Wearable airbags - anyone tried one yet?

[MaxPete]

Dear all:

I am also a member of the Honda ST Owners forum and there is a lively discussion just beginning over there about something genuinely new on the motorcycle scene: wearable airbag safety gear.

Soooo.....anybody tried one?

 

[azman857]

Forgive me....Don't we usually buy safety gear and hope NOT to use it?

 

[MaxPete]

Definitely, but with all the numbnuts text-@ssholes and overloaded Moms in minivans....

 

[azman857]

True enough! So noted....

 

[fredintoon]

Definitely, but with all the numbnuts text-@ssholes and overloaded Moms in minivans....

Hi Pete,
the young lady was most emphatic about how well the airbag jacket would protect the wearer but kinda shy about it's cost.
My fear is that I'd forget to unplug the jacket's tether when I got off the bike and suffer extreme embarrassment when it deployed
in the street.

 

[Moabite]

Not embarrassed, you would be the hulk!!

 

[MaxPete]

REVISED COST

I think the Helite vest that she is hawking costs about $955 USD (around the price many people pay for a premium helmet or a really good pair of boots and a jacket). It is CE approved (a prestigious European performance and manufacturing standard for safety critical and other technology products - akin to a CSA or UL seal).

In the case of a minor crash, many of the airbags are easily repackage (in minutes at the roadside) and would require only a replacement CO2 cartridge (not sure of cost - I’d guess under $75) to be ready to go again.

If you had a major crash - would you really care about the cost?

As for embarrassment...well, I’d guess that winding up in a wheelchair or a hearse would be even more embarrassing.

There are variants that do not use a tether (these are referred to as electronic triggers I guess) but they seem to cost upwards of $2000. Apparently the tether takes a really strong tug to actuate (around 60 lb) so I’d guess that simply walking away from the bike wouldn’t do it. I mean how often do you try to get out of your car without removing the seatbelt.

Anyhow, I am interested in this technology and wanted to start a conversation about it - so, stay tuned.

Pete

 

[MaxPete]

Actually, the price I quoted above may be too low by quite a bit. I’ll do some more research.

In the meantime, here is another article which appears to be well done.

https://watchyourselves.com/best-motorcycle-airbag-vest-jacket-reviews/

 

[59Tebo]

Hmmm... Save yer life vs. $$? Uh, I balked once when I got "sticker shock" looking at helmets. I asked a friend, and long-time rider, "do I have to spend so much on a helmet?" His simple answer: "it's your head..." So, no, I wouldn't knock any technology that could save my life. And Pete hit the bullseye, #text-@assholes. 99.999% of the time, it's gonna be caused by somebody else. The airvest is for when you have an accident, not if. Be safe. It's a jungle out there...

 

[fredintoon]

REVISED COST

I think the Helite vest that she is hawking costs about $955 USD (around the price many people pay for a premium helmet or a really good pair of boots and a jacket). It is CE approved (a prestigious European performance and manufacturing standard for safety critical and other technology products - akin to a CSA or UL seal).

In the case of a minor crash, many of the airbags are easily repackage (in minutes at the roadside) and would require only a replacement CO2 cartridge (not sure of cost - I’d guess under $75) to be ready to go again.

If you had a major crash - would you reallly care about the cost?

As for embarrassment...well, I’d guess that winding up in a wheelchair or a hearse would be even more embarrassing.

There are variants that do not use a tether (these are referred to as electronic triggers I guess) but they seem to cost upwards of $2000. Apparently the tether takes a really strong tug to actuate (around 60 lb) so I’d guess that simply walking away from the bike wouldn’t do it. I mean how often do you try to get out of your car without removing the seatbelt.

Anyhow, I am interested in this technology and wanted to start a conversation about it - so, stay tuned.

Pete

Hi Pete,
I do wear a Heine-Gericke hip length jacket that sold for $900 back in 1996 that the house insurance paid for because my old one got stolen.
And I only paid $20 for my $300 flipface helmet a few years ago because it didn't fit the original owner.
Zipback leather boots,paid $80 at the 1984 Toronto motorcycle show. zips replaced 10 years back but the soles still got tread on 'em.
Got new riding gloves last Xmas. And lest your imagination run riot, blue jeans.
So yeah, if I had to replace my riding gear at today's retail prices it'd cost me $3K or more.
But to pay $1,000+ for an airbag vest? I ain't got that kinda money these days.

 

[cafetools]

I think it could be very useful for pros and racers. Take for instance the isle of man race. It's claimed a few hundred lives so far. And average speed is near 200 mph. This airbag could give them the edge they need to not die when a crash happens.

