Best airbag vest!

[Cincinnatus]

just talked to a guy who lowsided his bike at a slow speed less then 30 on the track and then the bike literally draggggged him through the tether...... cuz it wasnt enough force to separate and charge the airbag

^^This is why I no longer wear a Hit-Air or other system. I got knocked down while commuting and the Hit-Air didn't deploy. I remained on the bike, still in the riding position and horizontal to the road. No deployment, which MAY have prevented my concussion, which lasted for 3+ months.

When there's a system that detects extreme degrees and sudden velocity changes, etc., I may re-think, but for now, great idea, but doesn't always work.

 

[fubar929]

When there's a system that detects extreme degrees and sudden velocity changes, etc., I may re-think, but for now, great idea, but doesn't always work.

Helmets, jackets, pants, boots, and gloves don't work 100% of the time either. You going to give those up, too?

 

[FXCLM5]

the inertia sensors on the top of the line suits for gp riders from A* dainese, spidi etc will hopefully trickle its way down to the public.

their systems are awesome, it can tell differences between low side/high side, and can re-arm itself

like i said earlier, give it a few more years, maybe another decade?

look at it this way, airbags and abs brakes for cars were what industrialized 20-30 years in the auto industry

and how long has it taken abs to get into the moto community?

20-30 years after it was standardized in the auto world........ lol

 

[moto-rama]

I'm considering an airbag vest and am looking at Helite and Hit-air. Anyone have experience or evaluated both? They appear quite similar. My biggest concern is that they will block all the air to a mesh jacket and be too hot when it get's warm (it will get warm again, really).

Thanks for your input.

Considering this myself. My riding buddy took a spill on Christmas Day, resulting in broken motorcycle, and fractured clavicle.

Was thinking that a air bag thing might have protected his collarbones. Nasty injury, and SO common for riders.

 

[secn8ure]

I'm interested to know on which location and part of the bike the other end of the tether was attched to. How much slack there was on the tether.

 

[scotinexcile]

I got a hit air VHR. Chose it because of the fast inflation time, I believe it is about 1/2 the others. I find it non-intrussive. I wear it together with my jacket. I did not find it blocking the air flow in my mesh jacket.

Hit-air inflation time is reportedly slower than the Helite

 

[scotinexcile]

I've had a hit air vest for over a year - it does block some wind coming into a textile jacket but it's not terrible. All in all - it's not intrusive at all though i kept forgetting to disconnect the lanyard when i get off the bike - this lead to everyone taking bets and how long it would take for me to accidently deploy it. All the guys i ride with here in NJ wear them too.

Good news is it takes 30lbs of pressure i believe to engage it - you would like rip the bike from it's stand before deploying it so it's somewhat idiot proof. I got the hi-viz version - super bright.

I personally think they're a great investment - i haven't tested mine out (thankfully) but had a few friends deck it pretty hard at the track and got right back up. Vest deployed right each time.

Actually 66lbs of pressure to pull the keyball from the keybox with the Hit-Air vest

 

[scotinexcile]

I have the Hit Air too. Infact, almost everyone in our group has the same. I have never had to test it but I know people who have and swear by it.

Keep it that way, no crash test dummy stuff please

 

[scotinexcile]

What is the difference between the Helite Turtle and the Helite Held?

I'm considering the Hit Air Race because of the rear-mounted wire. I move around quite a bit on all of my bikes. I do plan on going track/dirt only, but until then I'll still be wearing the vest over bulky textiles with a Camelbak, so I don't know how that would interfere with the rear wire mount.

The Race Vest looses the lower back protection that the MLV-C has. Unless you are always on the tank then the MLV-C works fine. Plenty WERA racers still use that vest as it was around before the Racer Vest

 

[scotinexcile]

instead of a tether that may or may not break

give it a few more years, its a reason airbags are not mainstream yet, cuz the tech to activate it is not 100% proven, hence the new inertia systems

Stranded Kevlar tethers, never seen one break in over 6 years of riding/selling them

The "cost" for the "inertia" systems is the software/algorithm to detect crash like conditions. The sensors themselves are relatively cheap, if any of the big names open source their algoritm's then maybe we will see less expensive options. Until then the "tether" it tried and proven.

