Tucano Urbano showcased its newest innovation for its urban gear lineup, and it’s an airbag that is specifically designed for the hustle and bustle of the streets, and for the protection of motorcyclists in the urban jungle.
Powered by In&motion’s airbag technology, Tucano Urbano threw its hat into the ring with its AIRSCUD FLEX. The bag promises to be comfortable, stylish, ventilated, and affordable. The vest joins Tucano's AIRSCUD Mesh in its growing range of airbags.
Tucano Urbano is not one of the first brands to partner up with In&motion. Furygan’s bag is designed around motorsports, making it for use with their racing suits and jackets. Meanwhile, we still have Helite and Hit-Air with their vests that work via a tether on the bike. In&motion’s system works via motion sensors and GPS and correlates that to historical crash detection data stored in the company’s databanks. Tucano Urbano is one of the latest brands to partner up with the safety technology firm, and its bag is rather unique in its positioning and its use case.
The same technology that can be seen on the back of some of the fastest riders in the world, is now being pioneered for urban use by the brand. Considering that some riders take the risk and wear plain clothes for in-city riding is one thing, but considering that anything can happen is another. Hazards are out there, the Tucano Urbano wanted to deliver a product that could not only work in a city environment but leave no excuse for riding protected. A lady's version was also shown and is also available for this model.
Among the elements that the brand boasted about in its presentation, the style was one of them, leaving a bit of a question mark on my head. I’ve tried a Furygan airbag on, only to feel that its bulk was a little un-stylish. Even if it is low-profile, the bag still has the In&motion module mounted at the back. Tucano’s execution is a little more vest-y in a way, hiding most of the technical stuff with a layer of polyester fabric to keep it “street.”
Other than that, the comfort of the airbag is brought on by polyester mesh on the chest and on the back to guarantee ventilation, and there are also stretch panels on the sides to enable the rider to move freely. The AIRSCUD FLEX lex is also certified as an outer layer, meaning that the airbag can be worn over normal clothes. Either that or it can serve as an underlayer to a jacket. It’s still abrasion-resistant either way, however, so riders will be able to wear it on its own on top of their normal clothes, or in a jacket for added peace of mind.
As for the safety aspect of this jacket, it’s rated with a CE Class C rating (oversuit), and it is also enabled by In&motion’s seven-sensor system which involves three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, and one GPS signal to detect a crash.
Gallery: Tucano Urbano AIRSCUD FLEX airbag vest
Price-wise, we’re looking at an impressively affordable tag of 299.99 EUR or about $320 USD given the exchange rate at the time of writing. However, and this is one big however, the In&motion system utilizes a subscription-based service whose prices start at 10 EUR ($10.72 USD) per month, but you can go for an annual plan at 120 EUR (about $130 USD) with up to four months suspendable where you’ll be charged just four Euros per month ($4.29 USD). If you don’t want the hassle of it all, you can just buy the In&box (the company’s name for its processing and sensor box) for a price of 400 EUR (about $430 USD).
A few doubts are cast when you do the math. If you want everything outright, you’ll be spending about $750 USD for the AIRSCUD FLEX.
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Sources: Lulop, Tucano Urbano
EICMA 2023 - AIRSCUD™ FLEX BY TUCANO URBANO: NO MORE EXCUSES TO MOVE PROTECTED IN THE URBAN JUNGLE
To promote safety on two wheels in the city, the MANDELLI GROUP brand chooses the champion MARCO MELANDRI as the testimonial of its new AIRBAG VEST with integrated In&motion technology.
Our cities are too full of motorcyclists who move without any protection. TUCANO URBANO chooses EICMA , the most important international exhibition for the two-wheel sector, to set in motion a real airbag revolution .
Becoming aware of the dangers and, consequently, of the importance of protecting oneself even on the shortest journeys is the challenge that the most pioneering brand of the MANDELLI GROUP is launching again, in a world preview at the Rho Fair in Milan, with AIRSCUD TM FLEX : the new airbag vest, with integrated In&motion technology , even more comfortable, ventilated, stylish and affordable. So much so that there will no longer be any excuses for not prioritizing your safety.
