Motorcycle Airbag Review

amorley

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Another great review by FortNine, this one on Motorcycle Airbags.

I always wear my Helite Turtle Airbag over my Roadcrafter R3 suit

 
I bought the Tech Air 5 because it has shoulder protection and activates much faster than the tether airbags. I have also had a Hit Air and Helite pre turtle. The Hit Air had a ruptured bladder, but the Helite, that has never deployed, is going strong. My wife wears it when she very occasionally rides with me.
 
I got a Turtle for my commute into SF in the before times, and then last fall got a Turtle 2 because I was starting to ride a lot more with my daughters and figured let's all be safer. I did some research before buying, and the tether seemed to make so much more sense to me than algorithms and subscriptions, not mention no need to send it back to Helite to recharge or check over if it's not showing damage. I mostly don't notice it while riding and I haven't had one inflate yet, but I do feel a lot better while out riding.
 
Last October I bought a Klim Ai-1 airbag vest. I looked long and hard at the Alpinestars Tech 5 but it looked too warm and though it offers more shoulder protection it seems really lacking in the neck support. My personal feeling is that the neck protection is more important than any other area. I am very happy with it and it is very comfortable. The Klim is made by In & Motion out of France who are one of the pioneers in motorcycle airbag tech. I previously had an older MotoAir vest but I kept forgetting to attach the lanyard when I stopped for gas etc. so I decided I needed an autonomous system.

 
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Andy, how is the fit over the R3? Does it impede ventilation?

It does not impede ventilation that much as the R3 relies on air coming up the sleeves and then exiting via the arm pit vents. The vest does not impede that airflow. However the vest does impede the rear back vent.

The extra layer of the vest does make riding a bit hotter but I am willing to make that sacrifice for the added security.
 
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