AIRBAG JACKETS

[bonio]

It's worth getting someone who knows about them to help you size them, as you need to get the right amount of free play between you and the jacket to allow the inflated air bag to give you the support to your back and neck without putting you in a stranglehold.

[Trooper74]

10 hours ago, megaross said:

Because most people work from home these days as a result of dinosaurs updating their ways after covid forced the change.

 

I did before covid to be fair, I do now - office is a boiling hot shithole with piss coffee full of noisy ***** who just sit there nattering while I'm trying to work, and people with no proper social life. But I digress...

 

I rather like these vests they're meant to be the bollocks in an off. But the reality is I wouldn't wear one every ride, if your rides are exclusively for pleasure then I reckon it's a sound bet. 

 

If like me you use your bike for everything you aren't going to piss about with a vest realistically. I'd like one I could retrofit to my jacket (or that came as part of a decent leather jacket) and that works on gyro rather than pullcord.

 

Sorry thats nonsense ... the majority of people that work cannot work from home ... thats a daft thing to say ....

[Interference Fit]

7 hours ago, keith1200rs said:

The Tech-Air 5 states that it has been tested with a 6kg backpack.

 

In don't understand the concerns about having to send it back to be inspected and recharged - by the time I have the bike repaired and I am fit to ride again I will have it back.

Agreed - if I ever need it, the process and cost of inspection and recharge will be the least of my worries. 

[Guest]

I didn't even know this was an actual thing.  Just been looking on amazon, they are not too expensive I guess.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KIMESS-Motocross-Motorcycle-Motorcyclists-Cylinder/dp/B09SZD2S4G/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3G1XUWJ6T4X64&keywords=air+jacket&qid=1698433067&sprefix=air+jacket+biker%2Caps%2C1514&sr=8-5

 

£123 on Amazon.  Doesn't say if you wear them on top of another jacket or if it replaces your original jacket.

[Bungleaio]

4 minutes ago, janinej said:

I didn't even know this was an actual thing.  Just been looking on amazon, they are not too expensive I guess.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KIMESS-Motocross-Motorcycle-Motorcyclists-Cylinder/dp/B09SZD2S4G/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3G1XUWJ6T4X64&keywords=air+jacket&qid=1698433067&sprefix=air+jacket+biker%2Caps%2C1514&sr=8-5

 

£123 on Amazon.  Doesn't say if you wear them on top of another jacket or if it replaces your original jacket.

That goes over the top 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

17 hours ago, Angela Collen said:

I'm sold on this make, but as I don't live near dealer who stocks these, how does sizing work as over jacket, is it adjustable? 

There's a lot of adjustment in the Helite. If I remember right I went for my usual size as they are designed to fit over your usual jacket. 

Edited October 28, 2023 by Mississippi Bullfrog

[manxie49]

I have a Helite Hi-Vis untethered.  I didn't buy it new, bought it 2nd hand.  A bit dirty from use but at £250 it was a bargain.  Comfortable to wear, remembering to keep it charged is a pain, worn it a few times and it's started beeping at me to tell me the charge is low.  It lasts about twenty odd hours on a full charge.  I like the fact it can be repacked yourself if it inflates, it helps keep you warm and dry on the cold winter commutes, and, with the fork sensor, will also detect falls or rear end shunts when at a stand still.  Personally I prefer to be untethered, I always worry about walking away from the bike and forgetting to disconnect.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, manxie49 said:

I have a Helite Hi-Vis untethered.  I didn't buy it new, bought it 2nd hand.  A bit dirty from use but at £250 it was a bargain.  Comfortable to wear, remembering to keep it charged is a pain, worn it a few times and it's started beeping at me to tell me the charge is low.  It lasts about twenty odd hours on a full charge.  I like the fact it can be repacked yourself if it inflates, it helps keep you warm and dry on the cold winter commutes, and, with the fork sensor, will also detect falls or rear end shunts when at a stand still.  Personally I prefer to be untethered, I always worry about walking away from the bike and forgetting to disconnect.

That is something I would do, walk away and it would go off.  Is the one on Amazon cheap and nasty?  How much do they usually go for if second hand £250 is a bargain?  Please could someone post links.

 

I will need a size 'extra small' but maybe a 'small' if it has to go over a jacket.  I'm only 5'0.

 

JJ

[manxie49]

I bought this one locally of a guy who was selling up, giving up biking, compared to the new price £250 was a snip.  The only thing I did after I bought it was to send it back to Helite and have it serviced, they even give it a bit of clean.  I don't know about the one on Amazon, however I'm always very careful about buying things like this from sites such as Amazon and E-bay.  A good starting point is Sports bike Shop, have a look at the different products, read the reviews and do some hunting ...... In fairness to the tethered vests, I don't actually think they inflate that easily, I think you'd realise you were still tethered before they inflated, but yes, it is the sort of stupid thing I would do, probably parked at the Creg TT week with a thousand other bikers stood around pissing themselves laughing   Oh, final thought, the vest is comfortable when riding the Tracer, however, on the Beamer, which is a sports bike, I don't wear it.  The collar of the vest hits the back of the helmet and stops me comfortably being able to move my head, it sort of pushes my head forward due to the riding position, just something to think about. 

Edited October 28, 2023 by manxie49

[Capt Sisko]

17 hours ago, janinej said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KIMESS-Motocross-Motorcycle-Motorcyclists-Cylinder/dp/B09SZD2S4G/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3G1XUWJ6T4X64&keywords=air+jacket&qid=1698433067&sprefix=air+jacket+biker%2Caps%2C1514&sr=8-5

£123 on Amazon.

