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Best airbag vest!

bweb said:
I have the Dainese Smart Jacket. I picked it up a few weeks ago, when the SF Dainese store received their pre-orders. I commute daily on the bike and have been happy with the smart jacket so far.

I have used a Hit-Air vest since 2011 but thankfully have never had it deploy. The Dainese seems to allow more air through than the Hit-Air but I have not ridden with it on in really hot weather yet. I like not having the tether the Dainese vest to the bike and being able to wear it under my jacket.

With the Dainese you do have to remember to charge it every other day depending upon usage. To me the Dainese feels less obtrusive on the bike. However the Hit-Air protects you in areas that the Dainese does not, specifically the neck and hips.
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Thanks for that. I'm not a fan of tethered systems or vests that go over my jacket, so the Dainese is one of the few options left. Curious to see how you feel after you use it in 90°+ weather.
 
The lease pricing is excellent, $12 for airbag protection! Spare canisters will get expensive, though.
But, if you want additional protection, you can choose to participate in In&Motion’s “Revolution” program. The Revolution program lets you lease the same equipment for $12 a month or $120 a year. If you choose the monthly lease, you can cancel anytime.

Under the Revolution program, you get an unlimited warranty on the In&Box and VIP service in case of a problem with the In&Box. If the In&Box can’t be fixed over the phone, In&Motion will send you a new In&Box. After 3 consecutive years of leasing, you then have the option to purchase the In&Box for $99.

If you crash and the vest is inflated, you’ll need a new inflation cartridge which can be purchased for $99.
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Krooklyn said:
Just saw this write up for the new Klim vest. The price is very good (~$400) and looks to be a similar vest to the Dainese system at a lot less.

https://advrider.com/new-for-2020-klim-and-inmotion-team-on-motorcycle-airbag-vest/
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Huh, the $120/year lease is interesting. After 3 years, you’ve paid less than the purchase price and had a better warranty+support. And I’d expect after 3 years I’ll probably be ready to move onto upgraded equipment, so all around ahead.
 
Gravisman said:
Huh, the $120/year lease is interesting. After 3 years, you’ve paid less than the purchase price and had a better warranty+support. And I’d expect after 3 years I’ll probably be ready to move onto upgraded equipment, so all around ahead.
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Yeah, the leasing is interesting to me as it lets me see if the airbag will work for my commute/weekend riding and jacket setup. And you're right, in three years they will probably improve.
 
I was excited for the $12/mo lease, but I think it's not for the vest.

I think you have to pay the $12/mo for the airbag to function after you purchase the $400 vest.
 
The Klim website seems a little misleading. The In&Motion airbag system is available from several manufacturers, the first one was Ixon with the IX-AIRBAG U03, now there's Held etc
The cost structure for the Ixon is around $400 for the vest (including the In&Motion box, which needs to be activated). When activating the controller one has two options: buy it outright for another $400, or lease it for $120 a year, with a purchase option after 3 years.
If that's the price for the controller box, I'm having a hard time believing that Klim is selling a vest with an ACTIVATED box for $400.
The track package is on top of the other cost.
I tried to get an Ixon vest for a long time, mostly because its' much lighter than my TechAir, and also can be re-filled without sending in, but couldn't find a US seller, and the European sellers can't ship the large cartridge. :(
 
kolby said:
The Klim website seems a little misleading. The In&Motion airbag system is available from several manufacturers, the first one was Ixon with the IX-AIRBAG U03, now there's Held etc
The cost structure for the Ixon is around $400 for the vest (including the In&Motion box, which needs to be activated). When activating the controller one has two options: buy it outright for another $400, or lease it for $120 a year, with a purchase option after 3 years.
If that's the price for the controller box, I'm having a hard time believing that Klim is selling a vest with an ACTIVATED box for $400.
The track package is on top of the other cost.
I tried to get an Ixon vest for a long time, mostly because its' much lighter than my TechAir, and also can be re-filled without sending in, but couldn't find a US seller, and the European sellers can't ship the large cartridge. :(
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Hmm...$400 for the vest and $120/year is not nearly as great a deal. $400 + $400 is more than the Dainese vest that looks similar. :(
 
Has anyone found information on when the Klim will actually be available? The Ixon looks basically identical and is already available from European sellers. Would be nicer to buy it here, but I’d also love to have one in hand by the start of the racing season.
 
the In&motion airbag system is not compatible with some jackets having a support in the crotch (such as some one-piece, snug racing leathers) and cannot be worn with some jackets that zip to your pants.
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Even though they say they have a race mode and it’s been tested and approved for MotoGP, it doesn’t look like you can actually wear this under race leathers. That’s been one of my biggest questions about any vest of this type: sure it might fit under your leathers uninflated, but what will happen when it tries to deploy under a race fit suit?
 
