Dainese defines itself as a company dedicated to providing the ultimate protective safety gear for motorcyclists. Yet despite an insistence that safety is corporate priority number one, Dainese women’s motorcycle gear hasn’t always incorporated the same safety features as their men’s line, such as the gear MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi wears.

But apparently this is about to change with the 2010 Dainese product line.  According to the company, beginning this year they are stepping up their commitment to women riders. Ladies, if you wear one of those supple leather Dainese jackets with no armor, no ability to zip the jacket to pants and a small pocket in the back for an optional back protector – and you like it that way – take good care of it,because it’s about to go the way of the dinosaur.

Dainese claims that all women’s jackets for 2010 will include composite protection certified to EN 1621.197 in the shoulders and elbows, as well as zips to fasten jackets and pants together for an extra measure of safety. Back protectors will continue to be offered separately, but Dainese positions this as a benefit that allows riders to customize their gear.

Another exciting and important piece of safety equipment new for women in 2010 is the Dainese Thorax Pro Ladies Chest Protector.  Modeled for the press when Dainese rolled out their 2010 collection last week, it was shown worn under an unzipped Bonny Pelle jacket and, as the name “Chest Protector” implies, offers extra shock protection for the chest and thorax, housing the heart and lungs, an especially vulnerable area of the body that can sustain life-threatening injuries in a crash. The hard polypropylene front plate uses an aircraft grade alloy honeycomb sandwiched between polymers and claims to be ergonomically shaped. The jersey lining, flexible lateral rib protection side plates and adjustable straps allow the thorax protector to fit comfortably and a bit of perforation allows for some temperature regulation.

Dainese euphemistically describes the thorax protector as ergonomically designed. Shelli Bohrer, Store Manager for the San Francisco D-Store, offered me the chance to try one on. We stepped into the private backroom staging area, and I was glad we did.  The “ergonomic design” of the rigid shell made me look like a bit like Xena,Warrior Princess (some people might not view that as a bad thing!) That’s a small price to pay for safety…except it was clear the thorax protector would never fit under a leather jacket in my normal size. This was very disappointing. Dainese representatives on hand explained that the thorax protector is really designed to be worn at the track, under racing leathers, and even offer another version without straps that stays in place under a tight suit.

Yet company marketing materials describing the evolution of DTec’s thorax protector project tell a different story. Dainese Technology Center (DTec) engineers discuss a future where two-wheeled vehicles of all types (including scooters and mopeds) will represent a solution to increased traffic congestion and environmental pollution problems. The professed aim of the thorax project was to protect two-wheeled riders from road injuries that result from crashing into cars and pavement. In impact studies, Dainese tested the thorax protector using Piaggion MP3s and Renault Lagunas.  Do these sound like track vehicles?

I’m very impressed with the Dainese Thorax Pro Ladies Chest Protector, and plan to ride with one.  Available at retailers and the D-Stores for about $100, the Thorax Pro is a solid piece of equipment designed using the latest technological advances in safety materials and engineered by Dainese’s DTec, one of the most respected motorcycle safety teams in the world.

There is no other product like it on the market.  And if it means I’ll be shopping for a new jacket?  Well, I don’t consider that a problem.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed