triggered in just 0.1 seconds in the case of a crash, and the system covers the thorax, abdomen, and down the back from the cervical spine (in the neck) to the coccyx.

The retail price for the C-Protect Air, which is also available in a fluorescent yellow option, as shown above, is €399.90, or around £340.

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