Anyone Rocking an Airbag System? Have You Crashed in One?

[Mike95060]

As I wade back into riding I'm finding myself a little more open to gear that isn't full leathers and race boots. Don't get me wrong, my full zip 2 piece Dainese leathers, Held Kango gloves, Arai helmet and Alpinestars boots served me very well last time around and I do credit it all for letting me limp away from the last encounter with wildlife without major injuries. This time around I'm looking at some alternatives that might be nearly as safe? I want to use my bike to go places AND do things so gear that isn't completely focused on just riding has an appeal. I though this was interesting:

Alpinestars Airbag Vest

I like the look, yes I'm vain and that does matter to me, and I'm curious how effective it is as keeping you minimally injured in a crash. I think the real appeal for me of an airbag system would be with minimizing trauma to the neck and spine. Short of dying, paralysis is the scariest thing I can imagine. If there is a BARF consensus about airbag systems, I'm all ears.

 

[Sportbiker]

My friend crashed in one at high speed on the road and walked away without any upper body injuries. He attributes that to his airbag. Convinced me to buy the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma.

I've used it for a few months now. Comfortable fit. As long as you have some room under your jacket / suit, you wont notice the airbag. Charging with USB-C is easy. Has a few modes to select (Street, Dirt, Race). The phone app allows you to update the firmware and shows state of charge. No annual fees like some other airbags.

 

[budman]

I rock a Klim, but thankfully never field tested it.

I chose it because it had a couple inches of fabric on each side of the zipper that could let a little air through. Since I ride a lot in hot weather having some air get to my cooling vest was important and that made the difference to me.

The vests being hot was noted in my research and I was not wanting the outside your jacket style.

Good luck.

 

[Mike95060]

I rock a Klim, but thankfully never field tested it.

I chose it because it had a couple inches of fabric on each side of the zipper that could let a little air through. Since I ride a lot in hot weather having some air get to my cooling vest was important and that made the difference to me.

The vests being hot was noted in my research and I was not wanting the outside your jacket style.

Good luck.

This one bud?

 

[budman]

That is it. I paid close to double that. You have to get a subscription too though.

 

[Mike95060]

That is it. I paid close to double that. You have to get a subscription too though.

Interesting. There are some pretty rough reviews on Revzilla about it. I think I would prefer non subscription based safety gear even if the upfront cost was higher.

 

[greenmonster]

I have had an Alpinestars Tech 5 for a few years. Never crashed wearing it so I can't attest to its effectiveness.
It's been upgraded to the Plasma version which is 25% lighter and less bulky than the Tech 5 but the newer version costs a lot more too.
Tech 5's are readily available and do the job just fine if you don't need the latest and greatest.

I bought my jacket and vest at the same time to make sure I had a good fit. Put on your jacket without the vest, grab the chest area and if you can grab a handful of material the jacket size is good. A skin tight jacket is no bueno with an air vest cuz those air bags have to expand somewhere.

It keeps the charge long enough for me. And no subscription.
It gets a toasty wearing it over 80 degrees since there can't be any holes in the air bags for air flow - duh, but the protection is worth every penny.
In fact I'd say EVERY rider should have some kind of airbag system.

If you really want to go crazy there are airbag pants available too. Here's one brand

We are the world's first airbag jeans

Mo’cycle® Airbag jeans covers new areas on the lower body, such as the Tailbone, the Femoral Artery and the Thighs! It’s a game changer for safety as spinal column injuries tend to become permanent and femoral artery injuries are fatal.

mocycle.com

 

[budman]

Interesting. There are some pretty rough reviews on Revzilla about it. I think I would prefer non subscription based safety gear even if the upfront cost was higher.

Yeah... get it. The subscribtion does provide some benefits I think, but not sure.
I get a notification when their are software updates. They catalog the crash data and if there is a certain crash or other improvement they find doing that I hook up my battery / brain to wifi and it downloads the updates. So I suppose it is getting smarter.

I have had it for 3 years now and it has updated 4 times I believe. Also when I had an issue with the battery not appearing to function correctly I got a wifi repair / reset.

Since I ride in 100 degrees getting some airflow was on my list of got to have.

I do agree with Ed on the jacket being highly considered. I bought mine knowing I could go telly tubby and needing the room as if there is not then forces transfer back to the body.

 

[Das MotorRad]

I use a mechanically operated air-bag. I got it for the track and appreciate the ability for me to repack quickly at the track for just the cost of a CO2 cartridge. Not having to worry about charging a battery or sensor issues is a bonus. I've heard of the A* not deploying in a crash...hopefully that's been fixed with the new model.

Oh yeah, it works real good Hot though...

Helite GP Air Track Vest (Mechanical Trigger)

Motorcycle Airbag Vests And Jackets By Helite With Technology To Reduce Injury In A Crash

helitemoto.com

 

[Mike95060]

Yeah... get it. The subscribtion does provide some benefits I think, but not sure.
I get a notification when their are software updates. They catalog the crash data and if there is a certain crash or other improvement they find doing that I hook up my battery / brain to wifi and it downloads the updates. So I suppose it is getting smarter.

I have had it for 3 years now and it has updated 4 times I believe. Also when I had an issue with the battery not appearing to function correctly I got a wifi repair / reset.

Since I ride in 100 degrees getting some airflow was on my list of got to have.