But for the average street rider who is adjusting thier idle when riding at 25mph and hits a trash can, then this airbag deploys, it might make matters worse when it instantly inflates and straightens your body when you don't want it to, causing more harm than good. A lot of testing would be needed to perfect it.

 

[mrtwowheel]

Not sure how this relates, but....Honda had an option for an airbag on the GoldWings. For some reason they chose pink for the color of the bag. So, when inflated in front of the rider this airbag looked like a giant pink ass, butt crack and all.

Scott

 

[Moabite]

I think it could be very useful for pros and racers. Take for instance the isle of man race. It's claimed a few hundred lives so far. And average speed is near 200 mph. This airbag could give them the edge they need to not die when a crash happens.

But for the average street rider who is adjusting thier idle when riding at 25mph and hits a trash can, then this airbag deploys, it might make matters worse when it instantly inflates and straightens your body when you don't want it to, causing more harm than good. A lot of testing would be needed to perfect it.

avg speed closer to 100mph, not 200mph for run maybe?

 

[MaxPete]

I think it could be very useful for pros and racers. Take for instance the isle of man race. It's claimed a few hundred lives so far. And average speed is near 200 mph. This airbag could give them the edge they need to not die when a crash happens.

But for the average street rider who is adjusting thier idle when riding at 25mph and hits a trash can, then this airbag deploys, it might make matters worse when it instantly inflates and straightens your body when you don't want it to, causing more harm than good. A lot of testing would be needed to perfect it.

Good thought cafetools - BUT - that is where the CE certification comes in. This device HAS been tested and it HAS found to perform properly. Soooo....I think that the question you have raised, has a response. Also, 25 MPH is around 37 ft/sec. which, I'd bet would feel pretty danged fast if you bashed into something hard, and of course, you usually do not get much of choice about what you hit or when it might happen.

The older folks among us will remember when seat belts became mandatory in cars around (I think) 1969. There was a hue and cry throughout the land about government interference with individual freedom and people would jump and down and say "But what if my car goes off a bridge - I'd be trapped by the seat belt!"

>> Responses from safety engineering experts:

• "No - you wouldn't be trapped by the seat belt.
• If your car went off a bridge and you were still conscious, you would simply undo the belt after you hit the water and be grateful that you hadn't bashed your ribs in on the steering wheel or your head into the windshield or dashboard when your car dropped 15 or more feet from the bridge deck.
• If you were unconscious, you (hopefully) would come to when the cold water got to you and you'd get going before you drowned - but at least your legs, arms and head would still function so you would have a chance.
• Besides - how many times has your car - or that of anyone you know - gone off a bridge in the last 20 years?"

Similarly with ABS brakes and enhanced stability & control systems (ECS): people on bike and car websites will swear up-and-down and sideways that they can react "faster and better than any ABS or ESC system".

>> Responses from safety engineering experts:

• "No - you cannot. These systems respond in milliseconds and they keep responding at a frequency of several hundred or more hertz - which is far beyond what any human could ever do."

The point is that while it is good to question advertising (and I certainly do), the people who design this stuff ain't stupid and they have tons of resources at their disposal to get it right - PLUS - the safety certification outfits like UL, CSA, CE, DIN, NHTSA, SAE, DOT, SNELL, DNV, TuV, ASME.....blah, blah, blah - make certain that the product does work properly and that it does what it is supposed to do, when it is supposed to do it. The key is to buy a certified product and not some piece of crap that Gomer and his cousin Cletus cooked up behind the barn.

Anyhow - I'm not trying to start an argument - but the question of whether they work or not is simply not debatable, based on the facts.

The real questions, at least as I see it, are:

• which ones are most comfortable (riding a bike should not be torture);
• which ones provide the best possible protection and;
• which one(s) provide the best balance of price to protection.

Any advice / reviews / experience from forum members would be most welcome.

Cheers,

Pete

 

[member28833]

Any advice / reviews / experience from forum members would be most welcome.

Cheers

All good thoughts on this but I think the XS650 kind of rider isnt going to go in on this idea.
I do believe more serious riders who ride far and fast aboard such "land leers" such as ST 1300's and similar are going to be the market for this.
Now, here is a more likely new technology which, me, I , am anxious to try on my XS650 .. wait for it ..
BOSE Sound Glasses !
I found these in the mall and Wow do they sound good !
No, these probably do not in any way contribute to safety , But it would be fun !
HaHaa , sorry I've wanted to share these for a week

 

[MaxPete]

Hey - they look really cool!

