Helite Airbag Vest

[Larz]

Couple of years back, after witnessing the birth of our Granddaughter in Utah, my Ex&I were riding across Nevada on our way back to Idaho. It was early in the morning, on a lonely stretch of road, when we happened across this young pilgrim.

He was on a Grand Motorcycle Adventure: riding his spanking new Triumph across the Western US. Unfortunately, his journey was rudely interrupted by a deer a few minutes before we encountered him. 

He was traveling about 80 MPH when a deer leaped across the road right in front of the pilgrim. It happened so fast he had no time to react and slammed head-on into the animal.

Thrown from his bike, he’d landed some 60 feet away from where the machine ended up (it was right on top of a fukin’ ant hill that he laid, poor bastard).

“It saved me, I knew it, I knew it would” was the refrain we’d heard upon approaching the pilgrim.

And we’d both thought it was rather amazing that he was alert, lucid and quite verbose, all things considered.

What saved him from a more serious scenario?

An Airbag vest!

I don’t know if he was wearing a Helite or another brand, but the results were impressive. I remember thinking at the time that I wouldn’t mind having one of those vests. Back then I was broke, however.

Fast forward to now and the Tracer. Not so broke anymore and frequently hitting triple digits, I decided to upgrade my riding gear, which for me always involves lots of research. After watching two helmetcam vids of riders hitting deer at night whilst wearing Helite airbag vests, I decided one of those would be on the list right after a new Helmet (Snell rated this time around, a Shoei RF SR with photochromatic shield).

At $700, the Helite is an investment to be sure.

So how does it feel to ride in? It’s heavy, standing up in it, you feel the weight. The first day I rode with, I felt like it was adversely affecting my riding in the twisty stuff. By day three, however, I didn’t even notice it. And if you sit right, the enormous spine protector takes the weight and you feel kinda like a turtle in its shell.

Do I feel safer in it? No, I never feel safe on a bike (shit I don’t in my car either, too many fools on the roads nowadays). I do feel better protected- even if the thing failed to inflate, it’s heavy Cordura construction and huge spine protector would buy you a little extra protection. And inflated could prevent a serious spinal injury and/or internal organ damage.

To me, it’s like the difference between riding in regular jeans and armored riding pants. If I ride every day in armored pants, and then go for ride in regular jeans, I feel naked and exposed (damn, really goin’ miss that kneecap if I low-side at 100mph, eh).

It would be nice if the Helite used sensors instead of the Old-school leash to inflate the vest, but the current offerings using sensors are all designed to be worn inside special jackets. The Helite goes over whatever you are wearing.

I like it. Better odds of staying out of a wheelchair, eh.

Helite Hi-Viz Airbag Vest Turtle 2 Technology

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Turtle 2 Airbag Vest Hi-Viz Helite

 

 

 

 

[betoney]

@Larz - Thanks for the write-up.  I have been considering one as well, (I had a deer strike and am lucky to have walked away) the new Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 vest looks really interesting but I will research all the current offerings.  The one thing I am concerned about is ventilation in hot climates.  Is there any air flow with a vented textile jacket?

Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Vest Unveiled At CES

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Alpinestars’ Tech-Air 5 vest adds airbag protection to any properly fitting...

 

[Larz]

@betoneythe Helite will let some air in thru the front; only having worn in it 70' temps so far, I think it will be "ok", at least as long as you're moving, in hot weather. Maybe unbearable in heavy traffic at triple digits, however.

Yeah, the Alpinestars is nice- great tech, inflation is nearly twice as fast as the Helite, and the sensors will make it work in a rear-ender or low-side before you come off the bike. Requires a dedicated jacket though, and lacks good neck protection: 2 of the reasons I didn't go with it.

[daboo]

These are getting to be something more and more riders are buying.  When you can spend $1000 for a smartphone, spending $500-600 for something that might save your life is a no-brainer.

I bought the Hit Air MLV-P Airbag Vest.  Here's one link.  Price is $519.

Hit Air MLV-P Airbag Vest with Large Reflectors - air-vest.com

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Hit-Air airbag vests and jackets are the ultimate safety device for...

