Air bag vest

[Rubio]

I read Daboo’s story about surviving a crash wearing an air bag vest. Im interested in member experiences on these vests. Like a marine PFD do people find them bulky and hot? I see they range in price from under $200 to upwards of $1000. What differences are there? Are they reusable? Pros and cons?

 

[dduelin]

I wear a Helite Turtle 2 tethered vest over my motorcycle apparel. I’ve worn it a year now in all kinds of weather and temperatures. It flows plenty of air over mesh jackets. It’s something I wear pretty much every ride except on the scooter and even then most of the time. Some of the advantages of a tethered CO2 vest is that it can be recharged if I am away from home and trigger it. It goes over my clothing so it doesn’t matter if I’m wearing solid textiles or mesh so it works with all my gear.

 

[SMSW]

@Uncle Phil began a thread about vests. If it is still on the website after the Great Deluge, read it. Bottom line is airbag vests save lives. I wear one and a few months after getting my Turtle 2 (tethered to bike) I left the house without it. By the end of the driveway I felt very uncomfortable without it, stopped and ran back to get it.

Yes, they can be a little warm. I unsnap the top buckle for a bit more air flow. I either wear a RoadCrafter Stitch jacket or a Klim mesh jacket under the vest. Bulky? There have been studies that show that heavy blankets make people feel more secure when going to bed. Crazy as it sounds, my Turtle 2 makes me feel protected.

Advantages are mostly listed on their websites. A standalone vest like my Turtle 2 can be worn over any other mc jacket. An inflatable jacket/vest is a one piece unit. My vest is self packing after deflating, some brands require you to ship the unit back to the factory for inspection/repacking. Tethered vests (my Turtle 2) allegedly deploy slower than the electronic sensor types but have batteries that must be charged. Some brands require a subscription - a practice that I liken to profits over your safety. You will have to do your own research and decide what you like. My feeling is no piece of PPE will cover every situation. Any of these inflatable vests will protect you more than not wearing one, and I hope mine performs as well as Phil's if I ever need it.

All of the vests are reusable but some require shipment back to the factory for inspection. Some (like the Turtle 2) can be put back into use after your quick inspection for damage/tears and a new CO2 cartridge - maybe 5 minutes or less. It will be best if you do as much reading as you can about these things and then factor in what guys who you know (on this website) say about their experience with them. My 100ml cartridges cost me around $40 each time I 'tested' the vest (dropping your bike constitutes a test).

One caution. If you do buy a vest, make sure you adjust the straps properly. Read the instructions! The first time I 'tested' mine, it was uncomfortably tight. Somebody who did the same with his complained about chest pain afterward (cracked rib or just bruising?).

 

[st11ray]

I was at Cycle Gear looking at them yesterday. I am probably going to go with the Alpinestar Tech 5 Plasma.
It is battery powered and you wear it under your jacket. You can replace the canister 6 times, after that you have to send it back to Alpinestar to be checked out.
It has street, off road and track modes. It does not use a tether. I now have an adventure bike and do a lot of off road stuff. Tipovers are not uncommon. I don't want one going off during a minor tipover. Hence no tether and the off road mode.

 

[Rubio]

I have visions of gassing up and going in to pay and boom, I look like Michelin man.

 

[Erdoc48]

I have visions of gassing up and going in to pay and boom, I look like Michelin man.

That’s very unlikely to happen- it requires (for the Hit-Air vest) 60 lbs of pull which is quite a bit to pull the pin to pierce the CO2 cartridge, so you’ll feel the pull well before it is hard enough to blow the vest. You get used to it quickly, and like a seatbelt, you’ll typically remember to buckle up.

I never considered the ‘electric’ ones as I don’t want to pay a subscription to use it or rely on a battery that may have died and I wasn’t astute enough to make sure it was charged.

As for me, I have tethers on all 3 bikes (and I got the little clip that holds it when not in use- I’m going to Colorado this upcoming week to ride out there (on the 04 ST), so I take my vest (without the CO2 and I have one out there), but take one of the tethers off one of the bikes, which is pretty quick to remove.

 

[Weaselinsuit]

I have a Helite Turtle 2 electronic. Haven’t had an issue with remembering to charge it….yet. I have a charger at the office so I just got into the routine of plugging it in at the beginning of each week.

It’s hefty but as mentioned above, I’m now used to it and feel naked without it.

I look at it as possible injury prevention and more likely as reducing injury severity. Not cheap but inexpensive compared to the cost of wrecking without it.

Have had it go off once when I got a little to vigorous when putting it on. Simply inserted a new cartridge and I was good to go. The electronic cartridges are about 2x the cost of the tethered ones so that’s a point to keep in mind.

Whichever brand or triggering mechanism you choose, they’re worth it.

 

[dduelin]

I was at Cycle Gear looking at them yesterday. I am probably going to go with the Alpinestar Tech 5 Plasma.
It is battery powered and you wear it under your jacket. You can replace the canister 6 times, after that you have to send it back to Alpinestar to be checked out.
It has street, off road and track modes. It does not use a tether. I now have an adventure bike and do a lot of off road stuff. Tipovers are not uncommon. I don't want one going off during a minor tipover. Hence no tether and the off road mode.

Yes, and it is possible to have a get-off and not depart the bike far enough or hard enough to trigger the tethered vest before hitting a fixed object. There was that to think about. I think any choice in airbag vests is more effective than not having one so go for it.