Misano jacket marks Dainese’s D-air landmark –

Dainese has celebrated reaching 1000 deployments of its D-air system by releasing the D-air Misano 1000 leather jacket. It’s the Italian firm’s first stand-alone electronically deployed air-bag for road riding, and it’s named after that landmark 1000th activation, not the likely price of about £1000.

Those air-bag deployments, logged over the last 15 years, have been analysed by Dainese and used to set the Misano 1000’s triggering algorithms. The jacket doesn’t require sensors fitted to a bike because its sensors, electronics and GPS are housed in the back protector.

The Misano’s airbag incorporates an inner micro-filament structure which provides uniform inflation of 5cm over all surfaces. The jacket uses six sensors hosted in its back-protector to monitor the dynamics of the rider’s body 800 times a second. From this it determines when to deploy the air-bag in the event of an impact, high-side or low-side with tumbling.

Duchinni takes new flip-front route –

The D606 is a minor road in central France, and it must be something special. Dunlop named a tyre after it, and now helmet firm Duchinni has used the same designation for its latest budget-priced flip-front helmet.

Duchinni describes the D606 as “feature packed”, which seems fair enough. It has single-button release for the chin-bar and visor, incorporates an internal flip-down sun visor, and uses a seat-belt style buckle. It also has a removable, washable lining, plus vents at top, chin and rear.

Icon’s triple-rate Sportster boost –

Harley-Davidson has just revamped two of its Sportster models with uprated shocks featuring triple-rate springs, but you don’t need to buy a new Forty-Eight or Iron 883 to get a similar benefit. Icon’s 7610 series shocks, designed to fit all recent-ish Sportster models, also incorporate triple-rate progressive springs, which allow more compliance while also coping with big bumps.

The Icons are styled to suit the Sportsters’ traditional looks, and come with three-way adjustable preload plus four-way damping adjustment that can be set by hand. They come with black or chrome springs, and with or without covers. Prices start at £279.30 per pair, rising to £345.80 for the full-chrome option.

Minimise mess with Folding Funnel –

Owners of leaky old Brit bikes, listen up. The Folding Funnel from Wunderlich is just what it says: a thin plastic funnel that can be folded up and stored in a tool roll or under a bike’s seat, then brought out to save making a mess when you need an oil top-up.

Yamaha’s anniversary caps and crazy car –

This year sees the 60th anniversary of Yamaha’s first bike, and the firm has produced a range of products to celebrate – interestingly coloured not in the official corporate red, or the blue of the MotoGP and other Yam factory race teams, but the speedblock-enhanced yellow made famous by Yamaha USA’s King Kenny Roberts in the early Eighties. No argument here about that.

There’s a decent selection of gear, with clothing including polo shirts, jackets and caps. There’s a chrome-rimmed mug for your tea, a watch, wallet and a rucksack to put it all in.

Meanwhile one yellow-and-black product that’s not part of the anniversary celebration but could be is the YXZ1000R, a device that Yamaha calls a “side-by-side” but which is essentially a crazy dune buggy. It’s powered by a 998cc, three-cylinder engine derived from Yamaha’s snowmobiles and Waverunner watercraft, with a sequential five-speed gearbox. No peak power output is quoted but the likely figure is about 135bhp, with heaps of torque – enough for decent performance.

The YXZ looks wicked and is likely to cost between £20,000 and £23,000 when it arrives towards the end of the year. That’s just in time for Christmas, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself unwrapping a mug or wallet instead.

Smart Rider aims to lead you round the bend –

For motorcyclists one drawback of normal satnavs and navigation apps is that they’ve got no sense of fun. They let you choose the quickest or shortest route but a longer, slower one that’s more enjoyable to ride? Why would you do such an illogical thing?

That’s where TomTom’s Rider comes in. The bike-specific satnav allows its user to choose the level of twists and turns (or gradients) they want to reach a particular destination. Alternatively you can choose an area and let the Rider suggest a suitably bendy round-trip. Just try that on your iPhone…

The Rider has a few other features that sound useful, including a rotating mount that allows it to be used in portrait mode to show more of the route ahead. The touchscreen is glove-friendly; Bluetooth connectivity allows audio instructions to helmet or headset; and you can opt for real-time traffic information. You can plan, record and share routes via a PC; and choose screen colours to suit the conditions.

Prices start at £279.99 for the basic Rider40, which comes with lifetime maps of Western Europe and lifetime traffic info. For £319.99 you get the Rider400, which covers all Europe (45 countries instead of 23) and includes speed camera info. And £399.99 buys the 400 with a Premium Pack including security and car-mounting kits.

Roo Hoody provides stealthy leap in protection –

Aussie firm Draggin’ Jeans specialises in clothing that protects while looking as though it doesn’t. Latest is the Roo Hoody, which could almost pass for typical teenage mall-wear but is designed for leaping off moving motorbikes.

The Roo is lined with Draggin’s abrasion-resistant Roomoto fabric (which incorporates Kevlar) and features removable CE-approved armour at shoulders, elbows and back. It also has a full-length zip, removable hood, thumbholes at the cuffs, and an inside pocket. It costs £139.99 and comes in small to 3XL.

