Armor anyone?

[Vex]

It's just not worth the risk to me. I have mesh jackets too, which are fine, but they all have upgraded armor in them. I also wear heat out gear under whatever I throw on. Makes life a lot better.

I work in a hospital. I've seen what happens to squids that think they are too good to go down, or think that a trip a few blocks down the road to the grocery won't have issues.

To each their own.

[yyczed]

Based on a few buddies crashing in recent years and suffering similar nearly-fatal injuries, I splashed out on a Helite Turtle airbag vest last year. Apparently motorcyclists frequently die from cardiac arrest due to rib injuries sustained during impact with the ground and their own arms, and chest protection is something most of us neglect.

I think armored shirts cover a lot of this, but the airbag vest also contains a very stout and long back protector that goes high enough to stabilize the helmet and prevent severe whiplash injuries.

The vest only deploys if you depart the motorcycle (it's tethered to the frame), so it doesn't really come into play in a lowside kind of crash, but there are newer ones that have a built-in sensor that can deploy the airbag in a wider range of conditions.

I don't know how effective it will be, but there's enough anecdotal evidence for me that it's a good extra precaution. I used it for the first time this spring on a 10,000km trip and managed to not accidentally blow up getting off to take a whiz

Looked at those.I think they'd be very effective for the rider, wrapped in a tough front airbag.

Wife said she'd rather see me go, than the money go for the kit.

The price needs to drop some. I'm spending too much on a lot of other things that have nothing to do with wise safety.

What's you feel about the comfort, etc?

Vest feels very bulky at first, but when you get rolling you quickly forget about it. If you're prone to Marc Marquez body positioning on the street, it can get a tiny bit restrictive, and there's a risk of scratching the tank with the C02 cannister. Other than that, I wore the thing every day for three weeks in temps from 27F to 102F on the same trip, and never really noticed a comfort deficit.

[ghostrdr]

It's just not worth the risk to me. I have mesh jackets too, which are fine, but they all have upgraded armor in them. I also wear heat out gear under whatever I throw on. Makes life a lot better.

I work in a hospital. I've seen what happens to squids that think they are too good to go down, or think that a trip a few blocks down the road to the grocery won't have issues.

To each their own.

I agree, that's why I bought the shirt. The armor is CE level 2 vs the level 1 armor included with my jackets at he shoulders and elbows. I removed the armor from the jackets and now always wear the shirt underneath whichever jacket I choose. I never wear just the shirt alone. The shirt also includes both a level 2 back protector and level 2 chest protector, which my jackets didn't have. Nothing is failsafe but I try to do everything within reason, considering the type of riding I do.

[Prof J]

Based on a few buddies crashing in recent years and suffering similar nearly-fatal injuries, I splashed out on a Helite Turtle airbag vest last year. Apparently motorcyclists frequently die from cardiac arrest due to rib injuries sustained during impact with the ground and their own arms, and chest protection is something most of us neglect.

I think armored shirts cover a lot of this, but the airbag vest also contains a very stout and long back protector that goes high enough to stabilize the helmet and prevent severe whiplash injuries.

The vest only deploys if you depart the motorcycle (it's tethered to the frame), so it doesn't really come into play in a lowside kind of crash, but there are newer ones that have a built-in sensor that can deploy the airbag in a wider range of conditions.

I don't know how effective it will be, but there's enough anecdotal evidence for me that it's a good extra precaution. I used it for the first time this spring on a 10,000km trip and managed to not accidentally blow up getting off to take a whiz

Looked at those.I think they'd be very effective for the rider, wrapped in a tough front airbag.

Wife said she'd rather see me go, than the money go for the kit.

The price needs to drop some. I'm spending too much on a lot of other things that have nothing to do with wise safety.

What's you feel about the comfort, etc?

Vest feels very bulky at first, but when you get rolling you quickly forget about it. If you're prone to Marc Marquez body positioning on the street, it can get a tiny bit restrictive, and there's a risk of scratching the tank with the C02 cannister. Other than that, I wore the thing every day for three weeks in temps from 27F to 102F on the same trip, and never really noticed a comfort deficit.

yyczed ,

Thanks for the extra detail. I'm thinking about it.

Have you used/worn a BCD? If so how'd you compare?

[yyczed]

Yep, love my night dives. It feels a bit like a BCD at first, but unlike a BCD you stop noticing it as soon as you're under way.

My criticisms would be that it blocks the vents on summer jackets (a price I'm willing to pay); on a multi-day moto camping trip it becomes a large bulky thing to stow; and the weirdly exposed metal bit that holds the C02 cannister can scratch the tank too easily (I've taped mine up).

Helite also has a track-specific vest that's not as bulky: https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r ... bag-review