Airbag jacket - street riding

[HenryDorsetCase]

Righto, I thought a motorbike related thread might be a refreshing change. I need some new riding gear (helmet, jacket, possibly pants - my road pants have shrunk in the waist but if I continue to eat less pies and chocolate that might not be a priority.)

Helmet I will purchase locally.. in my view that is one thing you don't buy online i.e. a must try on before purchase item.

Which brings me to jackets. Airbags are the things to have in racing these days and the tech has advanced a LOT. I tried on a Helite leather jacket with built in airbag a few years ago which I was intrigued by but the price, bulk and weight gave me pause. From memory it didnt have any venting at all either.

They do external vests, built into jackets and other options.

So what we are left with is Dainese Smart Jacket vs Alpinestars Tech Air 3 or 5. Both do a vest style and the Tech Air 5 is a T-shirt style with more coverage - which as someone with a fucked shoulder (from a mountainbiking crash not coming off a motorbike) appeals. Also the tech Air seems longer to cover more tailbone/spine but I would have to check them both.

online reviews are good but of course they would be, right?

Pricewise they seem affordable-ish (kind of $1500 or so) and it might give my current gear a new lease of life.

None of them offer elbow/forearm protection which I understand except the Tech Air MX one which might be bulky under a leather jacket.

Like all protective gear, it has to be easy to use and wear, and comfortable in use because otherwise its just "Oh to hell with that".


Anyone using one (on the road, not the track) - pros and cons, please. Are they easy to use and wear? Is it heavy? How is it in Summer? Ever had it deploy i.e. used for its intended purpose? How did it go?

PS if it fitted under my leathers I would likely wear it under them as well provided I could still breathe.....

So, I'm opening the floor to comments. What do you think, callers?

Dainese: https://www.dainese.com/at/en/motorbike/d-air/smart-jacket-201D20039.html

AStars: https://www.alpinestars.com/pages/tech-air-5

Tech Air offroad (elbow + forearm) https://www.alpinestars.com/pages/alpinestars-tech-air-autonomous-airbag-systems#tech-air%C2%AE-off-road

Helite https://www.helite-oceania.com/motorcycle/

[F5 Dave]

Tech air5 since they came out circa 2019?

Easy to wear, need slightly bigger or stretchy jacket to make best use of apparently. I was in market for new leathers so bought Alpinestars and find jacket was great, pants too but needed debaggying to fit nicely from local leather guy.

I have broken collarbone racing so the shoulder protection was a big selling point.

Battery lasts real well. I'd buy again in a flash.

[timg]

I have the Alpinestars TechAir ‘Race’ for racing after some prick punted me off breaking a scapula, collarbone and a handful of ribs. Self employed and 4 months off work :mad:

Th race version can have the firmware swapped for road use too. I used the race version for both but have since purchased a ‘Street’ version as well. The street had a better range of jackets available. I have a Revenant adventure jacket with plenty of ventilation options and don’t think the airbag is stopping cooling in any significant way. This is my 3rd summer with this setup.

The Jacket and airbag feel heavy when you lift or carry them. However the weight isn’t apparent when riding. Doesn’t feel any different to my previous jackets.

The airbag is supposed to do 25 hours riding time and can’t remember the standby time. Easily does a scenic trip from Rolleston to the Burt Munro and various side trips and back on a single charge. Same for a trip to the Cold Kiwi. It can be charged from a power bank if you’re on a longer trip without access to a power point. I put the airbag on to charge when I get home so it's fully charged ready for the next ride.

I preferred the Street version over the 5 which I also considered at that time. I liked the integrated nature of the street - you’re just putting on one jacket rather than the airbag then your jacket. The street has its function lights on the sleeve so you can see it’ on and functioning at any time. The 5’s lights are hidden under the jacket although if you have your phone mounted and the TechAir app open then I think you can monitor the 5 that way.

Fortunately I haven’t activated an airbag on the road so can’t comment on their effectiveness however there’s plenty of online/YouTube evidence of their effectiveness.

I’m sold on them and use them for every ride. Cheers.

[F5 Dave]

I'm waiting for the trail ride version as well. Not sure if Alpinestars will get there first or not. But different requirements to street.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I hadnt thought of that about the jackets. I am going to try and track some down for try-ons. I have tried on the vest thingy about a year ago and am getting a bit more serious about it now. Especially if the accountant tells me I can pay myself a bonus for EOFY

Thanks chaps.

[rambaldi]

Have a quick watch of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moQ08uyiYls Not necessarily advocating for the same products that Ryan does in it, but more focusing on the limitations of the electronically controlled airbags. For me, the video just reinforced my desire to stay away from an electronic airbag (from working in an electronics type field I am not scared of them - just how other people may have made them). Have a think on if the limitations are relevant to how you ride or not.

[F5 Dave]

Yeah I saw that and didn't follow his logic that they were designed for racing so were thus only good for that. :confused: they have a road mode and a race mode with different constraints loaded. They also inflate considerably quicker than anything else. Having a lanyard , well. . . I certainly would have still broken bones in two of my 3 serious crashes which were admittedly racing or dirtriding, but proximity of the bike could be the same in those two.

[R650R]

On the next upgrade it will be on my shopping list, by then prices will have dropped a little as they become mainstream.
There are already some good manufacturer and real world demos out there.
Like the rest of protective gear anything will be better than nothing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyhIKBm5sCk&pp=ygUVTW90b2xvZ3kgZmlsbXMgYWlyYmFn

[HenryDorsetCase]

Yeah I saw that and didn't follow his logic that they were designed for racing so were thus only good for that. :confused: they have a road mode and a race mode with different constraints loaded. They also inflate considerably quicker than anything else. Having a lanyard , well. . . I certainly would have still broken bones in two of my 3 serious crashes which were admittedly racing or dirtriding, but proximity of the bike could be the same in those two.

My understanding is that at elite level there is a track map loaded to the "brain" of the suit so it knows where it is in time and space to make it more responsive if shit goes sideways. Obviously the road biased ones dont have that so they are I guess surveying preset data and if outside those parameters "Oh noes, its a crash!". I dont really like the idea of the dead man switch/lanyard. I really dont like the idea of the "special sauce" gas canisters that he talks about. Up till watching that video I thought Klim made good kit. apparently not.

Gonna go see what I can find to try on tomorrow morning.

[F5 Dave]

Tech has 3 accelerometers and 3 gyros to calculate if you are summersalting, upside-down, or generally accelerating in an unachievable fashion from your previous trajectory. I even wear mine when I have to climb the tall ladder against the house. Why not?

[HenryDorsetCase]

Tech has 3 accelerometers and 3 gyros to calculate if you are summersalting, upside-down, or generally accelerating in an unachievable fashion from your previous trajectory. I even wear mine when I have to climb the tall ladder against the house. Why not?

my previous business partner was climbing a ladder to clean his upstairs windows and the ladder base slipped and down he went. It was filmed on his security camera. It was fucking brutal. He was sooooo lucky to get away with some horrendous bruising and sore ribs. He always was a really lucky mofo. Well, until the cancer killed him. Apart from that.

[F5 Dave]

and my trials helmet. Yeah height is violent and I raced for 27 years.