Suggest you read this review before parting with your hard earned cash.

https://jalopnik.com/this-suspiciously-cheap-wish-com-motorcycle-airbag-vest-1847338206

and

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/advice/buying-selling/fake-motorcycle-airbag-vests/

Edited October 28, 2023 by Capt Sisko

[Capt Sisko]

1 hour ago, manxie49 said:

........ I always worry about walking away from the bike and forgetting to disconnect.

In 18months of use and yes, having forgotten to unteather mine on numerous occasions it's never gone off. All that said, if / when time comes to replace mine, I'd either replace it with an untreather one or a jacket with a build in air vest.

[manxie49]

2 hours ago, Capt Sisko said:

In 18months of use and yes, having forgotten to unteather mine on numerous occasions it's never gone off. All that said, if / when time comes to replace mine, I'd either replace it with an untreather one or a jacket with a build in air vest.

Yes, agreed, you do have to give the things a good old tug before they go off, I seen one being demonstrated two years ago, look on the guys face who was wearing it was classic! 

[daveinlim]

On 27/10/2023 at 09:47, geofferz said:

I'd they stay inflated under the weight of a rider hitting the deck at 90 I reckon they will shun off a backpack pretty easily! 

 

My concern is that if I carry a 35l bag most of the time and if the airbag went off that in the fraction of a second it take to inflate the airbag will push through the point of least resistance. A heat full bag may cause the airbag to push towards my ribs. And I'm too vain to put a topbox on my CBR

[bonio]

Agree, top boxes are butt ugly. But a tail bag?

[RideWithStyles]

They have different feel and sizes that might make one or the other be better to you than someone else between the knox and sas. so personally it would be a sensible to try on before you buy.

[Nick the wanderer]

Hi,

l can't comment on these products but l can comment on marketing.

The latest and best item is always more money than an older version, you must get the latest kit!

 

[RideWithStyles]

Depends on what you want and feel is correct to you.

The nest is more compact mostly due to the knox aegis back protector pictured below which i have in my track suit, being thinner and actuated with moving plates like a lobster, curves when u want to but doesn't want to hyper extend the other way which would be really bad...
This is still a lv2, quite breathable, very light, not Affected by heat variations in performance.

the SAS is abit more conventional and cheaper to make in certain terms as to put it crudely expanding foam so at the cheaper end of RST and held for examples.
Its performance i cant remember exactly if its a level 1 or two but thinking its more on lv1 as they take the view that the air bag will do most of the work...id prefer it the other way.

So similar to armour within most clothing you probably have now in terms of thickness or stiffness but yet not as stiff or chunky as forcefield products which for the record are good but not for me. They have heat variations in performance so nice to check that your happy with those.

 

Dont be too concerned about the fork sensor to speed things up as the lanyard setup at 30ms is absurdly quick and reliable so to me no point in introducing another variable to confuse or depend on.
 

the nest is more than enough for the road, will be the most comfortable and less bulky but thats my preference.

[Interference Fit]

Nice one, safe riding.

Edited November 22, 2023 by Interference Fit

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

On 22/11/2023 at 10:12, Angela Collen said:

Update on airvest, due to work couldn't get to show stands, but tracked dealer down in Diss,Norfolk, English Electric Motor Company, Alec there was brilliant, got to try on various vests and surprised by the one that actually fitted me properly,  so must to try on first, got great discount and spare cannister, so very pleased, decided to go with helite turtle 2, picking it up feels heavy, but once on was so comfortable, you forget its there, and can adjust fitting to which jacket I'm wearing, would highly recommend and if you live in Diss/Redgrave area, this place is well worth a visit. Thanks for everyone's input, so I could make an informed decision

Yup, that's the one I have. I've found it comfortable to ride in. 

[daveinlim]

I'm tempted by the 20% off this weekend. But I'm just picturing getting ready for work and having the airbag, then the jacket and then possibly oversuit if it's hammering rain. Potentially a heated jacket too. I'd have more layers than an onion on.

 

On the worst day of commuting.

Shirt

Keiss heated jacket

Oxford jacket

Helite

Oversuit

And then my backpack.

 

Feels like overkill.

 

[Joe85]

I have to say, having taken a car to the ribs, they do take a particularly long time to heal - it inhibits so much of what you do normally. But i just cannot bring myself to buy one. Like Dave, it just feels like far too many layers, although i say this in ignorance having never tried one on.

[keith1200rs]

I don't find my Tech-Air 5 a problem except when the temperature is above 30C. It adds a layer but just means I leave another layer off. In this weather I have quilted liner, airbag, Goretex jacket and it's fine. I haven't bounced down the road (ever) to find out how it works with/without an airbag.

[Interference Fit]

30 minutes ago, keith1200rs said:

I don't find my Tech-Air 5 a problem except when the temperature is above 30C. It adds a layer but just means I leave another layer off. In this weather I have quilted liner, airbag, Goretex jacket and it's fine. I haven't bounced down the road (ever) to find out how it works with/without an airbag.

 

Same here, T-shirt, Tech-Air, Jacket. No issue.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

The Helite Turtle goes over my usual jacket. On hot days I wear a mesh jacket and the Helite still allows enough air to circulate.  

 

If it's torrential I wear a waterproof overjacket on top. I found my usual one fits over the vest no problem. 

 

I wouldn't wear a backpack whilst wearing an airvest. 

 

Before I got one I assumed they would be bulky but whilst it is heavy it is no problem once you put it on.