In January, 2021, we first told you about Airbag Inside Sweden AB, and the European Union-based airbag consortium that was hard at work creating airbag jeans for motorcyclists. The problem, as they saw it, was that airbag gear had previously focused primarily on the upper body. For obvious reasons, riders want to avoid serious head and back injuries, but what about your lower body? 

Thus, the consortium labored for several years before finally creating a prototype set of airbag jeans that we reported on early in 2021. Now that we’re into February, 2022, it seems that Airbag Inside Sweden AB has 2022 plans to launch its first line of airbag moto gear, using the brand name Mo’Cycle. At the time of writing, an exact release date has not yet been announced. 

If you visit Mo’Cycle’s landing page, you’ll find that the company plans to offer four different protective motorcycle clothing options. These are: Airbag vests, airbag pants (including jeans), airbag shorts(!), and a separate listing for ultra-high molecular weight polyurethane (UHMWPE) jackets that don’t appear to involve airbags. We’ll also note that at this point, Mo’Cycle appears to have purchased the domain names airbagshorts.com, airbagpants.com, and airbagjeans.com, which all redirect to this same landing page. 

Gallery: Mo'Cycle Airbag Motorcycle Gear

For those unfamiliar, UHMWPE is an abrasion-resistant, super-strong material that’s frequently used in ballistic fibers, tapes—and increasingly, motorcycle gear. In 2021, RideApart covered gear from Dainese, Pando Moto, Rokker, and Andromeda Moto that also makes use of this material—so it’s clearly becoming more widespread.  

Now, back to Mo’Cycle, and its upcoming line of airbag gear. According to the company, all of its airbag clothing relies on refillable CO2 cartridges. No specific amount of time that they take to deploy upon impact is listed just yet—the company says that it does so “within just milliseconds after being triggered.” Presumably, as the launch date gets closer, more detailed information including things like prices, relevant safety ratings (if available), and CO2 cartridge specifics will become available. 

Airbag jeans could seem like a good idea to some riders, and I definitely get why you’d create them—but airbag shorts? Is that for when you really want to protect your kibbles n’ bits, butt, and thighs, but clearly do not give a single flying fig about your knees? Yes, I know there are riders who wear shorts on bikes, but if you’re a rider who wears shorts on your bike, would you go for these? Basically, I’m just not entirely sure who these are for, so if you have some idea, please let me know.

Got a tip for us? Email: tips@rideapart.com