Mugen Race:
Road to infinity
Biking is like tasting freedom. Being hugged by the
wind, being pulled in the corner and seeing the road running backwards under
the wheels are all promising something: somewhere, in the front infinity is
waiting. Limitless experience, liberating feeling which you need to experience.
Mugen means infinity
in Japanese. In the country of the rising sun -where the experience of biking
is jointly provided by manufacturing precision and respect for performance -
this word is a known surname. If we wish to define the meaning of the word more
precisely, we can say: No limit. Infinity.
The owner of MUGENRACE
wanted to share this experience with many people when he founded the company in
2001 selling motorbike wear and accessories. To start with, he was selling
products of another manufacturers, but he made sure that the sold equipment
went through rigorous testing. He knew very well what to check if it came to
motorbike gear. As the introducer of stunt riding and successful racer and
biker acrobat known from his stunts all over the world, he had plenty of
possibilities to experience the strain the biking gear is exposed to during
falls at various speed. During the years he tested several products from
several manufacturers, when he finally decided: he was going to develop an
individual product under an own brand name. His goal was to develop a product,
which provides safe protection combined with excellent quality and reliability,
also suitable for the MotoGP racers.
Biking
clothing test: crashing at a speed of 200 km/h
Product
development meant new challenges, but finding the right way took more than
eight years. The core product was of course the leather suit, which was
manufactured in multiple countries and continents based on continuously
improved design. By incorporation of the collected knowledge and experience,
the enhanced garments got closer and closer to the expectations, in the
meanwhile changes were made to the dress patterns, to the leather material and
thickness, the security stitching got stronger and the security elements and
protectors finally were put at the right place.
When the new
version was ready, the company founder tested the product personally. Due to
this, the first sample of every leather suit collection was produced in size
48, personally tailored to the size of the founder, as he done the testing of
the product himself.
The evaluation
of the sample went surprisingly easy. The owner put the leather suit on, he
tried how comfortable the suit was, he checked whether it hindered the user in
moving its body or it bent well at the elbows or not, he also checked how
comfortable it was in riding position. If all was ok, the second step followed.
He put on inline skates and on a quiet main road or airport he was being pulled
by a high-performance motorbike. At a speed of 200 km/h or sometimes even
faster he let the rope go and he was sliding or rolling in various positions.
Then he stood up and checked where the stitches came loose, how worn the
leather was and were there any splits on the material.
Reference
injuries
During testing
the sample items were scored higher or lower based on the routine obtained
during hundreds of bike crashes. This non-ordinary knowledge is based on the
experience of many crashes, involving also several cases with a long-recovery
period. The history of crashes includes crashes at minimum speed ending up in
coma and a crash with a motorbike with a speed of 300 km/h and ending up with a
strained finger. The accidents took place on high-speed race tracks, highways,
fields or snow-covered forest tracks while pushing the boundaries, battling
time or during the development of acrobatic stunts with the bike. All the
learning has been reapplied to the latest development bike wear.
Since the media
coverage of Sinja Nakano’s crash at a speed of over 300 km/h, nobody contests
that bike suits manufactured by using technology enabling top quality, provide
real protection to the user. In the headquarters of MUGENRACE the scratches and
scars on the damaged suits of the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 racers prove as a
peculiar reference, that the suit even at a high-speed crash protected the
user.
Airbag
in the suit
Sophisticated
development and uncompromising quality requirements finally reached their goal
and after conquering Europe, the MUGENRACE biker wear found its customers also
outside Europe. The success is proved by the fact that the brand has entered
the highest level possible, the world of MotoGP. More and more racers are
wearing the company’s suits and the representatives of the company are always
present at the races. They are there not only as spectators, but they are also
collecting feedback and experience during the races and if required they repair
or replace the damaged wear. As of 2018 the company as the partner of Dainese
supplies the sponsored teams with leather suits, which according to the latest
regulations also include built-in airbags.
The MUGENRACE products
are not only manufactured for racers, but for everyone who likes to ride a
motorbike. The material of the suits can be cow or buffalo leather, upon extra
requirements extremely strong and light kangaroo leather. The product range is
continuously expanding, besides the leather products corduroy and jeans
materials are also used. Jeans was combined with Kevlar lining, protectors and
flexible materials to achieve a true motorbike wear.
Every item of
the range is characterised by the trio of quality, design and safety. The MUGENRACE
logo displayed on the suit captures the fundamental experience of biking. In
the centre of the trademark the infinity symbol, namely the sideways figure of
eight was placed. The character was modified during the design phase, the edges
were left open indicating that the MUGENRACE products open up the gates towards
infinity. From a mathematical symbol such symbol was created, which symbolises
infinity. The message is: the road is open, you just need to get on it and go.
And then: infinity is awaiting you…