 

Hmm...didn't expect it to grab an image from the website.  That's nice forum software.

Anyway, I like the way it and the equivalent Helite versions work.  There's no batteries to charge.  No sensors to reset.  Even if the new Alpinestars and Dainese products work "faster", my Hit-Air vest has been deployed before I hit the ground.

I like the way the Hit-Air vest provides collar bone, neck and tailbone protection.  Some of the others don't.

I also like how I can simply repack the deployed airbag vest with the Hit-Air and Helite products and swap out a @$22 CO2 cartridge in less than 10 minutes and I'm in business again.  With the Alpinestars and Dianese vests/jackets, you have to send it back to the factory for them to check the sensors before it can be used again.  

Quote

How do I replace the airbag after activation? How much does it cost? Where can I have it replaced?

Following each activation, the system must be taken to an official D-air® dealer for Shield maintenance and system recharging. After the D-air® system has been activated, the Smart Jacket cannot be used until an authorized dealer has inspected it. Resetting the Smart Jacket D-air® system costs 249.95 euros.

Overall though, even if I prefer the non-techie versions of air bag vests, any vest is better than no vest.  And whatever the cost is, it is far less than one night in the emergency room and more comfortable than months of healing from broken ribs.

Chris

 

 

 

[betoney]

@daboo - Thanks for presenting another option.  I am researching as many different brands as I can find. 

I'm still not quite convinced on the tether models, on longer rides, I frequently stand on the pegs to stretch and when I get gas, I dismount and refill on the center stand, I for certain would occasionally forget and set it off by accident. 😲

[sirepair]

I tried on the demo version of the new Alpine Star vest, which can be worn under ANY riding jacket. They inflate it with an air compressor so you can feel how it would work.

It is designed to run 30 hours on a charge, and can be recharged via micro-USB connection. It uses 2 argon canisters to inflate in 20ms. The canisters can be replaced (send it in to them) if the bladder is not damaged. It has 3 accelerometers and 3 gyros and a microprocessor that runs their algorithms to determine if/when to fire.

Again, works under ANY jacket (take out your existing back pad) and retails for $699.

I'm seriously considering one.

[daboo]

That's not an issue.  I've walked away from my bike many times and never once set the airbag off.  And while I've heard it mentioned as a concern by those who don't own a tethered airbag, I've never heard of anyone activating their airbag vest by walking away without unhooking it.

The tether is two parts.  The portion on the bike is 24 inches long with about a six inch portion that is coiled so there is some built-in stretch to the design.  The other section clips into the vest at the CO2 cannister.

I attached my tether to the frame at the front of the seat area on the right side.  When I get off the bike, I simply drape it over the seat.  That location works well, plus allows me to stand up while riding.

I think you're partially correct.  "I for certain would occasionally forget..."  True.  But the second half of your statement, "and set it off by accident" isn't true. 

Chris

[betoney]

12 minutes ago, sirepair said:

I tried on the demo version of the new Alpine Star vest, which can be worn under ANY riding jacket. They inflate it with an air compressor so you can feel how it would work.

It is designed to run 30 hours on a charge, and can be recharged via micro-USB connection. It uses 2 argon canisters to inflate in 20ms. The canisters can be replaced (send it in to them) if the bladder is not damaged. It has 3 accelerometers and 3 gyros and a microprocessor that runs their algorithms to determine if/when to fire.

Again, works under ANY jacket (take out your existing back pad) and retails for $699.

I'm seriously considering one.

It certainly looks impressive, however I am curious about using it in hot climates, it cant be breathable at all. 

[Larz]

30 minutes ago, sirepair said:

 

....Again, works under ANY jacket (take out your existing back pad)...

 

any jacket with adequate room for the bags to expand- apparently not much room needed, and the jacket better be good enough not to come apart, eh... the vest itself won't hold up to asphalt...

@betoney60lbs of force to trip the leashed bags, you'd likely pull your bike over first. I can stand bent kneed with the leash at proper length. Any shorter on the leash and its to restrictive.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Larz

[daboo]

14 hours ago, betoney said:

It certainly looks impressive, however I am curious about using it in hot climates, it cant be breathable at all. 

