Airbag Protection: Tech-Air 5

[rdprdp01]

In hopes of riding for another 45 years, I am in the process of upgrading all my motorcycle gear to take advantage of technology advances. I have purchased an airbag vest, riding jeans, boots, gloves, and helmet.

Tonight, I am sharing what I have learned about my new airbag vest. There are some who claim it can be as impactful as wearing a DOT certified helmet. I am inclined to agree.

I picked the Alpinestars Air-Tech 5 Airbag System because it protects my shoulders, chest, ribs and back. I have always worn a great jacket with AA rated body armor, but the airbag vest offers far superior coverage. In some instances, 18 times more protection.



I also picked the Alpinestars Air-Tech 5 because I can pair it with my existing motorcycle jackets. I find most motorcycle jackets to be either too loud stylistically or ill fitting. I already have a sizeable investment in abrasion protection and jackets. I wanted to augment that with state-of-the-art airbag capability. 

I put the vest on first:



Then my jacket:



Alpinestars has been developing the technology and deployment algorithms for over 20 years. Here is a product link:

https://www.alpinestars.com/products/tec...z3PdUYyjcw

I took advantage of the Black Friday sale to purchase my Air-Tech 5 for $650.

Here are a few pictures out of the box:





The Air-Tech 5 uses 3 gyroscopes and 3 accelerometers to monitor my position relative to the motorcycle and the road. A crash algorithm leverages that data and some AI to accurately monitor when to deploy the airbag when a crash begins. It deploys the airbag in 20 milliseconds. Scenarios include being rear-ended by a car, sliding on the motorcycle, striking something while riding, being struck by a car at an intersection, lane change mishaps, etc. In essence, if my position changes in a bad way on the motorcycle or I separate from the motorcycle, the airbag will deploy. I can set the algorithm to Street or Race:



Firmware can also be updated using the App and the Internet Connectivity from your cell phone:



I charge the unit using a micro-USB cable. Once fully charged, I have 30 hours of riding time:





The vest is activated when I (1) put it on and (2) zip it up. The vest will not activate unless it is fully zipped and charged. Display lights on the vest illuminate when it is booting up and when it is ready for me to ride. 



I can also use my phone to connect to the vest via Bluetooth and monitor status and disarm the vest:



When I unzip my vest, the vest is disarmed.



Today, I went for an 18-mile ride and wore the vest for the first time. I took the armor out of my favorite jacket except for the elbow armor. 



The vest is light, and the combination of the vest and my jacket are similar in weight to my jacket with good armor. It felt “different” because the back plate is more substantial, but it was not uncomfortable. Just different. I suspect I will become accustomed to it in time.

On my ride, I tested the following real-world scenarios to see if I could cause the vest to “misfire:”

* Quick acceleration onto an on-ramp
* Quick acceleration on the highway
* Quick stop on the side of the road
* Abrupt stop on a city street
* Twisty turn with significant lean
* Urban motorcycle driving basics (modest acceleration, stop light, etc.)

I am pleased to report that at no time did the airbag deploy and turn me into the Michelin man.

I hope my first experience with an airbag vest held your interest and may lead you to consider possibilities. 

I wish you all the very best and hope we can all find ways to stay safe on our CB1100s without losing the joy of riding a motorcycle. Take care, David

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2017 Honda CB1100 EX
The most sophisticated, smooth, perfectly engineered motorcycle I've ever owned. A pleasure in every way.