I have had the Alpinestars Tech-Air Race vest and compatible 2 piece leathers for two years. Fortunaty no occasion to activate it and I run street mode only. I feel safe in it and the suit is reasonably comfortable. I believe airbags are worth serious consideration and wider adoption.
Last year I acquired an Aerostich suit but didn't feel as protected without airbag protection. For xmas my wife gifted me a Dainese Smart Jacket (vest). I like the ease of use and design. It uses giant LED coupled with a vibration alert feature, much better than Astar's mini LEDs - you know the system is active without looking. Dainese's magnetic clasp is also significantly better than Astars' hard to find/reach power switch and Velcro activation routine. So far so good. I'll post updates after more usage.
 
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sLing said:
Looks like Alpinestar made a version of their own smart jacket.

https://www.cyclenews.com/2020/01/article/alpinestars-launches-tech-air-5-autonomous-airbag-system/
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The competition heats up. I still have time to decide to keep or trade in the Dainese Smart Jacket for this new Alpinestars TechAir 5 jacket.

At first glance the Astars seems to offer more coverage and looks like riding gear with the prominently visible back protector assembly while the Dainese is much more subtle and could pass for normal sportswear. The Astars also benefits from bluetooth phone connectivity for status checking and 2 hours more battery life.

Need to give this some thought.
 
RVFRick said:
The competition heats up. I still have time to decide to keep or trade in the Dainese Smart Jacket for this new Alpinestars TechAir 5 jacket.

At first glance the Astars seems to offer more coverage and looks like riding gear with the prominently visible back protector assembly while the Dainese is much more subtle and could pass for normal sportswear. The Astars also benefits from bluetooth phone connectivity for status checking and 2 hours more battery life.

Need to give this some thought.
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The astar looks like it has a passive back protector as well. Whereas Dainese only have the airbag. Doesn't protect much if it doesn't go off.
 
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BTW there is fantastic super slow motion video of Marc Marquez's highside in Q2 of the 2019 Sepang Motogp race. Notice how the AirTech system deploys prior to Marc leaving the bike and launching into the air. In case the video link doesn't work see the attached photos to grasp how quickly and sensitive the accelerometers and gas charges kick into action.
Photo 1 - no activation yet
Photo 2 - start activation
Photo 3 - activation complete, bag filled
All in a span of 45 milliseconds!
https://www.facebook.com/MotoGP/vid...ancing-with-el-diablo-in-q2/2173273639642436/

Incredibly, Marquez took second place 24hours after the incident and having started from his worst grid position since the 2015 Italian GP. :hail
Alpinestars posted telemetry of the airbag: https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2019/11/06/alpinestars-release-data-of-marquez-sepang-crash/317488
 

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As previously stated, all big players recognized that airbag technology is quickly becoming a leading market segment in the motorcycle industry.

Alpinestars & Dainese appear to offer identical options - an electronically triggered vest that can be worn underneath your existing riding gear. That being said, both options offer absolutely ZERO neck protection.

We are excited that HELITE is not following in their footsteps. HELITE will continue their focus on providing Vest and Jacket options that not only protect the most vital organs but also immobilize head and neck movement in potential accidents.

Another side effect of airbag vest worn underneath jackets is that the actual volume of the airbag when deployed is way below the HELITE airbag volume. Call us bias but we, HELITE MOTO, consider the new releases by Dainese and Alpinestars "Bubblewrap" airbags that only provide minimal protection.

We will be providing a comparison/overview between HELITE and its benefits over the competition soon. FYI, HELITE will be launching electronically triggered airbag options this year! I will be posting all the details as soon as pricing is finalized. If you have any questions in the meantime don't hesitate to shoot me an email patrick@helitemoto.com
 
BursigUSA said:
Alpinestars & Dainese appear to offer identical options - an electronically triggered vest that can be worn underneath your existing riding gear. That being said, both options offer absolutely ZERO neck protection.
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Yea, I was going to comment on that when I saw this one.

I thought that a primary benefit of the air system was the neck protection.

Having "instant on" extra torso armor isn't a bad thing, but we can sorta already do that passively (at the cost of weight and bulk). But having the neck protection to help against things like collar bone fractures I thought was a key benefit of these systems.
 
Very happy to hear of the new offerings from Helite.
 
RVFRick said:
The competition heats up. I still have time to decide to keep or trade in the Dainese Smart Jacket for this new Alpinestars TechAir 5 jacket.

At first glance the Astars seems to offer more coverage and looks like riding gear with the prominently visible back protector assembly while the Dainese is much more subtle and could pass for normal sportswear. The Astars also benefits from bluetooth phone connectivity for status checking and 2 hours more battery life.

Need to give this some thought.
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Yeah, the Astars looks pretty legit. My only concern is how much more heat it will mean during my commute. As it is now, I don't like to commute in the summer when it's going to be > 90 on my ride home. Adding a vest seems like it will drop my tolerance down a bit. I'd like to hear how well/poorly these vests flow air.
 
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