Thinking of Goldwing for the airbag

Upt' North said:

Jock,
P.S.
That includes riding for everyone else on the road. Unless you know otherwise treat them all as half wits.

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Yes ride in a style for everyone else, and even if you know them (I realize you're not treating them as half wits) people make mistakes - so ride defensively.

jspringator said:

They were both frontal collisions that the Wing Airbag may have helped. One guy hit a deer, and the other had a Harley weave and ran off the road and hit a bank. This has probably made me hyper sensitive. I don't think either of them would have spent any time in the hospital if they were wearing my Helite.

I'm going to Hillsborough River State Park west of Orlando between Christmas and New Years. I'm going to try to ride over there and rent a Wing to see if I like it. I take an XT225 when camping. I doubt I'll like it, but you never know.

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I have to wonder about the interaction of a worn airbag vest and an airbag built into a bike. Hopefully, more is better, but might they behave (in an accident when both inflate) in a way that is dangerous?

I can't imagine it would be dangerous. If the GW airbag inflates as fast as they say, The worn airbag may not even inflate until you fell off the bike.

flyfisher said:

No oar in the water here, but am thinking the wearable inflatable device would be more effective in more situations....ride safe....ff

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This is true, except the bike mounted bag is far superior in the event of t-boning a car that has turned in front of you, or if the rider failed to note slowing traffic and rear ends a car. Unfortunately, these are the crashes most likely to cause death. The tether airbags may not even inflate before the rider goes over the bars and slams into the other vehicle, depending on speed. The Wing airbag inflates much faster. The new Alpinestars is faster, and will be much more likely to inflate by the time the rider goes over the bars. The Helite is faster than the Hit Air.

jspringator said:

I can't imagine it would be dangerous. If the GW airbag inflates as fast as they say, The worn airbag may not even inflate until you fell off the bike.

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Imagination is great, it allows for all possible thoughts absent factual information and reality. I was wondering what would be the outcome if both bags inflated simultaneously (I did not know that the GW bag is a tethered one and is only activated by yanking on the tether). Based solely on the number of times I have dismounted my bike when parked and not unhooked my electric jacket, a tethered airbag vest and I are not compatible.

SMSW; said:

(I did not know that the GW bag is a tethered one and is only activated by yanking on the tether).

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It's not. The bag's ECU is responsible for deploying it. The rider worn airbags are activated by a tether.

SMSW said:

Imagination is great, it allows for all possible thoughts absent factual information and reality. I was wondering what would be the outcome if both bags inflated simultaneously (I did not know that the GW bag is a tethered one and is only activated by yanking on the tether). Based solely on the number of times I have dismounted my bike when parked and not unhooked my electric jacket, a tethered airbag vest and I are not compatible.

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The GW airbag is deployed by sensors on the front forks. If the forks start moving backwards as in a collision it deploys. It is tethered to the motorcycle by straps to contain it when it deploys. It will not push you backwards or push your hands off the bars. Contact happens only if you start to go forward over the bars.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Ouch. I bet that hurt.

If I did this right, this is a utube of the Alpenstars Airbag, followed by the Helite Airbag.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM5PM5prmaA

Andrew Shadow said:

Being propelled forward in a crash definitely does happen. I went forward over the front end of my ST1100. I sailed right over the bars and cleared the windshield without even touching either of them. I also sailed right over the car that I hit without so much as kissing it either! I was flying over it looking down at the roof. Would an air bag have kept me from being ejected forward and flying through the air and have kept me on the bike? I don't know. Would I have been better off if I stayed with the bike? I don't know that either. I do know that the black-top 40 feet down the road on the other side of the car was damn hard when I came thundering down on to it from my solo flight. I also know that air bags are softer than black-top. I also know that had I not gone airborne and did stay with the bike I would have very much appreciated having an air bag between me and the dash of my ST1100 to prevent me from slamming in to what you see in the below picture.

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How long does the vest stay inflated? Had you been wearing one, I assume it would have deployed (inflated) by the time you left the bike - i.e. milliseconds after impact. But you were probably airborne for at least half a second, maybe more (seemed like an eternity, I bet). Would any of the worn airbags have deflated by the time you were coming in for a landing? Do they provide much protection as you skid down the road?

This specific kind of accident almost calls for a wingsuit and/or parachute.

According to Alpinestars:

Maximum inflation for the airbag takes just 25 milliseconds, and that pressure is maintained for five seconds.

I've seen the Honda airbag video and I think in certain relatively low speed frontal collisions that the airbag might help to lessen the impact and injuries. This assumes you hit dead on and there are no forces moving you sideways or up and over the bike.

Hard to find a comparator, but imagine being in a car with just a steering wheel airbag, not wearing your seat belt and no side air bags. Your protection in any non-frontal collision would be nil and even full frontal would be pretty limited. Accidents are violent events and don't line up perfectly in the manner Honda uses to demonstrate their airbag effectiveness.

Above said, if you can afford the airbag option and you feel better with it then go for it.

--not a panacea for all situations; but might lessen the energy in a mostly frontal crash;
[video=youtube;-1wS5XxuT30]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1wS5XxuT30[/video]

It looks like Honda has done testing in angles besides 90? collisions between vehicles. The demonstration at 90? best shows how the airbag is deployed and interacts with the rider.