Draggin also has a new pair of Kevlar-lined strides that comes in any colour as long as it’s black. The catchily named BLKGEN jeans feature Draggin’s normal Kevlar lining, and are made from stretch denim with a straight leg, and with no visible panels or external seams.

Hyde pipes boost Bonnie’s breathing –

If you’ve got a Triumph T100 with rusty downpipes you could do worse than fit a pair of former Meriden engineer Norman Hyde’s replacements. In fact you might be tempted even if the originals aren’t rusty, because Hyde’s pipes eliminate the catalytic converter that some systems include, and also do away with the ugly lambda sensor boss of the fuel-injected Triumph.

Indian puts its curly script to use –

It’s easy to understand why the Indian name was fought over for years before Polaris finally took control and introduced a new line of bikes. The old American marque’s history includes not only some striking bikes but an unmistakable logo – perfect for a range of branded goods.

The reborn firm hasn’t taken long to put that logo to use. Following closely in the tyre-tracks of the Chiefs and Scout are accessories including a leather key-fob and a heavy-duty bike mat, ideal for saving the knees when polishing low-slung silencers.

And you don’t need a bike to add Indian’s curly-script coolness to your life. You can keep the sun out of your eyes with one of numerous Indian caps; freshen up of a morning with an Indian wash-bag; drink tea from an Indian mug or celebrate the brand’s rapid growth with a set of four Warbonnet beer glasses.

Big noise from smaller SoundBomb –

The existing Denali SoundBomb is an air-horn whose ear-splitting 120db of noise – four times the power of a typical standard horn, according to Denali – has made it popular. Trouble is, it consists of a compressor plus an acoustic unit so is a bit bulky and can be difficult to fit neatly to sporty or smaller bikes, in particular.

Enter the Split SoundBomb, which is essentially the same device but divided into its two parts to make it more easily mounted and hidden away. A hose that comes with the kit allows the two be up to a metre apart. The Split SoundBomb is costs a few quid more than the basic unit but is still a fairly compact £39.99, though you’ll also need to budget an extra £20 or so for a wiring kit.

Speed Triple comes of age in style –

Triumph’s Speed Triple celebrates its 21st birthday this year, and you can hardly blame the Hinckley crew for marking their most popular offspring’s coming of age with some branded clobber. First up are tee-shirts, in three designs: photo, signature and tyre tread. The graphics are suitably different, the black colour’s the same in each case, and so is the price of £29.

Alternatively there’s a thicker black “zip through”, also mainly in black and featuring a photo and Speed Triple logo graphic, for £65. There’s also a cap styled along similar lines, for £20; and a black-finished mug with logo for £13.

Perhaps best value is a 1:18 scale model for just £4.20. With the current Triple getting a bit long in the tooth, here’s hoping that Triumph add to the party by unveiling a fresh-for-2016 version of the real thing before the end of the year.

Solar charger boosts batteries for free –

Everyone likes something for nothing, and here’s a bike-friendly battery charger that costs exactly that. Well, that’s to say it costs nowt to run, once you’ve paid £84.99 to buy it. OptiMate say their new Solar charger is the “most efficient solar pulse charger available”, though whether there were enough contenders to fill the podium places has yet to be confirmed.

The OptiMate device works by converting low current from the 53 x 38 x 6cm solar panel into higher current pulses that can effectively charge and maintain a connected battery. This is a crucial difference from traditional solar chargers, which tend to deliver a small current, and on a cloudy day (insert joke about British weather here) can actually flatten your battery rather than keep it topped up.

Weise trousers braced for action –

Let’s face it, black overtrousers are seriously dull garments. But at least this new pair from Weise incorporates a few features to talk about. Even if it’s only braces and a quilted liner, both of which are removable.

The press release does its best. “In cold conditions, a thermal quilted liner keeps the legs insulated, while the raised back section at the waist helps stop draughts sneaking in between trousers and jacket. When the temperature rises, the quilted liner can be removed and zipped vents on the thighs can be opened, allowing cool air to circulate.”

Using both belt and braces can be considered overkill, but the Weise trews go a stage further with a “Velcro retained twin belt system that ensures a snug and secure fit”. They’ve also got CE-approved knee armour, plus two external waist pockets with zip closure. Fascinating stuff, if you’re in need of lined overtrousers.

G’day from the beach —

As if it’s not bad enough to be facing the damp, dark days of a British winter, Australian custom bike crew Deus are now rubbing it in by advertising their tee-shirts as “Fresh Summer Staples” and “Summer Wear”. Okay, we get the message.

City Pro keeps the flats at bay —

Michelin has made plenty of effort in developing the City Pro, the firm’s new puncture-resistant tyre for small capacity bikes and big-wheeled scooters. Apparently 48 Bangkok bike taxis took part in the tyre’s development. Riders covered over a quarter of a million miles, suffering an average of just one flat per 62,000 miles.

Halfords adds workshop colour —

The world is not short of black, grey or red tool chests but colour-sensitive owners of Harleys, Kawasakis, KTMs and Suzukis, in particular, might be grateful to Halfords for adding some choice with a new range in green, orange and blue.

Dainese designs for a downpour —

Rainwear probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Italian motorcycle clothing, unless you’ve just endured three days of torrential rain in Milan during EICMA. But Dainese make waterproofs too, and they have a new collection to prove it.