THRYLLZ
Thrills we thrive on
Thrills we thrive on
The Dainese Misano 2 D-air motorcycle suit is not a one-piece motorcycle suit that you buy “on a whim”. With a price tag of over €2,000, it takes a big chunk out of many of our savings. Some information about whether this suit is worth it would be nice.
Some inside information – how such a suit fits, what to look out for and a little insight into whether it is really worth the money – is useful when making such a purchase. Hence this review of the one-piece Dainese Misano 2 D-air motorcycle suit. This motorcycle suit has been extensively tested (yes, really, she has two. More on that later…) by our team member Yvanka. A lady, then. But make no mistake. She looks cute, but she’s a real tough cookie. Incidentally, the men’s suit is almost exactly the same as the women’s suit. So gentlemen, don’t tune out just yet. Over to Yvanka!
First of all, I know that trying on this suit in a motorcycle shop seems practically impossible. Just finding one to try on is quite a challenge. After all, one-piece motorcycle suits are often not widely available in motorcycle clothing shops. Certainly not for women.
In my search for a racing suit, I visited several motorcycle clothing shops. I was often told that this suit could be ordered, but only with a purchase obligation. If the suit didn’t fit properly, I still had to buy it. I wasn’t keen on that. In the end, I made a decision: I would buy it online.
You often prefer not to buy a motorcycle suit online. That makes perfect sense! You want to know how the suit fits. What size should you order? And what if you have to send it back? The latter is not such an issue. It works exactly the same as returning a pair of shoes or a shirt. The only difference is that the box is a lot bigger, so it’s a bit more of a hassle to lug around. I accepted that potential hassle. So I started my search online.
Why this suit in particular? After one of my best mates had a very serious motorbike accident, I realised how vulnerable we are on a motorbike. Only then? Yes, only then. And I decided not to skimp on my own safety anymore. So I wanted motorbike clothing with an airbag. Since I prefer to ride in leather and enjoy riding on track, a one-piece motorcycle suit with an airbag was the most obvious choice. After some Googling, I discovered that there is relatively little choice for women in this area. When I saw the Misano 2 D-air suit, I fell in love.
And can you blame me? Be honest… The design team at Dainese has delivered an excellent piece of design. Which they always do, really. Of course, function comes before form, but it has to look good too. After some online research, I ended up at FC Moto. There, the motorcycle suit was on sale for around €1,800. I am and always will be Dutch… So I love a bargain. Then began the search for the right size.
I already had the two-piece Dainese Avro D2 motorcycle suit, so I was familiar with the brand and the fit. Dainese sizes run small. The Italian brand more than lives up to its roots in this respect. An advantage for all the smaller motorcyclists among us.
My two-piece motorcycle suit from Dainese was a size 40. A two-piece motorcycle suit fits differently than a one-piece suit. For example, a racing overall is often less tight around the waist than a two-piece suit where the trousers are zipped to the jacket. After all, a one-piece suit only has one continuous zip, instead of one zip in your trousers, one in your jacket and another zip to connect the two. So, to be on the safe side, I checked the size charts.
FC Moto was not an unfamiliar name to me. During endless hours of browsing online, filling shopping baskets and often not taking the step to checkout (sound familiar..?), I regularly came across this German company. Although the webshop itself is quite messy, they do have a huge number of size charts online. I compared the charts for Dainese’s one-piece and two-piece motorcycle suits and once again came up with size 40 for a one-piece suit.
After some deliberation, I thought, “Let’s just go for it”. So I took the plunge and ordered the Dainese Misano 2 D-air motorcycle suit for women in size 40. A few days later, it was delivered neatly. The moment of truth… will the suit fit?
Are you new to putting on a one-piece motorcycle suit? If you thought putting on a textile suit or your two-piece leather suit was a struggle, think again. Putting on a new one-piece motorcycle suit is quite a challenge. Please note: a leather motorcycle suit must fit well. Can you just hop into it and do you have some extra room everywhere? Then the suit is really too big. Leather stretches considerably, so it should fit snugly when you buy it new.
After some fiddling around, I squeezed myself into the suit. And it fits! Only around the stomach do I have a little extra room when I’m on the motorbike. Be sure to test a new motorbike suit on the motorbike. Don’t ride with it straight away, because then you often can’t return it. But do sit on your motorbike to see how the suit feels in that position. The suit has to fit well in that sitting position.