I will say that I see a LOT of tethers incorrectly sized. What I mean is to much slack in them.

 

[scotinexcile]

Do you wear these over top of your leathers? If yes, do you still use armor underneath like a back protector or chest protector?

Yes and Yes

 

[scotinexcile]

^^This is why I no longer wear a Hit-Air or other system. I got knocked down while commuting and the Hit-Air didn't deploy. I remained on the bike, still in the riding position and horizontal to the road. No deployment, which MAY have prevented my concussion, which lasted for 3+ months.

When there's a system that detects extreme degrees and sudden velocity changes, etc., I may re-think, but for now, great idea, but doesn't always work.

The WHOLE premise of the Hit-Air system is you have to "leave" the bike. No piece of equipment can foresee 100% of situations. There are systems that detect extreme degrees and sudden velocity changes, D-Air to name one. It usually comes down to price, most riders dont invest in $800 helmets until they actually see/feel the difference they can make.

In the mean time keep wearing the vest, wish I had a $ for every time I have heard the phrase, "wish I had been wearing my vest"

 

[scotinexcile]

the inertia sensors on the top of the line suits for gp riders from A* dainese, spidi etc will hopefully trickle its way down to the public.

their systems are awesome, it can tell differences between low side/high side, and can re-arm itself

like i said earlier, give it a few more years, maybe another decade?

look at it this way, airbags and abs brakes for cars were what industrialized 20-30 years in the auto industry

and how long has it taken abs to get into the moto community?

20-30 years after it was standardized in the auto world........ lol

It's all about the money

 

[scotinexcile]

Considering this myself. My riding buddy took a spill on Christmas Day, resulting in broken motorcycle, and fractured clavicle.

Was thinking that a air bag thing might have protected his collarbones. Nasty injury, and SO common for riders.

The Hit-Air vest wont protect the ends of your shoulders. i broke my right collar bone when I was wearing one, Turn 2 at Sonoma a few years back. No neck or other injuries though

 

[scotinexcile]

I'm interested to know on which location and part of the bike the other end of the tether was attched to. How much slack there was on the tether.

Most folks attach to the rear sub frame, but it depends on the bike. The attachment point should be able to take a good 70 - 100lb of pull.

The tether should be long enough to allow a full NORMAL range of motion on the bike. So for street riding it would "normally" be tighter than track riding. When you are at the rack and leaned as far as you NORMALLY lean then the tether should be TIGHT. So if you do get into a lowside then there is a better chance of the vest deploying. If you DONT separate from the bike then NONE of the tether solutions is going to work

 

[Moto Beck]

ive been to the track and its 99% racer vests and everyone looks at me weird when i wear my spidi dps vest

where did you see everyone wears the front leash? its the most obtrusive thing when your track riding, a giant co2 canister and tether is dangling between the tank and your chest, foooqn annoying as hell - hence the racer version put it on the back

just talked to a guy who lowsided his bike at a slow speed less then 30 on the track and then the bike literally draggggged him through the tether...... cuz it wasnt enough force to separate and charge the airbag

the tether is a good thing, but tech has pushed it further now where people actually wear inertia sensors on their protective gear to activate the airbags - instead of a tether that may or may not break

give it a few more years, its a reason airbags are not mainstream yet, cuz the tech to activate it is not 100% proven, hence the new inertia systems

I've only done track days on the east coast so your mileage may vary - ive seen a few coaches and riders with rear mounted but based on my experience here at least it's been like 8/2 front vs. rear. I had an fz09 - not the best track weapon by any means but i can see upright riding position being more favorable to front mount vs. an r6 or similar. I still don't get that much obtrusion on my Tuono but wider handlebar still so maybe that's why. I'm not knocking the rear just to be clear - i talked to a guy here that sells them and after i found out it was less protective and most don't find the front annoying - that's why i went front.

Do you wear these over top of your leathers? If yes, do you still use armor underneath like a back protector or chest protector?

yes - this is not an armor replacement in my opinion for reasons as other have mentioned. It may not deploy/even if it does it's not covering your arms, full part of your shoulder. I view this as an added piece of armor on top of all my other gear.

