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Inflatable Jackets / Vests in 2020

bjkennyp

bjkenny
Recent articles in both magazine and internet regarding motorcycle airbag protection piqued my interest.
As I do so often when considering new gear or product reviews I turned to the MOA forums expecting to find the usual reasoned discussions, heated argument and colorful opinions. However I'm not getting a lot of hits in the forums forinflatable jackets or vests.
So in my questions are, anyone using the current generations of airbag devices? How are they in the real world, beyond a one week test? Pros and cons? General comments.
Brian K,
WA
 
Try the “Tag Cloud” at the bottom left of the page. Helite and other references should give you some information while you are waiting for the members to chime in. They have become real popular.
OM
 
Recent articles in both magazine and internet regarding motorcycle airbag protection piqued my interest.
As I do so often when considering new gear or product reviews I turned to the MOA forums expecting to find the usual reasoned discussions, heated argument and colorful opinions. However I'm not getting a lot of hits in the forums forinflatable jackets or vests.
So in my questions are, anyone using the current generations of airbag devices? How are they in the real world, beyond a one week test? Pros and cons? General comments.
Brian K,
WA

Brian - I have a Hit-Air vest and wear it every time I ride. I've had it for about three years. It's a little cumbersome to put on top of my AeroStich Darien jacket, but once in place and connected to the tether, I really don't think about it. I hope I never know if it's effective. The Hit-Air is a derivation of a vest which was first made for horse-back riders to cushion falls. In the past few days riding in MA, it has been hot. I imagine the Hit-Air vest has made my rides slightly hotter.

I know that MOA Board Member RangerReece wears a Helite vest, and that Ken Condon (Riding In The Zone) was wearing a track version of the Helite when I attended a track day in 2018.

I learned from Ken that putting a small sign on my RT with the words: "Buckle Up!" forces me to clip that tether every time I ride. Again, I hope I never have to put it to the test of performance.
 
I recently purchased the Dainese Smart Jacket Airbag. So far I have been happy with it. Also, there is the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Airbag Vest which has been released within the past month or so.
 
Klim has a new vest out as well. On a slightly different note the Dakar Rally is making air vest mandatory for riders starting in the 2020 edition. Alpinestars at least has been working on an offroad model. I see this category making some great strides in the next couple of years. I'm not quite there yet.
 
Brian, Annie and I wear Helite vests and have done so since the summer of 2017. My feedback is similar to John's (ExGMan). I now wear it just about all the time and do not give it a second thought while riding. We just finished a week long ride and rode in in temperatures in the 90s. The vest does block some vents on my jacket and I'm sure adds to the heat, but not so much that I've been tempted to take it off. The only time we've ridden without the vests is when riding is a local small town parade with the grandkids in the car or riding in hot weather on forest service roads on the Urals where we are seldom exceeding 20 MPH.
 
As mentioned previously, my Helite vest is heavy and does add to the summer heat. I like the "buckle up" signage. I am guilty of occasionally forgetting that advice resulting in a pull over to attach the tether. Fortunately in two years of ownership of the Helite vest, I have yet to activate it; hope my good habits and luck continues.

My one disappointment is ordering a high viz vest which all too often is reflected in the GPS, making the screen quite difficult to see. In hindsight, a black vest would have been better. Believe I have enough auxiliary lights to make me visible to on coming vehicles.
 
I opted for Helite. Version 1, Hi Viz, L and Version 2 Black. LL
5'10", 175 pounds, 43 inch chest, 36 waist, 39 beer gut.

I wear about 99% of the time; not when practicing Slow Speed parking lot maneuvers, or very technical off road work. For the latter, I opt for the Leatt neck brace.
The Helite is a bit heavy, and it does restrict airflow a little, but during summer, I wear mostly mesh, and once underway, the heat is easily manageable. I have totally become comfortable with, and leary and nervous without wearing it. The weight is not noticeable while seated, and unless I do very extended standing, is never an issue. It is now just another layer in my ATGATT arsenal.

Sizing with Helite, for the noob, is frustrating, as sizing and examples seem at odds initially, since most want the vest to fit too snug, like a life preserver. I think this is wrong. It needs to fit loosely. My initial purchase I went with the smaller size, based on my visual interpretation, and it ended up being too small, in the winter months, with layers and bulk on beneath the overcoat. The smaller size is reserved for my summer kit now, wearing only a mesh jacket, and not much else underneath. I also accidentally discharged the small size, and with a Darian, under-layer, t shirt and adjusted to fit that bulk; I noticed it became annoyingly difficult to breathe, once inflated.

The Helite is tether activated. Brain dead -dumb simple and near glitch free. It does not need to be electrically charged, can be fired, up to five times, before sending to the distributor for inspection; and can be recharged by the operator with a simple Allen wrench, and a spare CO2 cartridge, in about 5 minutes. Great for extended trips on the road, camping, and adventure style riding. If your deal is a daily commute in heavy traffic, the the more advanced electronic vests may be more usefull to you.

I have had the vest inflate, by accident, as mentioned above. During some slow speed maneuvers practice in a parking lot one evening, I forgot I had the vest on and tethered. I started to drop the bike and as the bike fell, between my legs, as I straddled the bike trying to lay the bike down gently, the tether reached its limit and fired off. I was somewhat bent over at the waist during the inflation. The vest inflated so quickly, that it straightened me up and threw my helmeted head up and locked. I lost my balance with the up and back motion, and ended up falling flat on my back. On the way down, I had this bad feeling, in the moment before impact, that this was gonna hurt. When I hit the tarmac, I held my breath and waited for pain, any pain, but nothing showed. It felt like falling into my bed. It was literally that soft. And it held my head in position, such that the back of the helmet never struck the ground. Not a mark on the back, not a scratch.
I was sold.