You immediately notice that the suit pulls you into a slightly “crooked” position. Actually, into a sporty racing position. This is fine and not unusual for a one-piece leather motorcycle suit. Furthermore, the Dainese Misano 2 D-air motorcycle suit looks great when you wear it. Even if you’re not into sporty motorcycling, you immediately look very sporty. The quality feels good and the leather is sturdy yet flexible.
Thanks to the perforations, you stay fairly cool while riding. The wind blows through smoothly. A light shower on the way? Then you won’t get soaked. I’m really pleased with that. Please note: motorcycle suits with built-in airbags are generally not friends with rain. The batteries etc. don’t like moisture very much. A light shower is okay. Are they predicting real rain? Then put a rain suit over it to protect the battery and the lifespan of your suit.
What else stands out? The pre-shaped knees are quite stiff and hard. This takes some getting used to. I have been wearing this motorcycle suit for over two years now, and only now is it really starting to wear off. You don’t notice it so much during shorter rides. But if you’re going to be tearing around the track all day, it can get a bit annoying. Tip of the day: take your suit off during breaks. The zips on the lower legs also irritate me a bit when I wear the suit for several hours. I blame my muscular calves for this. Again, it doesn’t bother you much while riding, but you can feel it when you’re having a drink on the terrace.
Other than that, the Misano 2 D-air suit fits like a glove. The zippers are sturdy – I had some issues with that in my Dainese Avro D2 two-piece motorcycle suit – and they run smoothly. The airbag battery lasts relatively long. You can really ride for several days before the battery runs out. Just hook it up to the charger in the evening and you’re ready to go again the next day. The charging point is hidden on the inside of the hump on the back, which you can access by pulling the inner lining aside from the neck. The charger cable is not very long. Would you like a longer cable? We use a cable from a printer for this.
The inner lining of the Dainese Misano 2 D-air motorcycle suit is slightly less sturdy and comes loose easily. The big advantage of the lining is that it has an inner pocket on the left side. You can use this to store your earplugs, riding licence, debit card or phone when riding on the road.
Are you only going to wear the suit on the track? Then I would personally remove the inner lining. I did this myself. It’s quite easy to do. It is attached to your back with two zips. The rest is Velcro. Maybe it’s just bad luck that the inner lining kept coming loose on mine, but personally, I’d rather be without that lining. And worth mentioning: I now have a spare suit – exactly the same, also a Misano 2 D-air – and this one also has the problem that the inner lining comes loose quickly. So I’ve removed that one too.
So now I have two Misano 2 D-air motorcycle suits. Why? With my first one, I came off my bike in the rain in Spain. The nice thing about crashing in the rain is that you often suffer little damage yourself. The airbag deployed properly, after which I had it replaced. About 1.5 years later, I crashed at Assen. It wasn’t a harmless slide, but a full-throttle headlong plunge into the gravel trap at Stekkenwal. The result for the motorcycle suit: a broken zip and broken airbag connector/sensor (the tab at the top of the zip that activates the system via press studs). The airbag also deployed again, so that was great. Actually, the damage wasn’t too bad. That suit can take quite a beating! I myself was left with a few more injuries…
Anyway, this suit then spent a long time on the repair table due to delivery problems with that sensor/connector. My impatient self was able to get back on my motorbike after two months of recovery (I had broken a few things which the airbag suit could never have saved) and wanted to get back on the road. So I bought a second-hand but almost new suit via Vinted. Exactly the same, just a different colour.
As befits a new suit, you have to crash it right away. That’s when it fits best…
That’s not the best advice, of course. In addition to being an enthusiastic racer, I’m also a fanatical pit bike rider. This time, things didn’t go according to plan, and I crashed into the gravel trap in style, wearing my new Misano 2 D-air motorcycle suit. This time, I landed mainly on my hip, causing the perforated leather to tear. An unfortunate moment. But I dare say: the Dainese Misano 2 D-air motorcycle suit can really take a beating, and the quality of the airbag? 10/10. It hasn’t failed once.
I bought both motorcycle suits with my own hard-earned money. And no one asked me to write a review about them. I am simply genuinely enthusiastic about the Dainese Misano 2 D-air motorcycle suit, and I am happy to give my honest opinion. Hopefully, it will help others who are considering purchasing this suit or a similar motorcycle suit.
Yes, it costs an arm and a leg. And as a true Dutchie, I didn’t enjoy spending that kind of money. But the suit fits really well and the quality is very high.
The airbag also deploys quickly and effectively. You can read more about this in our article on motorcycle clothing with airbags. The leather is supple and can take quite a beating.