"Even to rush from the office to the gym or to an aperitif – explains Florian Martin , marketing director of the Mandelli Group – we must get into the habit of not getting on the saddle only in jeans, t-shirt and... slippers. We see too many of them in the city who move like this, completely unaware of the dangers they run, among trams, cobblestones, curbs, potholes... For this reason, we wanted to create a new airbag vest that guarantees maximum comfort with maximum style, at a truly competitive price for a high technological level product. Considering that life is priceless, with AIRSCUD TM FLEX and AIRSCUD TM FLEX LADY we want to convince as many scooter riders as possible to protect themselves: it would be a real revolution!".
A spring revolution. Starting from next summer, when it will be available for sale, the new AIRSCUD TM FLEX will be positioned as the most convenient airbag system for two-wheelers on the market: 299.99 euros* . And if the research and development work focused first of all on perfecting comfort, the lady version also saw the TUCANO URBANO team of designers involved in a meticulous study of fitting on the shapes of the female body.
MAXIMUM COMFORT
Fully lined in mesh, AIRSCUD TM FLEX is made of two high tenacity fabrics: polyester mesh on the chest and back to guarantee ventilation and lightness; in mechanical stretch polyester on the sides and shoulders to ensure lightness, comfort and a perfect fit in any configuration. Thanks to the CE certification in class C (oversuit), it can in fact be worn in three ways: 1. under any motorcycle jacket; 2. over your motorcycle jacket or outfit, with the added advantage of having both maximum safety thanks to the anti-abrasion construction and the Water Resistant construction to protect the In&box area and the maximum ventilation produced by the mesh; 3. under the backpack (with a maximum weight of 8 kg). This is why there are no excuses neither in winter nor in summer to choose AIRSCUD TM FLEX.
THE ULTIMATE STYLE
Design also makes the difference. The clean lines, the choice of materials and attention to every detail make AIRSCUD TM FLEX a sober, elegant and comfortable garment for daily use in any context, in perfect TUCANO URBANO style . So, no fear of wandering around the city like a Martian.
MAXIMUM SAFETY by In&motion
AIRSCUD TM FLEX exploits all the power of artificial intelligence developed by In&motion , market leader in the development of autonomous airbags. The engineers of the French company constantly collect and analyze the data of thousands of riders moving on the roads all over the world, for a total of 150 million kilometers and over 7 thousand falls, detected and studied down to the smallest detail. In this way, AIRSCUD TM FLEX makes new, increasingly better versions of the airbag detection and activation algorithm available to all users.
Thanks to 7 sensors - 3 accelerometers, 3 gyroscopes and 1 GPS - the detection algorithm measures the usage parameters a thousand times every second and, if necessary, allows the fastest activation in the world; in less than 60 milliseconds - not even the blink of an eye - the system detects the risk and completes the inflation of the airbag, with total coverage of the vital areas: chest, abdomen, neck and spine. This is why AIRSCUD TM FLEX is the ideal airbag for daily travel, when the danger is more unpredictable than ever.
Various algorithms are also available that optimize the functioning of AIRSCUD TM FLEX based on the conditions of use: Street for those who use two wheels every day, Adventure for off-road adventures and Track for having fun on the track. Simply choose, through the My In&box app, the subscription plan best suited to your needs, starting from €10 per month, if you choose the annual plan (€120 per year); €12 per month (suspendable for a maximum of 4 months at €4 per month), if you opt for the monthly one instead. Otherwise, you can purchase the In&box directly for €400.
MARCO MELANDRI BRAND AMBASSADOR
Who better than one of the most beloved Italian MotoGP and Superbike riders to promote the culture of safety on two wheels? TUCANO URBANO has chosen MARCO MELANDRI , world champion in 2002 in the 250cc category, as witness of the new video campaign dedicated to AIRSCUD TM FLEX. The protagonist of the clip is the urban jungle where there are many more risks than on the track. But to avoid risking your skin it is not necessary to wear a leather suit. Enough AIRSCUD TM FLEX ! Word of Melandri .