Hope this helps, and I totally recommend the concept.
 
On the way down, I had this bad feeling, in the moment before impact, that this was gonna hurt. When I hit the tarmac, I held my breath and waited for pain, any pain, but nothing showed. It felt like falling into my bed. It was literally that soft. And it held my head in position, such that the back of the helmet never struck the ground. Not a mark on the back, not a scratch.
I was sold.

GotFog - Thank you for the description. That's what I'd envisioned if I ever had an activation.
 
I've worn the Alpinestars Tech-Air vests for a couple years now and wouldn't ride without them. They have the new Tech 5 vest now that you can wear with any jacket. Thank-fully I have not had the opportunity to see if it works!!
 
Helite

Have been wearing my Helite vest religiously since purchase @ Lebanon. I vol’d to be a demo dummy at rally.....felt firm, but great!!!!
I wear it over my Motoport kevlar mesh jacket during warm months (many on Gulf Coast)....I still get plenty of venting....I have a “Lanyard” reminder on my RT dash.....I have forgotten, but gentle tug is a good reminder.
Have gotten many compliments on the hi-viz....have also been mistaken for a LEO.......:D
 
I vol’d to be a demo dummy at rally.....felt firm, but great!!!!

I was a demo dummy at the Hamburg Rally. While I haven't purchased one yet, I was impressed by how the unit rapidly immobilized my neck and head. In my opinion, it's good technology.
 
Recent articles in both magazine and internet regarding motorcycle airbag protection piqued my interest.
As I do so often when considering new gear or product reviews I turned to the MOA forums expecting to find the usual reasoned discussions, heated argument and colorful opinions. However I'm not getting a lot of hits in the forums forinflatable jackets or vests.
So in my questions are, anyone using the current generations of airbag devices? How are they in the real world, beyond a one week test? Pros and cons? General comments.
Brian K,
WA

Brian,

I purchased a Dainese Smart Air vest. No tether, computer controlled. I've had it now for several months, in the summer it reduces the air flow in my mesh jackets. However, the operation is unobtrusive and I've had several 200+ mile rides in 90+ degree weather. No problem in wearing, operation or the like. Very happy, confident knowing the technology is tested in over 2 million miles of MotoGP racing. Never had a problem, and the battery will last sometimes 2+ weeks for me.
 
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Wear my Helite on every ride for four years now in the heat of lower Alabama... haven’t died from MC accident or heat exhaustion yet.
 
I bought a Helite at the Lebanon rally and wear it virtually every time I ride. It feels heavy as you put it on but don't notice it once on and buckled. I like the idea of a "buckle up" reminder as I've forgotten a few times. I always put the lanyard across the seat when I take it off to prevent it from dangling if I forget to clip in.
A few weeks a ago I low sided at about 40 mph around a sharp right hander due to a heavy patch of gravel (brain fade and lesson learned). I separated from the bike and the vest deployed. Luckily, I was wearing full gear and only got a dime size road rash on my knee through my padded kevlar jeans. The protective knuckle guards were worn almost through my gloves and my Aerostitch jacket was only scuffed up a bit. My full face helmet suffered a good size scuff mark on the chin.
I quickly stood up and noticed the vest had deployed. I had no problems moving around and it fairly quickly began to soften back up. I wasn't even sore the next day! I'm sold on them and AGATT as well.
One thing to note is that replacement canisters are very hard to find. Everyone was out of stock and I had to supply proof of purchase in order to get 2 from Helite ($50). They are on allocation. So I would recommend you purchase a couple spare canisters wherever you can find them.
 
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I bought a Helite at the Lebanon rally and wear it virtually every time I ride. It feels heavy as you put it on but don't notice it once on and buckled. I like the idea of a "buckle up" reminder as I've forgotten a few times. I always put the lanyard across the seat when I take it off to prevent it from dangling if I forget to clip in.
A few weeks a ago I low sided at about 40 mph around a sharp right hander due to a heavy patch of gravel (brain fade and lesson learned). I separated from the bike and the vest deployed. Luckily, I was wearing full gear and only got a dime size road rash on my knee through my padded kevlar jeans. The protective knuckle guards were worn almost through my gloves and my Aerostitch jacket was only scuffed up a bit. My full face helmet suffered a good size scuff mark on the chin.
I quickly stood up and noticed the vest had deployed. I had no problems moving around and it fairly quickly began to soften back up. I wasn't even sore the next day! I'm sold on them and AGATT as well.
One thing to note is that replacement canisters are very hard to find. Everyone was out of stock and I had to supply proof of purchase in order to get 2 from Helite. They are on allocation. So I would recommend you purchase a couple spare canisters wherever you can find them.

Good aar on the get off. I wear the turtle 2 hi viz Helite vest. When I bought the vest I ordered 3 extra cartridges and one spare is always under the seat next to the tool roll with the allen wrench necessary to change cartridges.
 
Good to hear about the way the vest works, and also that you're doing OK. With the present hot weather, I see the majority of riders around Boston in t-shirts and jeans, and some with shorts on. Thinking about your injuries, we all can imagine the damage without ATGATT.
 
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