No rider who has crashed on the street ever wished they weren’t wearing protective gear. Beyond an armored riding jacket or suit, a higher level of protection is available from airbags worn over your torso that reduce the force of impacts.
Early airbag technology employed a tether system that required riders to detach or deactivate them when willingly dismounting a motorcycle. The latest systems are autonomous, using gyroscopic sensors that automatically inflate the airbag when a crash is sensed.
Alpinestars is the leader in airbag technology, first supplying it to MotoGP racers in 2009. While roadracers have been benefiting from airbag protection, few street riders want to crawl inside a neck-to-ankle leather suit for their trip to Starbucks or work. The Tech-Air 3 vest provides airbag protection for street riders and can be worn over or under a jacket.
The Tech-Air 3 ($599.95) was introduced in 2023. New to the lineup are the Tech-Air 3 Leather ($749.95) tested here and the Tech-Air 3 Canvas ($649.95), which are aimed at V-Twin riders but are suitable for all street riders. The Leather/Canvas vests have different features from the original version, like an internal flap holder to allow the chest airbag to be tucked out of sight when walking around, a hidden LED panel on the chest, dual zippered pockets, and a zippered back slot that enables adding patches.
Once slipped on, the 4-lb vest is barely noticeable, and stretch panels allow for a good range of motion. The inflation canister resides in the lower left corner of the vest and can be felt if riding on a seat with a hump behind it. A perforated back panel and internal air channels promote ventilation.
The Tech-Air 3 boasts a simple and intuitive design. There are no complex installation procedures – simply slip it on, attach the magnetic closure on the chest air bladder to activate, and zip it up. The battery is claimed to provide 40 hours of use.
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The vest features Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to pair it with the Alpinestars app on your smartphone. The app provides information on battery level, system status, and service history, and it allows downloading updates to ensure the vest is running the latest software.
A key element of the Tech-Air 3 Leather is that it doesn’t stand out as safety apparel. It’s nicely styled and has a clean appearance, so I prefer to wear it over my riding jackets. Keep in mind that wearing it under a jacket takes up space, so you’ll need a little wiggle room inside your jacket to allow for inflation.
Luckily, I’ve yet to get into a situation that would warrant an airbag deployment, but with three gyroscopes and three accelerometers keeping tabs, plus Alpinestars’ extensive experience with this technology, I’m confident the bags would inflate when needed – apparently in only 50 milliseconds. If the airbag deploys, you’ll need to send it to Alpinestars to get the air canister replaced for a $100 fee.
Midway into a crash won’t be a good time to wonder if you should be wearing a Tech-Air 3.
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Source: RiderMagazine.com