Information On Motorcycle Air Vests

As I was looking at my 'extra' CO2 cartridges, I became a bit concerned about the seal being broken if they were just rolling around in a trunk or saddlebag.
I want to carry a spare on each of my bikes, so I went looking in my shop for ideas.
I found a 3/4 PVC pipe nipple fits nicely over the seal end of the cylinders.
A little length of duct tape, and you can easily secure it to the cylinders to protect the seal.
Put the cylinders in a little canvas zipper pouches I had and I'm good to go!
 
Congrats to Phil for taking the step into the world of better protection. I'm almost ready to take the step into the Helite e-turtle world. Rationale is to keep it simple for me. No attaching, just turn it on. Questions....probably there are no good answers to these questions because I didn't find them on ADV or Helite websites here or abroad.

- Will the fork sensor be usable with the current vest when and if it becomes available. Revzilla description says so much, but I'm skeptical it wasn't cut/pasted from a European description.
- And does the fork sensor provide a lot for me when my #1 concern is deer. Cars are way more visible, especially at night when they (usually) have beacon lights.
- When will I be wise to turn off the vest on gravel roads or maybe just on "minimum maintenance" roads that almost always get iffy, at least enough to slow down and stand up. (found an answer halfway down page 36 here. It's a video and deploys on a little hop over a pothole without hazardous consequences Helite e-Turtle Review? | Page 36 | Adventure Rider (advrider.com)

I will get around to calling the Helite USA dealer in Florida one of these days.
 
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I have owned a Helite turtle vestfor a few years now and am happy with it . It has the mechanical tethering and I fortunately haven’t had the need for it. Just need to check the CO2 cartridge every riding season.
my .02!
J
 
From what I could find, the Helite 'Electronic' vest does not deploy at under 12 mph without the fork sensors.
And it does not appear that you can get the sensors in the USA at this point.
That 12 mph thing really bothers me because low speed is often where you end up tipping over and crashing - and it can cause some physical damage!
I pulled into a gas station at night and did not see this big pothole in the concrete.
When I went over, my ribs hit the edge of the curb and it was not pretty - and I was doing way less than 12 mph.
Having ridden with the tether for a whole day with several mount/dismounts, it is just not that big of a deal.
For getting on, you just need a little hook somewhere on the tank in front of you to hang the end of the tether.
If you forget to untether, you get reminded pretty quickly.
Being in the computer business for 50 years, I'd much rather trust the tether than some programmer's ability to 'predict' when I am crashing. :biggrin:
With the tether properly installed, physics usually dictates that you will be separated from the bike.
Not 100% but the odds are as good as depending on software - trust me on that one!
I know the pro racers have the electronics but understand they ride in a different world than street riders. ;)
 
Uncle Phil said:
From what I could find, the Helite 'Electronic' vest does not deploy at under 12 mph without the fork sensors.
And it does not appear that you can get the sensors in the USA at this point.
That 12 mph thing really bothers me because low speed is often where you end up tipping over and crashing - and it can cause some physical damage!
I pulled into a gas station at night and did not see this big pothole in the concrete.
When I went over, my ribs hit the edge of the curb and it was not pretty - and I was doing way less than 12 mph.
Having ridden with the tether for a whole day with several mount/dismounts, it is just not that big of a deal.
For getting on, you just need a little hook somewhere on the tank in front of you to hang the end of the tether.
If you forget to untether, you get reminded pretty quickly.
Being in the computer business for 50 years, I'd much rather trust the tether than some programmer's ability to 'predict' when I am crashing. :biggrin:
With the tether properly installed, physics usually dictates that you will be separated from the bike.
Not 100% but the odds are as good as depending on software - trust me on that one!
I know the pro racers have the electronics but understand they ride in a different world than street riders. ;)
Click to expand...
Hit Air sells a small tether with a clip on it so that when you park, you can clip the part that would plug into your vest so it’s not dangling on the bike.


