Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Have any of you had an exposure to these airbag jackets? Do they look like they are worth the money?

http://www.hit-air.com/english/main.html
http://www.impactjackets.com/

I've been taking a close look at these - and I almost decided to buy one of the impact jackets, but they are out of any jacket they make that is my size.

I am thinking of using one in combination with an armor setup underneath.

Any thoughts?

RhadamYgg

I can't find any places to really purchase those.

I'd probably go with the hit-air but nobody seems to tell them. The Impact Jackets are just ugly imo

Wouldn't mind one of those Hit-Air Vest, but as usual they aren't made in Fat Bast..d size. Why do most gear manufacturers seem to believe that no one with a 43" waist or larger rides? I had the devils own time finding my leather overpants.

Walk into Bootlegger or BlueNotes and try to buy jeans... One stocks only up to 38 the other 40

They seem to be a good idea, but it's only going to really save you from the initial impact, as anything AFTER that is probably going to be you bouncing/skidding the rest of the length of pavement until you stop. The human body is a very, very resilient thing. As long as you don't tense up when you get tossed and remember to stay loose, you'll probably survive with few serious injuries.

Personally, a thick layer of leather with shoulder/elbow/spine armor fits the bill, and it does so for a lot of people.

As far as these jackets go, I'd wait a while to let other people get thrown from their bikes whilst wearing one to see how good they are. If people survive and start swearing by these jackets in large numbers, then chances are it's a good product.

Thanks for all the great responses. I was creeping up on the bigger sizes myself until recently. I started taking karate and the weight fell off pretty quick.

I'm a little leary about the jackets, only because I'd want to see something with a larger expansion and that inflates instantly - like a car air bag and maybe even inflates before you've left the bike.

But all of those things add up to dollars - and these jackets aren't all that cheap - they aren't all the expensive either, but not cheap.

RhadamYgg

Seems like you aren't too confident in your ability to stay on your bike. It may just be your initial fear of riding. If I were you, I would just grab a armored riding jacket. If you are really wanting to protect yourself and not look like Staypuff; head to NewEnough.com and grab the Joe Rocket Piot Jacket.


_________________
Smoking Cessation Forum

These jackets inflate FAST!!! They're set off by pulling a cord that is tethered to the bike. It won't set off if you forget to remove the tether, as it has to be pulled with a lot of force.



(At least that's what I've read about them)

R3sp4wN wrote:Seems like you aren't too confident in your ability to stay on your bike. It may just be your initial fear of riding. If I were you, I would just grab a armored riding jacket. If you are really wanting to protect yourself and not look like Staypuff; head to NewEnough.com and grab the Joe Rocket Piot Jacket.

Well, I haven't actually ridden a motorcycle yet, so that is a point. But I've got two kids and a very strong trust in drivers of cars to continue driving the way they do once I'm on a motorcycle as well as they do when I'm in a car. It is New Jersey. My concern isn't so much riding ability - I'll be good at that as I'm able to be good at most things.

But, if I get in to trouble of the really bad kind, I want the highest survival chance I can get.

RhadamYgg

dr_bar wrote:These jackets inflate FAST!!! They're set off by pulling a cord that is tethered to the bike. It won't set off if you forget to remove the tether, as it has to be pulled with a lot of force.



(At least that's what I've read about them)

There are a lot of good things about these jackets, but fast as they are - they are a lot slower than airbags on a car. The mechanical nature of the turning on the system also concerns me - if I go in to a slide and don't actually separate from the bike all that quickly - the jacket might not go off.


There is some good video on these jackets on youtube.
RhadamYgg