Yeah but does that suit have the flashing LED's on the forearm?? Eh? Eh? Does it? I can't wait to wander about the pit garages looking like Predator. On a serious note though- They are eye wateringly expensive but worth it IMO.
Yeah it does have flashing LED’s but need to be connected to the Tech Air vest. Could probably Velcro in a AAA battery and connector to achieve the same effect
I suspect that both Dainese and Alpinestars contract a third party to make the airbags to their own design. Possibly Dainese got there first
Yeah maybe? Who knows mate. I did look myself when I was in the market for one but I couldn’t justify nearly 2k on a suit that I’m highly likely to send down the tarmac this year. I will say this though, the Held suits felt a lot better quality in every way than any of the alpinestars and Dainese stuff I looked at
Held is good stuff. It's German ferchrisakes.... I did look at Held leathers but I believe in the Airbag stuff.
Just thought I'd share my experience of actually crash testing one of these. I have crash tested the D-Air at 90mph down Craners & walked away with nothing more than a badly bruised small toe (I lost a toe slider and I flipped 3 times, each time that little toe whakced the track)...before I slid along on the grass! During the crash I felt it inflate and pull me into a protective posture which stopped my arms and head flapping/bouncing around. When I eventually stopped, after quite a while, I got myself together for a few seconds then stood up and walked away. None of the Marshalls could believe I was ok. And neither could the 2 Paramedics. They insisted on several rounds of checks before they were satisfied. Afterwards, the guy behind me when I crashed said he'd been thinking about an air-bag suit and having seen what it did to help me, he was off to buy one. True, they are problematic to get repaired as they need to go off to Italy, but part of that is to get the suit CE certified again. I had done a proper job on the suit, needing I think 6 panels replacing and because it was August (Italy on hols) I didn't get the suit back for 5 weeks. Not great. But hey, I walked away. That would not have happened in my Scott. Not a chance. My suit RRP was £2500, I paid £1800 and it cost me £600 to have it repaired and re-certified. The new top end suit is more expensive again, £3500 I think but offers more air-bag protection around ribs & pelvis I think. But the Misano (?), which is about £1750 is very similar to my one. It even has elbow sliders I seem to recall! Best £1800 I have EVER spent.
Well that sounds like a ringing endorsement to me. Thanks for that. I read with horror Sam1199S (@royalwithcream 's buddy) story about his big off in Calafat, Spain. It made me think a bit and wonder how we can go some way to improving our odds should we have a biggie. And to me, air suit protection gives us all better odds of getting up, dusting ourselves down and walking off. Granted, it isn't a cheap do. But I think if you can possibly afford it, it's money well spent.
Just wanted to add my friend just bought the Dainese D-Air Milano suit this week. Cheapest he could get it for was £1565. And that there is no current requirement for a maintenance contract. My friend above wasn’t required to take one out. And because I have heard quite a few people mention them, I asked the Dainese Store in Manchester directly. They took a day to double check but confirmed that no contract is needed. If you crash, you should take it back to where you bought it to have it sent off and other than that, you should have a maintenance check on it’s 5th purchase anniversary. I think Dainese did offer contracts previously (?) although certainly not when I bought my suit back in 2014, and not now it seems, according to Dainese. Hope that helps.
I'm looking at a D air jacket for commuting. Is this a sensible purchase, or a gimmick? If it reduces my chances of a back/neck. Injury, I don't mind paying whatever.
My wife rides a bike occasionally but is a very keen horse rider and is on her horse 3 or 4 times a week and always in one of these:- www.ebay.co.uk/itm/hit-air-equestrian-Saftey-Jacket/143334990917?hash=item215f6e6445:g:cfMAAOSwwCJdNKqs I`m not sure how they compare to bike specific jackets but we did a test run with her jumping off a wall and the jacket inflated instantly and seemed to give good protection. They seem good value to me.
Maybe worth waiting for the new Dainese Smart Jacket that’ll be our soon - latest D-Air tech and can be worn under anything
I'm unconvinced by the D-Air Smart vest, because its airbag coverage looks on the small side. Also, I wouldn't trust it to avoid being damaged if worn over my leathers, yet it's hardly going to fit under them. Ditto the Tech-Air 5. Hence I think the original Tech-Air Street and Race are a better bet. Not only that, but most (all?) of the D-Air jackets only have a regular back protector, and only a Level 1 back protector at that It's nice that the D-Air can protect my clavicle, but not if it's at the expense of lowly protection for my back. Though Dano's real life experience suggests that the airbag is worth it nonetheless. In contrast, all the current Tech-Air products give full airbag protection to the back The new Helite electronic airbag and the various In Motion airbags also look like they've good back protection.
Just to follow up on my original post when I started this thread. I eventually went for the Held Evest in Jan following months of indecision. What finally clinched it was a) I already had a Held One piece leathers b) I wanted a track/ street option c) Reasonably priced at £300 d) Doesn’t have to be returned for recharge e) Can be worn under Leathers/Textiles. This uses the In&motion system which I have to rent monthly for £10. So far I’m very pleased with the item. I wear it on a daily basis for commuting and a have also used it for three day Jerez Track session. Switching between Street mode and Track mode is simply done through an app on my phone. I don’t notice it when I’m wearing it and charge it every two weeks. Fortunately it has not been truly tested!
I have been looking at various air vests and think I will go with the Ixon IX-U03 one as it will hopefully fit under my leathers if I don't wear the Knox back protector I usually have and also under my textile jacket. I was nearly sold on the Helite Turtle Back 2 but am slightly put off by the tether and wearing it over the top which I don't like the look of, but it does seem to give good coverage/protection. Has anyone got experience of any of the In&Motion airbag systems inflating, either falsely or in an accident? Are they reliable? Will it definitely inflate when I need it and not when I don't?
Has anyone actually seen an air bag vest deploy ? The Helite expands by approximately 2” to 3” especially up by the neck. If any of the add on worn under leather vest offerings expand similarly, I can’t see that doing your body any good if your leathers don't expand as well. If the add on worn under vest offerings don’t expand by a similar amount, I personally wouldn’t want to wear one. Andy
The different vests are not all designed for the same protection zones. Some cover collar bone and neck area more, similar to mx neck brace tech. The in suit stuff does collar bones and more thorax and spinal, but not so much for neck. At the end of the day, they all give a increase in protection over nowt. You just choose which direction you want to spend I guess. For me, I had an 80mph lowside where my leg was under the bike so I stayed with it till the gravel. The astars tech air had inflated before I hit the ground so took away the impact quite well, even though the suit was wrecked from the slide. My old tether triggered waistcoat would not have gone off till I separated from the bike, once into the gravel.
Some good info here; I too had an off at craners during a race, result 1 broken leg 2 broken arms! Now have airbag ready 4sr leathers just need to pull my finger out and get the Ixon air vest! It’s definitely the way to go, wouldn’t have cost me almost a year off work!!!
For those considering the Ixon air vest the leathers have to be airbag compatible ! Otherwise they won’t stretch in the right areas and you’ll be giving yourself a serious wedgie!!!
