Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
I'm in the market for a motorcycle airbag vest. What are y'alls thoughts on them?
So far I'm considering:
Pros and cons between them?
I intend to mostly wear these under a leather motorcycle jacket, but occasionally I might wear it alone.
I believe @JSH had mentioned he had one.
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I looked at all those options along with Hit-Air and Helite. I ended up with a Hit-Air Advantage H vest purchased from Riding-Safe.com Their recommended sizing was spot on and shipping was very fast. (The Advantage H is the equestrian version of the motorcycle VHR vest which is identical except for color and reflective accents)
The big things for me were coverage, ventilation, and repacking.
Repacking: I wanted a vest that I can repack myself just like my inflatable life vests. That eliminated the Dainese and Alphinestar vests that need to be sent back to the manufacturer if they deploy at a cost of about $200. The Klim has a replaceable CO2 cartridge and says you can deploy it 3 times before sending it back. That is good but the bad news in the cartridge is $100.
Coverage: I also didn't like the limited coverage. If you look at the electronic vests deployed on a person they basically cover from the bottom of the ribcage up.
So now we are down tethered airbag vests from Hit-Air and Helite.
Ventilation: An airbag you don't wear is worthless. Lots of reviews on forums says the Helite Turtle is HOT to wear in the summer. That make sense as it covers a lot of air on the front and has a huge backprotector on the back that blocks any back vents. Hit-Air's new ST vest is very similar. It takes the VHR and adds an integrated SPIDI back protector. (The ST is the same vest as the SPIDI Air DPS vest. Hit Air makes it for SPIDI and they mark it up $150 for the SPIDI name)
That left the Hit-Air VHR. Good coverage that extends from the neck down past the hips. Repacks with a cheap CO2 canister. The center is open in the back to allow for better airflow. It is also the cheapest of the options. I recently did a 1000 mile trip down 101 to Redwoods, over to Crater Lake, and then back up to Portland. It is warmer than without the vest but still OK at the 98F temperatures we saw in Medford. I left it a little loose so my jacket could still puff up a bit from air going through.
Part of this I'm sure is colored by experience. I've had 4 crashes on the street and 3 on a track. I walked away from all of them except for the last street crash where my wife and I left the road at about 45 mph and both ended up hitting trees. I shattered by femur near the head and my wife broke her pelvis and back. None of the electronic vests come down far enough to have prevented or minimized or injuries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by samwichse
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What is wrong with giving buyers the
OPTION to lease the tech instead of buying it upfront? Leasing is an option. If you do chose to lease the company gives you a 30 day grace period after payment is due to get current before deactivating the vest. Once deactivated the vest will strobe a red LED when you turn it on to be very clear that the vest is no longer active.