P

 

[Wulfbyte]

Good thought cafetools - BUT - that is where the CE certification comes in. This device HAS been tested and it HAS found to perform properly. Soooo....I think that the question you have raised, has a response. Also, 25 MPH is around 37 ft/sec. which, I'd bet would feel pretty danged fast if you bashed into something hard, and of course, you usually do not get much of choice about what you hit or when it might happen.

The older folks among us will remember when seat belts became mandatory in cars around (I think) 1969. There was a hue and cry throughout the land about government interference with individual freedom and people would jump and down and say "But what if my car goes off a bridge - I'd be trapped by the seat belt!"

>> Responses from safety engineering experts:

• "No - you wouldn't be trapped by the seat belt.
• If your car went off a bridge and you were still conscious, you would simply undo the belt after you hit the water and be grateful that you hadn't bashed your ribs in on the steering wheel or your head into the windshield or dashboard when your car dropped 15 or more feet from the bridge deck.
• If you were unconscious, you (hopefully) would come to when the cold water got to you and you'd get going before you drowned - but at least your legs, arms and head would still function so you would have a chance.
• Besides - how many times has your car - or that of anyone you know - gone off a bridge in the last 20 years?"

Similarly with ABS brakes and enhanced stability & control systems (ECS): people on bike and car websites will swear up-and-down and sideways that they can react "faster and better than any ABS or ESC system".

>> Responses from safety engineering experts:

• "No - you cannot. These systems respond in milliseconds and they keep responding at a frequency of several hundred or more hertz - which is far beyond what any human could ever do."

The point is that while it is good to question advertising (and I certainly do), the people who design this stuff ain't stupid and they have tons of resources at their disposal to get it right - PLUS - the safety certification outfits like UL, CSA, CE, DIN, NHTSA, SAE, DOT, SNELL, DNV, TuV, ASME.....blah, blah, blah - make certain that the product does work properly and that it does what it is supposed to do, when it is supposed to do it. The key is to buy a certified product and not some piece of crap that Gomer and his cousin Cletus cooked up behind the barn.

Anyhow - I'm not trying to start an argument - but the question of whether they work or not is simply not debatable, based on the facts.

The real questions, at least as I see it, are:

• which ones are most comfortable (riding a bike should not be torture);
• which ones provide the best possible protection and;
• which one(s) provide the best balance of price to protection.

Any advice / reviews / experience from forum members would be most welcome.

Cheers,

Pete

Yep I sure would like one of them vests! Especially back in ‘82 when a school bus pulled out in front of me! Reacted just enough to turn bike sideways and stiff arm it so it wasn’t a head on and the impact threw me another ten feet into a curb! Broken wrist from the stiff arm, couldn’t walk for a couple of days and body was sore for weeks,tylonal 3 for the pain! A couple months later I bought the Ol’ XS from a buddy who went in the navy and couldn’t keep it! After my ride on the colonial parkway this weekend she’ll have 200,000 well traveled miles on her! No wrecks but have laid her down a couple at very low speeds,watch out for those leaf piles going around a corner!, but 500 usd would be a more reachable price for most riders! But it would be definitely a great investment!

 

[MaxPete]

Apparently there is at least one model that sells for $375 USD - so it’s getting within range.

....and like the question of helmets...what’s your back worth?

 

[Wulfbyte]

Yep I sure would like one of them vests! Especially back in ‘82 when a school bus pulled out in front of me! Reacted just enough to turn bike sideways and stiff arm it so it wasn’t a head on and the impact threw me another ten feet into a curb! Broken wrist from the stiff arm, couldn’t walk for a couple of days and body was sore for weeks,tylonal 3 for the pain! A couple months later I bought the Ol’ XS from a buddy who went in the navy and couldn’t keep it! After my ride on the colonial parkway this weekend she’ll have 200,000 well traveled miles on her! No wrecks but have laid her down a couple at very low speeds,watch out for those leaf piles going around a corner!, but 500 usd would be a more reachable price for most riders! But it would be definitely a great investment!

Correction on the miles , meant 20,000!

 

[Wulfbyte]

Apparently there is at least one model that sells for $375 USD - so it’s getting within range.

....and like the question of helmets...what’s your back worth?

and a HHOOWWLL! On that Pete! My back is very valuable,couldn’t ride right without it! As far as the pricing goes I would rather pay the higher price if it meant better quality! Cheap prices often leads to cheap quality! Definitely something to do some research on!