Hit Air Vest
- Thread starter andykurz
- Start date
Hilarious. Instead of K2, he can now be known as KU.
What's interesting is that he has already hit the ground and sliding when the vest deploys. His impact was not lessened by the inflation of the vest. If I understand it correctly, there is a cord that is attached to the bike and when the rider and bike depart from one another, the vest inflates. If this were a higher speed crash and he and his bike went their separate ways quicker, the inflation would also happen sooner. You may still hit the ground with most of the force, but any resulting tumbles might be improved.
motorkas
Member
I saw the same thing when I first saw it. . .and was disappointed that it didn't deploy when he hit the ground. . .when you see the tether cord on these vests it's like a bungee cord that stretches (I'm assuming to prevent accidental inflation while on the bike, horse. . .ect). After seeing that low side if I was to get one of these vests, I'd definitely go through a couple of CO2 canisters just trying to get the right length for the tether to go off as soon as possible. . .even re watching Steve's crash - there's very little distance between him and the bike when his body hit the pavement. . .Totally agree with Bo though - every one is different and this vest can definitely be the difference between walking away or getting a ride to the hospital.
Andy, thanks for sharing!!!!!!! Definitely gave me valuable insight on how to tailer it for a "worse case" i.e. (staying close to the bike when you hit).
andykurz
Member
Some more info:
I was talking to him after the crash and inspecting his bike and noticed that he had the cord attached to the tail section of the bike, up by the seat. I told him that the recommended mounting location is up by the forks, and that the cord should not have excess slack while riding.
One serious disadvantage of the tether system is that it won't deploy if you are close to the bike, as is common in many lowsides. However, many injuries can and do happen after the initial impact, and many crashes involve immediate ejection from the bike, where this system would work instantly.
In any case, it's another safety option. It is not perfect by any means. I will say that it is not intrusive while riding in any way.
One last complaint is that it doesn't look very cool, but I haven't looked cool in years. When my bike rolls through tech, people look away!
I was talking to him after the crash and inspecting his bike and noticed that he had the cord attached to the tail section of the bike, up by the seat. I told him that the recommended mounting location is up by the forks, and that the cord should not have excess slack while riding.
One serious disadvantage of the tether system is that it won't deploy if you are close to the bike, as is common in many lowsides. However, many injuries can and do happen after the initial impact, and many crashes involve immediate ejection from the bike, where this system would work instantly.
In any case, it's another safety option. It is not perfect by any means. I will say that it is not intrusive while riding in any way.
One last complaint is that it doesn't look very cool, but I haven't looked cool in years. When my bike rolls through tech, people look away!
andykurz
Member
You wouldn't. It takes about 40lbs of pressure to pop it, a serious yank. The tether is not elastic, but is coiled to give you the flexibility to move around on the bike as much as you need. My tether is loose enough to give me room to hang off the bike, as well as sit up for heavy "turn one" style braking.
I'm waiting for someone to set one off in the pits by accident and hoping it isn't me. It's hard enough to do that it shouldn't be a deterrent for anyone thinking of getting one. It would be akin to not using warmers because you might forget to take them off - though we've all seen that video!
