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Your experience with airbags?

riskybug

Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2024
Location
San Jose
Moto(s)
Z400
Name
Axel
There's been some contention about airbags "triggering over a small fall". Then repacking it gets expensive. But if an airbag triggers, wouldn't that mean it was a dangerous enough fall?

I've also learned there are over-layers, under-layers, and even full-body ones. Go figure! I'm hoping to get one that I can repack on my own a few times.

1. What airbags have you used, and which can you recommend for a commuter?
 
FWIW, I have never used an airbag. Not saying they can't help, but I don't view them as being very necessary. Others may disagree.
 
I have a Hit-Air MLVP vest. It's can be repacked in 10 minutes and is tethered. I carry a spare CO2 cart and the install tool when I'm touring for just this reason. It will not deploy if you forget to disconnect when dismounting off your bike as it requires a pretty good pull to set it off. It will deploy if you fall over and roll off the bike. DAMHIK. I like a vest because you can use it with whatever you're wearing and it doesn't block the vents on my jackets, at least not too much. It also has a lot of reflective tape for my early morning/late evening commuting.
I had a get off on my bike, my vest deployed and the staff and physicians at the trauma center were all very impressed with the lack of injuries to my torso. They all wanted to know about this air bag vest that I was wearing as they were not aware of such a thing.
None of the safety gear that we wear is necessary but every tool in my tool bag will reduce my chances for a life altering event.
 
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While I don't have one of these.. I think they might be the one for you. Pretty solid tech for a while now.

I have a Klim and have never seen it activated.
 
In general, I don't love active safety products because they have to work to be effective.

BCA makes an avalanche vest and backpack that backcountry skiers can use for floatation if caught in an avalanche. The skier has to pull a ripcord to activate it.

I went to a seminar on avalanche safety that was sponsored by BCA. They got a volunteer to try on one of the vests and deploy the airbag. He pulled the ripcord and nothing happened. Comically, they yanked on it a few more times, before taking the vest off and inspecting the cartridge. They found the cartridge wasn't connected properly.

It's not clear whether having one of these vests on affects the skier's decision making about whether to venture out onto an avalanche prone slope, but there is a belief that it sometimes does.

On one hand, having an avalanche vest is a good backup, in case all previous layers of precautions have failed. I kind of regard moto airbags the same way. OTOH, I was a luddite about ABS and traction control for quite a while before I had a bike that has those features. I may take the idea of self reliance too far, but generally, it's the best first line of defense.
 
I had a Helite airbag adventure jacket. Seems like a great idea to have an airbag built into an adventure jacket that had decent armor and was waterproof. Found that I hated the tether, especially when standing on the pegs off road. So I sold it and picked up a Tech Air 5 airbag. Love the untethered design, 2 modes and better technology etc. It is also the only airbag that covers your shoulders, like a "short sleeve t-shirt" and unlike the "tank top" design on the other brands. No subscription fees either. Just used it on my ride to Prudhoe Bay and would never ride without it!
 
I have accumulated both a Helite airbag jacket and an Alpinestars Tech 5 vest. The jacket works on a tether and has a replaceable CO cartridge. The airbag is built into the jacket so I don't have to don multiple things when I go out. The jacket is an adventure type jacket so it's like a parka - great in cold weather but above 80 degrees and you're cooking.
The vest is electronic so no tether. I use it on hotter days with a mesh jacket and I'm fine. It gets hot over 90 degrees but I don't ride in that weather anyway.
I feel very safe in both and wouldn't ride without either the jacket or the vest.
They even have airbag jeans out now too. The problem is whatever you choose it's going to be expensive.
Check out the demonstration vid and you'll be convinced - either an all-in-one jacket or a vest can be life saving. The airbag pants - meh.


 
Have ridden with a Hit-Air MLVP for 3 seasons with no complaints or deployment. I have survived forgetting to tether up. I’m a mature rider who doesn’t heal as quickly and figured for the price of a new Arai I would improve my safety kit.
 
It will not deploy if you forget to disconnect when dismounting off your bike as it requires a pretty good pull to set it off.
This is what scares me with tethered ones -- not pulling at all or not pulling enough

I like a vest because you can use it with whatever you're wearing
Though, this is also a pretty nice point. I know the In-n-motion brand is pretty picky with what other gear you wear.

I think with all airbags you can't wear too tight nor too heavy a backpack that'll interfere with deployment.
 
While I don't have one of these.. I think they might be the one for you. Pretty solid tech for a while now.

I have a Klim and have never seen it activated
Another strike for budman... After asking some other riders I think Helite or Hit Air might be it...!
 