Obviously you can imagine scenarios where the airbag wouldn't be effective. I have no doubts whatsoever that numerous motorcycle crashes could have resulted in fewer injuries had airbags like this or rider-worn bags been employed/deployed.

We don't wear or use safety equipment for what it won't do in every situation but for what it might do in some situations.

This is a very interesting topic and I have a few opinions:
-I wouldn't get the GW just for the airbag unless you really like one and want to ride it- otherwise, you're getting a bike you really may not want just for one feature.
-As for the airbag vest, I like the idea and more importantly it looks like it protects the cervical spine as well as the torso, so that's really important protection.
-For the $1300, it is expensive but would be a lot cheaper than getting the GW, unless, as I said, you really prefer the GW to the ST.
-I don't have one (the airbag vest) and it looks like a well made product, but I agree the best defense is to drive as defensively as possible, expect other drivers will make stupid mistakes and to the best of your ability, be ready for them.
-I am a firm believer in extra lighting and loud horns (on mine, I have lots of extra lights up front, Stebel horns on both bikes, and the Tail Blazer light flasher with the brake light).
-It would be impossible to account for all situations, but there are ways around most of them without spending a lot of cash.

Erdoc48; said:

but I agree the best defense is to drive as defensively as possible

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If only that were enough. There are situations where only the best will do. Riding a motorcycle isn't one of them, because 'the best defense' isn't always enough. It's often not enough.

That's why there are these threads about additional equipment, which for the purpose of these types of discussions makes the 'best defense' card a given and therefore irrelevant.

The 'best defense' may help a rider when a car makes a left turn in front of him. It may not when another car makes that turn later and faster in the riders direction of travel. Nobody is saying 'no need to drive defensively now that we've got...' whatever. Yet somebody always says using this or that 'may make someone overconfident or" lead to a false sense of security'. Geez Louise. If that were the case then maybe motorcyclists who ride with just sunglasses t-shirts shorts and flip-flops are the ones who know what their doing— riding very defensively without any of the gear that gives someone a false sense of safety. Who knew.

The OP stated he's not an aggressive rider.
He said he'll rent a Wing.
He's done some math and it doesn't scare him.
He feels that the Wing's SRS is superior to what he's been using. (I agree.)
I see nothing in his posts that say airbags are THE answer and defensive driving is for sissies.

OP let us know how your Wing audition turns out. It's slower going in the tight twisties but I've seen one ridden very spiritedly through some moderate twisties and sweepers that would make many ST riders say 'Hmmm...' all without grinding a peg or hitting the brakes.

Whatever you choose it's two wheels and not four and that's all that counts.

An update.

I ordered an Alpinestars Tech Air last year. Hated the fit and the flimsy nature of the snap in airbag, so I sent it back.

I just ordered a newest generation Dainese Tuono D-Air with peferated leather. It shipped from Verona on Friday. I'm hoping it is cooler than my Helite. If I don't like the looks of it I'll send it back.

A Wing is still on the wish list. I'm going to wait until I can swing a new generation Wing. This airbag is arguably better in more situations than the Wing airbag. It is as fast as the Wing airbag, and is useful even when seperated from the bike.

The D-Air has only chest and back coverage; no collarbone protection, despite the detailed but incorrect diagram on the FC Moto site. I sent it back and bought a wing instead. Had to drive 13 hours to get it, so a trailer was in order.

jspringator said:

and bought a wing instead.

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Congratulations on the new scooter. Details!

2008 Goldwing Airbag model. 39,000 miles. $9,000. The D-Air and Tech Air airbags are $2,000, so compared to that this Wing seems like a bargain. Perfect cosmetically, except it does have a few military stickers I need to remove. Has a CB, that I didn't understand was not standard on the bike. No fog lights. I did figure out how to raise and lower the height of the rear suspension with the push of a button. Pretty cool. I am working on how to temporarily route the sound system and CB to my Pactalk bold. I already have a Sena SR10 that I think will work once I get a cable. The L glove box has a powerport an aux. plug. I should be able to run my iphone through the aux port and control the volume from the bike. I expect I'll end up with the $500 integrated system at some point, but that will be next year. Or maybe I'll get a power amp and blast everything through the speakers! I'm not sure that would really work.

It was easier to get out of the Condor chock than the ST. It is physically large, and obviously heavy, but the low seat makes it easy to handle at low push around the driveway speeds. I've been trying to recover from my long trip before I put it through the paces.

I never did rent that wing. I'm thinking it would take longer than a day to decide whether I like it or not. If I don't like it, I'll sell it. I wouldn't lose any more than a 3 day rental when I sell, considering what I paid.

I'm going to have to get rid of the ST. My garage is not big enough for 2 cars, 3 motorcycles and 2 lawnmowers. My SC430 is currently outside. I can't abide that for long. The ST has 53,000 miles, has had the cooling system service done, has a heated RDL, has the newest Helibars, and the ML highway pegs. Cosmetically very good. It has been lowered with a Works shock in the rear, and by a professional shop in the front when they serviced the front forks. It has ABS and traction control, which will put it in the running for someone who is looking for a somewhat modern bike. I'll probably ask $3,500 with some room. I don't want to start stripping stuff off because it is such a nice package.

Congrats on your Gold Wing.
Best of luck with your ST sale.