Last night I was the guest speaker for a group in Rotherham, which is not the point of this post. The speaker before me was a chap called Peter Riley from a company called Helite. His company has developed and introduced a new safety airbag jacket which works differently to those used in racing, and having seen the demonstration, I have to say that for someone who has been involved in the developing of new kit, this was one of the most impressive safety jackets I have ever seen. It is not cheap at £420 for the black and £450 for the hi viz, but seeing the level of protection it will afford riders in a bad crash, and bearing in mind that many people think nothing of spending £500 on their helmet or £1,000+ n leathers, given the level of protection this jacket will offer seems a small price to pay. Anyway, I thought you might be interested, further information is here at HELITE Motorcycle airbag jackets for light but effective protection - Helite Motorcycle airbag jacket
The vest looks like a good idea as you can put it over your leathers or goretex gear not bad for £450 if it does what it says !
Having seen it inflate, tried it on, given it a good prod and poke, and then worn it as it is inflated, I would be the most surprised person on the planet if it did not do as it says. What was impressive was the way it kept the body shape and prevents the body from twisting and contorting (which causes many of the spinal injuries) so it acted as a splint, plus the fact that there is also a Knox back protector built into or incorporated into it. I am not easily impressed by many of the brand names out there, and i very rarely get excited about new safety innovations, but this one really did impress
Given you insight into these matters I take that as high praise indeed thanks for taking the time to let us know about this bit of kit
Sorry to resurect an old post but just thought I'd add that I've just picked one of these up at the NEC. Very impressive demonstration and Peter was a great guy who really didn't try and do the hard sell at all. Not sure this'll get worn on Sunday blasts, but for the commutes and for track days I think it's a good thing to have on. Check out the vid: Airbag jacket from HELITE inflating around the World - YouTube I went for the all black version. Peter did a little deal on the price and gave me an additional lanyard for my other bike plus a spare gas cartridge, but obviously I hope it be the biggest waste of £400 I've ever spent as I hope to never have the cause to test it!
