My Friend who does track days in Sweden also had to wait 3 months to get her electronic airbag back. You need one to track a bike in Sweden. I think it was Alpinstars but not sure. I wear a Helite vest , and the cartridges are getting pricey, (Probably $40) but at least you can replace one in minutes. I'm hoping to buy a bulk order of them from Alibaba for probably $3-5 per cartridge.

 

The recharge fee was over $100usd. $40 is a great deal

 

Tether vests only for me. I don’t do track, so where-ever I’ll be, the chances of being stopped and needing a deploy exist.

 

The tether free vests have a lot of technology in them and should provide superior protection in the event of a fall/accident. I dont do track days - but i believe this. I wanted to share the realization that despite the technology - the downsides are significant (too sensitive, expensive to recharge, and i believe they mentioned a limit to the number of times the vest can be re-used - as in 2-3 times?). All reasons to consider a tether until better technology comes out.

 

Curious, what PSI do the various air vests use? I've done some searching this evening but it hasn't popped up exactly.

 

Helite uses a 60CC CO2. cartridge. Not sure of the PSI contained within. I'm wearing and repping MoCycle airbag jeans that also use a 60CC Helite cartridge. Their vest uses a 100CC cartridge. I am interested in the Motoair vest, which uses two cartridges and an inertia reel.

 

Three things to those who like tethered airbag jackets. 1) Dainese will have an electronically triggered vest that can be recharged by the owner. It might already be on the market. 2) Tethered versions have very simple air bags and relatively low pressure. That means that a sharp blunt force can overcome the local internal pressure and allow direct contact. That's why elite has a rigid back protector over its airbag; it distributes the load across the entire airbag rather than localizing it. 3) Tethered bags work well in highsides and frontal collision with cars. They work less well when the motorcycle hits the car broadside (i.e. you ride into the driver or passenger door). That's because the distance from seat to roofline or side window is very short and since many people ride with a fair bit of slack in their tether, the air bag will not have enough time to fully inflate before your upper body/shoulder/back come in contact with the offending automobile. Points 2 and 3 are not an issue for electronically controlled versions from Dainese and Alpinestars. In & Motion, on the other hand may suffer from similar problems.

 

Just wondering how the Electronic bags would sense that an accident is happening in a scenario where you hit a car broadside? Wouldn't the electronics see no change in velocity on your part as the bike stops instantly and you keep going forward? I suppose once the angle of your torso tilts forward it would activate? The first bit would most likely just be you sliding forward balls being crushed by the Givi tank bag? I have heard of (Helite I think) trying a crash sensor on the fork to decrease activation time in that type of crash.

 

 

all the sensors are six-deminsional not only linear all three axis but also in yaw. No problem in catching the side accident. Indeed from the point of view, it is no different than a head-on other than the distance from car bike impact to rider car impact. Also, the same could be said about a high side since your horizontal velocity is roughly the same. Again, it's not a problem. Tethered systems as we've discussed, are quite good. I have recommended them for years. But when it comes to a straight up, ah fuck situation, you're almost assuredly better protected by an electronic version. How much is debatable, as is whether it's worth the aggravation mentioned above, not to mention that most dainese and alpine stars systems are heavy and hot and at least Helite's vented jacket is lighter and flows more air.

 

Great things to ponder when it comes to deployment. Hopefully we never need any of these devices. I like the idea of being thrown clear in any crash I can imagine and looking back at a totally wrecked Vstrom.

 

The eTurtle from Helite won't deploy if you are moving under 12 mph. This won't protect you from a rear end collision while you are stopped. They do have a separate module that you can mount to your bike to provide this protection. If you have a properly adjusted tether, it should be taught when you stand up on the pegs. This will protect you in the event of a rear collision or if you hit another object.

 

The eTurtle from Helite won't deploy if you are moving under 12 mph. This won't protect you from a rear end collision while you are stopped.

How does the Helite know you are doing less than 12mph? GPS? How long does that take to acquire signal?

I might need to figure this scenario out sometime. If you are stopped and get hit, or tip the bike over and you hit the ground, that sudden acceleration might set off an airbag. In that condition, the airbag inflation might be more likely to CAUSE injury than prevent it. (Don't get me wrong - I'm in favor, either way - the risk is minimal for the reward of high speed protection.)

1) You stopped -> You get hit and start moving (accel 1) -> Airbag detects it and inflates between you and the thing that hit you (accel 2) -> Your body feels Accel 1+2.

You standing still and tip over: The tipover might be "ok", but the hit on the ground will be a big jolt. Your body stops suddenly (accel 1) -> Vest detects it and starts to inflate, pushing your body back away from the ground (accel 2) -> Now your body is suddenly moving in the reverse direction (accel 1+2).

Timing will be everything, but that seems like a set of "normally occurring unfortunate circumstances". I do know that when I tried the KLIM vest and dove towards the ground, the vest went off before I hit the ground (and provided good cushion). But, I'm not sure whether it was my jumping and free-fall, or the sales guy hitting the remote button.

 

Not convinced the extra safety is worth the hassle…yet.

 

No problem in catching the side accident.



____
skysmotor.co.uk sells the following products online: ac servo motor, BLDC motor, stepper motor drivers, planetary gearbox and can be purchased online if required.

 

I had a low speed deployment this summer with my Motoairbag V4 and MoCycle airbag jeans. Fell in a ditch. The coverge of the Motoairbag V4 is very impressive. Feels like your whole upper body is in a blood pressure cuff. I did not even feel the impact when I hit. Just found myself lying in grass. The inertia reel tether of the V4 is a good addition.

 

I dropped my bike with my tethered Helite. Vest went off, super easy to replace Co2 ($39). Seems to have great coverage when inflated. I prefer the over the jacket vest style because it works with all my old jackets. The loose vest vents well with full mesh jackets.