I was concerned about that the first time I took a ride to South Dakota after retiring.  I knew the Hit-Air vest restricted airflow some.  How much would be too much?

As it turned out, I needn't have worried.  It actually helped.  I hit temps as high as 105F for hours and hours on that trip.  If you read up on riding in heat, once you reach 93F, you need to actually restrict airflow.  The sweat evaporates at those temps faster than it can provide any cooling effect.

I met a couple at a rest stop and they offered to share the only shade there.  The lady rider (they had their own bikes), said they had cooling vests also, but the vests dried out in the first half hour.  Mine was providing cooling for about 3 hours.  I think largely because some air was coming into the cooling vest, but not too much.

In temps below 93F, it restricts some air, but I've never felt like it was too hot...and for a Seattleite like me, 70F is a wonderful summer day.  We're not used to hot.

There's a lot of interest in air bag vests recently.  I think people will gravitate one of two ways.  Those who like simple and effective will go the tethered route.  It works and is uncomplicated.  Those who like tech and smartphone apps will go for the untethered sensor vests.  Both will justify their purchase in their own minds that they are buying the superior product. 

But I'm just happy that you're wearing one of these vests, whichever one you buy.

Chris

[betoney]

30 minutes ago, daboo said:

I was concerned about that the first time I took a ride to South Dakota after retiring.

@daboo - Coincidentally, I am planning a roadtrip to the Black Hills area of SD this summer, - Deadwood, Sturgis, Keystone, Spearfish Canyon, Needles Highway etc.  I have never been to SD, really looking forward to it. 

Thanks for the info on the vest, I welcome all the info I can get before dropping that much cash.

[PhotoAl]

Reviving an old thread rather than starting a new one.

Today went by my local Cycle Gear.  Manager said "hey I've got something for you" -Dianese airbag vest.  I looked it over and tried ti on, sent my wife a txt and asked about it.  "Anything that might save your life is good - $700 is cheap"  Guess after 40 something years she still loves me.  My brother-in-law passed away recently at just 67 and really has us thinking about how precious and fragile life is.  

I've been looking at airbag vests for a while but just haven't clicked on the buy now button.  When looking at one and "it could go home with me" it was an easy decision.  

Why Dainese?  Have thought a lot about the Helite vests which go over the jacket.  Easier to use and generally work very well but the Dainese and Alpinstars have an advantage in a couple of scenarios.  I'm thinking on a long trip if it goes off then I would be able to put a fresh cartridge in a Helite but not the Dianese.  However if I have an event that sets off the airbag more than likely the bike will not be ridable so won't need a quick recharge airbag vest.  Also worry about using in very hot weather. Seems like the Dainese vest has good ventilation.  Looks like I'm going to need to buy another jacket so will probably go with a jacket with lots of mesh for good airflow.  When on a long trip I've seen temperatures from over 100F to 34F and rain.  My game plan is to go light and add a rain jacket and layers.  A jacket with enough room for the airbag vest also has enough room for additional layers.  I did check and it fits over my Warm and Safe heated jacket with a long sleeve T-shirt under it.  Could probably squeeze a light fleece jacket under it as well so will be good enough for riding I'm doing.

The vest is supposed to be good without a back protector but don't think I'm ready to go that route.  Currently running a D30 CE Level 2 back protector but thinking of going to a CE Level 1 back protector.  Thinner and a little lighter but will provide the impact spread that will be good combined with the airbag vest.

At the end of the day any airbag vest is better than no airbag vest and there are any testimonials out there as to their effectiveness. 

Edited June 3, 2021 by PhotoAl

[Heli ATP]

While searching for a cheaper option for 60cc 183g Co2 canisters I came accross the $84 Air Bag vests available online? They look like Helite copies and some sellers include 3 x Co2 canisters that often sell for $30 each. I'm sure the quality of the vests are suspect, and one would wonder if they would hold air on impact. Regardless at $84 they are tempting.

 

Airbag Motorcycle Airnest Air Bag Vest Hi Visibility & 60cc CO2 Cartridge L XXL

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