I do agree with Ed on the jacket being highly considered. I bought mine knowing I could go telly tubby and needing the room as if there is not then forces transfer back to the body.

Great feedback Bud thank you. I actually have an older Vanson MK2 CSR2 Sportrider jacket that is basically just a bag o leather. I would say its form fitting but no where near as snug as the Dainese two piece zip together I rode with 99%of the time. My thought was the Vanson would be candidate for an "under the jacket" option. The bad reviews a read on revzilla about the Klim were almost all about power issues, not turning on and off reliably or firmwear updates not going smoothly. Some people were upset with the return policy as well. Sounds like you have had none of those problems. The subscription is $12/month? eghh, just enough to be annoying but no so much that if the product works flawlessly I would mind. My expectations would be higher if I'm paying monthly.

I guess electrical gremlins from any brand could be a thing. I really like the look of the A*'s vest (Upright v twins with handlebars and denim vests do go together damn it! I'm that old now ) This model had some bad reviews around powering up too. A tether for the street seems like a recipe for an embarrassing public pre mature deployment eventually.

 

[budman]

Interesting.

Other than the one battery issue I have had zero issues and the charge holds for longer than I ride and that can be 10 hours.
There customer service was top notch. When I reached out I was hooked up and fixed the next day.

 

[mackdaddy]

My buddy wears an A*. I think it's the Tech 3 model. Been down twice in it. Deployed as expected both times. No broken bones. He's a believer & is always pushing me, & anyone else who will listen, to get one, especially after my last get off, but it wouldn't have helped with any of the bones I broke that time

 

[greenmonster]

Although my vest is electronic the tethered types like Helite are worth consideration. No charging, replacement CO2 cartridges only cost $35 and can be replaced in minutes with no tools and they offer the same protection as electronic ones.
You need to remember to snap in when you get on the bike and when you get off. If you forget to unhook and swing your leg over you'll feel the tug of the tether before it pops
Don't worry, it takes 60 pounds of pressure to deploy so it isn't a hair trigger by any means.

Motorcycle Airbags - Helite Moto

helitemoto.com

 

[NATEWA]

Hit Air rs-1

https://hitairmoto.com/shop/ols/products/rs-1 Anyone have this? Thoughts? Looks like it doesn’t offer as much protection as their other vests. Wondering if it could be used for the track and street.

www.bayarearidersforum.com

I have the hit air racing model. No complaints.

 

[Jaxter]

I have the Dainese Smart vest. First generation. I have fallen off bike twice, at zero mph while touring, (long stories)

Not a reccomendation for Dainese. Zero injury and airbag inflated immediately. In both falls the bag deployed as I leaned over about 45 degrees. Like landing on a cloud on my back. How would a tethered system handle this kind of fall? All latest systems now have replaceable cartridges...thats the way to go. I wear my vest under my jackets, and jackets are sized to accommodate the vest.

I can plug my vest into USB port in my laptop and automatically update software periodically.

Next purchase...Alpinstares Tech Air 5 Plasma...and carry an extra cartridge when touring....and try to stop being a dufus and falling over

 

[Starpower]

Very happy with my Hit-Air MLV, excellent ventilation. Never had to test it!

 

[dravnx]

I also have the MLV. Chose it because I can wear it outside my riding gear, adds a bunch of reflective tape for my in the dark commutes and it presents the least blockage to airflow into my vents.
Had a 25 mph get off. It deployed and the trauma center was very interested in the vest as they had never seen one and were impressed that I didn't receive any injuries to my torso.
I had a second deploy when I fell over when I tried to ride through a pile of sand that had blown across the road out at Pr. Reyes. The bike fell over and when I rolled off onto the road, poof.
It won't deploy if you forget to unhook when getting off the bike. You'll feel the tug of the tether long before it will activate.
I carry a spare CO2 canister and the little allen wrench to change it out. Repack the bladders, change out the cartridge and good to go in about 10 minutes.

 

[senpai71]

I have a Hit-Air vest - it uses a physical tether rather than anything fancy and electronic. I've (several times!) gotten off the bike and tried to walk away, forgetting to untether it, and it's never gone off - it's just tugged me backwards. It needs a 60lb pull to trigger it, which is a lot more than you would give by accidentally yanking it. And the tether is long enough that you can stand on the pegs.

On the upside, as a consequence of it being old-school, there's no subscription bullshit. Also, if it does ever go off and it's not damaged, you can carefully re-fold it and install a new gas cylinder, which is much cheaper than replacing the entire vest. Also, Hit-Air was kinda the OG in the market - primarily making vest for equestrians.

On the downside, it's pretty heavy (includes both airbag stuff and some plastic chest-protector plates) and in hot weather it can be pretty stuffy in there. And of course it needs to fit on top of your regular jacket.

That all being said, I've never crashed in it, so I can't add any info about how protective it is...

 

[budman]

The Klim is heavy too just to bump on Rory's comment. Hell the Klim jacket is heavy.. add the vest and you have pretty damn heavy.
Still workable for an OG

 

[greenmonster]

I suppose the weight issue is greater if you’re off the bike walking around.
I don’t feel the weight of my Tech 5 when I’m on the bike.
The protection afforded by the vest is so worth it. Once you ride WITH a vest you’ll never ride without one.