A little expensive for what it is, but it is convenient to have a place to attach the tether when you’re off the bike. Where did you connect yours on the ST? I’m interested as if yours is in a good spot, I may want to change the location of mine away from the handlebars.
 
DeanR said:
I do remember reading that somewhere. CO2 adds weight ?
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In order to know whether your canister is still good; make sure you weigh it every year. The weight should not deviate more then 3 gr from its original weight which is 182 gram for the 60cc or
it is approximately (+/-3g) equivalent to the weight written on your canister.

Tom

53508902780_b03439690c_z.jpg
 
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Erdoc48 said:
Where did you connect yours on the ST? I’m interested as if yours is in a good spot, I may want to change the location of mine away from the handlebars.
Click to expand...
I ran the tether around the frame and the triangle brace on the right side (hard to see in the picture).
I ran it behind the fuel line which runs through the area - and there's plenty of room to work with.
It also does not get in the way of removing or putting on the seat.
It seemed to be about right as far as extending the tether when I stood up (according to their documentation).
I thought their little 'holder' was a bit pricey for what it was.
So I hang the attachment end on the fuel door handle that I used when I replaced the lock.
That way it is right in front of me when I mount and hard to ignore! ;)

ST1100 Hit Air Tether.jpg
 
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I finally made a decision on an airbag vest. I ordered the Helite eTurtle 2. It will be untethered, electronic activation. I ordered it in black. I'm not a fan of the bright yellow jackets as they tend to get dirty over time and the yellow shows the dirt pretty well. Now I need to get a spare cartridge ordered - Revzilla doesn't sell spare cartridges for the eTurtle vest.

I was very interested in the AlpineStars Tech-Air 5 but decided I didn't want to live with the limitations, which I saw as:
- $200+ to service the vest after it goes off, plus 2-4 weeks before it was back to me.
- Can't use heated gear as the vest goes under my jacket.
- Have to be particular about the fit of the vest and jacket over the vest to make sure there is room for the vest to expand.
The eTurtle vest does not have any of these limitations. However it doesn't look like it has the shoulder protection of the Tech-Air 5, but most vests don't. The eTurtle replacement cartridge is $85 but it can be installed by me and doesn't require shipping the vest to be serviced by the factory. And the eTurtle goes on top of any jacket I choose to wear.

...you pays your money and you takes your chances...

JohnConner
:bluegw: :usflag1:
 
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I still can't reconcile (or haven't reconciled) this entire conundrum.
External vest?
Susceptible to being shredded sliding on the asphalt, and rupturing after expansion.
Then again, if it inflates prior to impact, it's done its job, and passes off the slide damage to the rest of the gear you should be wearing underneath it.
Internal vest?
Now I need to consider buying new jacket one size larger, to allow room for inflation.
This would be like buying new britches, bigger in the waist if you switch from an outside- the- waistband holster to inside- the- waistband.
All these questions.
And a confused prospect will rarely buy...
Just thinking out loud; all this is discussed elsewhere.
 
Sadlsor said:
I still can't reconcile (or haven't reconciled) this entire conundrum.
External vest?
Susceptible to being shredded sliding on the asphalt, and rupturing after expansion.
Then again, if it inflates prior to impact, it's done its job, and passes off the slide damage to the rest of the gear you should be wearing underneath it.
Internal vest?
Now I need to consider buying new jacket one size larger, to allow room for inflation.
This would be like buying new britches, bigger in the waist if you switch from an outside- the- waistband holster to inside- the- waistband.
All these questions.
And a confused prospect will rarely buy...
Just thinking out loud; all this is discussed elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Think of it like a car airbag. It poofs up, does it's best to minimize your impact, and likely deflates. Just like the other gear you're hopefully wearing it's disposable and meant to serve that one unfortunate event that needs it. If it survives to be used again, great - but the key is to help you survive (and lessen any ill effects it can.) This is true of all you ATGATT stuff.
 
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