I'm interested to know on which location and part of the bike the other end of the tether was attched to. How much slack there was on the tether.

this is a big one - there are very specific instructions on the hitair vest - my tether on the tuono is almost tugging on the clip if i'm standing on the pegs - legs extended. This is what Hit Air recommends - there should be no slack in the tether line if you're standing up on your bike. If your an adventure riding on the other hand - you may want a bit more slack but my frame of reference is street bikes.

I've seen guys with the tether on their handle bars, with too much slack - i would take a lot of these "it didnt deploy" stories with full context.

There are a few reasons it won't deploy:

1. too much slack in the tether line
2. if you low side with the bike and slide near it or hang on to it - probably won't be enough force to deploy it
3. there is a red clasp on the inside of the vest - when this is slid in the down position - no matter how hard you pull, the vest will not deploy - all vests should come with the red tab not over the tether (meaning the vest is active) but I've heard some people being confused by that and having it in the down position - thus not deploying


It's not a perfect technology but for the price it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a suit that would deploy (at least for now). I'm glad i bought one and thankful i haven't had to use it but good to know a few buddies who have - have had good experience with them

 

[Ihatetraffic]

I'm glad to see this being discussed.

I love the idea of an airbag system, but I really do hate the idea of the tether. Partly because I don't want to feel tied to the bike, and partly because in a front collision I'm worried that the system may not be triggered in time.

Does anyone have any experience with the Tech-Air system? (Tech-Air FAQ) Instead of a tether, it uses an accelerometer. The downside is, it has a battery that requires charging, costs more, and isn't recommended for off-road use.

Also, it appears that it is currently only available via distributors in Europe. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know.

Edit: It appears that the Alpinestars system is functionally very similar to the Dainese D-Air system, and are thus locked in a legal dispute at the moment. The Dainese system has a component that attaches to the bike as well, and sounds a bit more advanced. However, I guess because of this legal issue neither company is distributing to the US market at the moment.

 

[scotinexcile]

3. there is a red clasp on the inside of the vest - when this is slid in the down position - no matter how hard you pull, the vest will not deploy - all vests should come with the red tab not over the tether (meaning the vest is active) but I've heard some people being confused by that and having it in the down position - thus not deploying

The Red Slide is actually a "travel" safety device. It is designed to stop the keyball being accidentally pulled from the keybox when the vest is not being worn.

I have seen a few of them damaged in a "crash" situation. If it is in the down position and you are "ejected" from your bike it only takes a few lbs of force over the 66lbs to break the Red Plastic and deploy the vest. It will NOT stop the vest from deploying in 99% of crash situations

 

[scotinexcile]

I'm glad to see this being discussed.

I love the idea of an airbag system, but I really do hate the idea of the tether. Partly because I don't want to feel tied to the bike, and partly because in a front collision I'm worried that the system may not be triggered in time.

Does anyone have any experience with the Tech-Air system? (Tech-Air FAQ) Instead of a tether, it uses an accelerometer. The downside is, it has a battery that requires charging, costs more, and isn't recommended for off-road use.

Also, it appears that it is currently only available via distributors in Europe. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know.

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/racing/alpinestars-tech-air-race-usa-2016/

Nothing is perfect, you have to decide what fits for you. Tether system is less expensive and low maintenance . D-Air and Alpinestar are electronic, need batteries, costs more, higher maint costs(you have to send it back to the factory/service center)

The other HUGE issue for all these devices in the US market is LAWSUITS. We have already seen some good helmet companies driven out of business by frivolous lawsutis. It just takes one person to halt the whole marketing development here in the States.

Never forget bikes here are "toys" so the market is TINY compared to Europe/Asia where bikes are "work tools". you cant get a drivers license at 15 in the UK. I commuted on a Honda CB 50 for 2 1/2 years before I passed my drivers test. So the mind set for Motorcycles is different and the market much larger

 

[Ready to Ride]

Yes and Yes

The response above was to the question if one should wear back and chest protectors in addition to a vest.

I recently got a Helite Turtle which has an SAS back protector incorporated so was advised I could remove the back and have done so.

Having broken a couple of ribs it seems that keeping the chest protectors may be a good idea for when the vest does not get triggered though they would be redundant when the vest inflates. May have to put them back.

I definately retained the shoulder and elbow armor.

Best plan is to not need any of it but best laid plans of mice and men....