Air suits/ jackets are great over standard gear. That being said, for my environment (track) I'm not a fan of anything being worn over leathers that can catch onto the motorcycle itself in the course of a crash. I want to separate from the bike and have heard enough stories of riders being hooked to their bike through all kinds of incidents w/out vests (and a few with vests). I don't think I'd wear an external on the street, but do have an Alpinestars internal vest that I've yet to wear on the street. This thread reminded me I have it...
 
Every piece of gear is a compromise among several factors/features.
Do you want
ease of repacking/rearming?
Tether, no tether?
intergrated into a jacket?
wear inside or outside your jacket?
good ventilation or no ventilation?
 
Air suits/ jackets are great over standard gear. That being said, for my environment (track) I'm not a fan of anything being worn over leathers that can catch onto the motorcycle itself in the course of a crash. I want to separate from the bike and have heard enough stories of riders being hooked to their bike through all kinds of incidents w/out vests (and a few with vests). I don't think I'd wear an external on the street, but do have an Alpinestars internal vest that I've yet to wear on the street. This thread reminded me I have it...
This is a good point. I won’t wear a backpack for the same reason.
 
I have an eTurtle from Helite. Electronically triggered, I don't have to think about tethering. But, it does not trigger by itself below 12 mph which means no triggering while waiting at intersections. To combat this, I also have the newly released fork mounted sensor to trigger it if I am hit while not moving. That is a lot of extra expense to avoid the concerns of a tether.

Biggest con besides cost? I found that the back of the vest rubs on my helmet when riding my Tuono. During the first few rides, my helmet would rub badly enough that my head wouldn't turn smoothly and it impacted my cornering. I stopped by Helite's Reno distribution warehouse to check fit and confirmed that I got the right size. I added dry silicon lubricant to the rubbing points and, for the most part, this big con is under control. This is not an issue on my S1000XR.

I love the way the vest does not block any of the vents in my 4 season setup. I have been tolerably comfortable at 110F for an hour. (Strange how that makes 100F feel comfortable). I have friends who get so hot with thier Tech5s that they take them off to avoid overheating while I am feeling good.

I carry a spare cartridge on the vest and can repack and go on my way in 10 min if needed. Great for multi-day trips.

Helite support has been excellent after I damaged the computer by using a questionable charger. They shipped a replacement to me for free.

I wear it knowing that it will have a positive "impact" on my pain should I go down.

Flip
 
Every piece of gear is a compromise among several factors/features.
Do you want
ease of repacking/rearming?
Tether, no tether?
intergrated into a jacket?
wear inside or outside your jacket?
good ventilation or no ventilation?

Oh dang, I didn't even consider the ventilation that much. My inexperience is showing. I'm glad to be able to be considering it now, thank you @dravnx !

I guess I'd want, then
- inexpensive repacking (I'm okay if it's a bit of work)
- no tether
- non-integrated
- wear outside the jacket?*
- good ventilation

*Does the jacket being on the outside affect how the airbag deploys? I don't actually know what the biggest difference is besides *Airbag* takes damage vs *Jacket* takes damage in a fall
 
Helite support has been excellent after I damaged the computer by using a questionable charger. They shipped a replacement to me for free.
That's also great to hear, customer support I think is an overlooked facet of buying gear, especially ones that might need more frequent repairs. Thanks for sharing
 
Keep in mind that the electronics that are required for no tether comes at a significant cost and as Flip states, they don't work if you're not moving more then 12 mph. That would be a big no for me. Flip has the optional module that is affixed to his bike but that is also an additional cost. I don't know about wearing the vest inside the jacket. My Hit-Air is too bulky to wear underneath and when it's deployed, the airbags are pretty big. I've seen Flip's Helite and it too is bulky.
 
Regarding fitment the rule of thumb on internally worn vests like an Alpinestars Tech 5 is to put on the vest, then the jacket and zip it up.
Reach for your chest area and grab as much jacket material as you can.
If you can grab a fist full of material then you have the right jacket size for deployment.

Regarding ventilation, any airbag jacket or internal vest is going not going to flow much air around your core.
Obviously the air bags can’t have holes in them to allow air to pass through.
I’m guessing external vests would have the similar issue.
 
I've known enough people who had multiple broken bones/concussions/etc with long recovery times from pretty low/moderate speed incidents that I put on my Techair 5 most rides now. Not every time, but the more I wear it the more I get used to wearing it. The $/inconvenience is small compared to not being able to use my body for a few months.

The only issue I've had with it is that it did not fit under my existing track leathers. I had to spend some time finding a replacement jacket that would work.

Edit: I like the idea of having the airbag on the inside because I wear leather on the outside for abrasion resistance. There's pros/cons to the different brands, but the best safety gear is the one you'll actually use.
 
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