Alpinestars Tech-Air 3 is the latest addition to Alpinestars lineup of airbag systems. The vest is positioned for use by urban commuters and touring riders.
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Unlike Tech-Air 5, Tech-Air 3 is designed to be worn over or inside a motorcycle jacket. Compared to the Tech-Air 5’s $749.95 price tag, the Tech-Air 3 retails for $599.95, making it the most affordable, self-contained airbag system from Alpinestars for now.
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Like its more expensive counterpart, the Tech-Air 3 combines three gyroscopes and three accelerometers to detect a crash. The sensors communicate with the vest’s ECU every millisecond. That’s 1,000 calculations per second and 3.6 million calculations over the course of an hour’s ride. According to Alpinestars, when a collision is detected, the jacket will inflate for 50 milliseconds, or a fifth of a second. Tech-Air 3’s street-only algorithm is built to even detect a crash while the vehicle is stopped, such as being hit from behind while at a stop light.
The Tech-Air 3’s box needs to be replaced after each deployment, while the air duct is reusable up to three times. Replacing a canister is $99 at participating Alpinestars dealers, while the cost of replacing both the canister and the air tank is $199. The same replacement cost on the Tech-Air 5 is $179 and $299 respectively. Some of the extra cost of 5 could be due to its extra amount of protection. Where both 3 and 5 cover the rider’s back, chest, and collarbone, the number 5 also protects the rider’s ribs, shoulders, and upper arms.
Both 3 and 5 are compatible with the Alpinestars Tech-Air app, allowing you to quickly check battery life, among other functions. Along these lines, the 3 boasts 40 hours of battery life compared to the 5’s 30. Charging the trio is a simple matter of simply connecting a USB-C cable to an easily accessible port inside the chest. left side of the vest. In terms of added safety, the 5 comes with a included CE level 1 back protector while the 3 only offers a pocket for one.
Alpinestars Tech-Air 3: Outside vs Inside
A key feature of the Tech-Air 3 is the versatility of wearing the vest over the riding jacket as well as inside. The outer shell of the vest is water-resistant, and the ECU and electronics are housed in a waterproof pocket. All the functional elements of the vest are removable so that the vest can be washed. If worn inside a riding jacket, Alpinestars recommends 1.6 inches of space around the rider’s torso for the inflators to inflate properly.
For the men, the Tech-Air 3 comes in black and gold colorways, while the Stella for women is currently only available in black. All vests have reflective stripes above the shoulders, but high-visibility yellow is the obvious choice for conspicuousness. The vest doesn’t offer any internal pockets, but does have an outer zippered pocket on the bottom right.
Tech-Air 3 offers drivers the benefits of airbag protection without the added cost of replacing a tight jacket that doesn’t provide the necessary interior space. However, there are some limitations when it comes to external use. For one, it is an aesthetic eye. Plus, the vest includes all the convenient pockets your riding jacket has to offer. More importantly, in the event of a crash, your riding jacket will most likely protect the vest from road-mark damage if worn under it, while if worn outside, a riding jacket as well. and the vest will be damaged.
Plus, you’ll feel warm wearing the Tech-Air 3. Even with a vest worn underneath a full mesh jacket on a day in the mid-’70s, temperatures have risen dramatically. In the area of safety and comfort, the balance and water-resistant construction of the Tech-Air 3 equals less airflow.
Aside from the insulation downside, the Tech-Air 3 vest is very comfortable to wear over or under a riding jacket. The carrying case is ergonomically designed to follow the contours of the rider’s body, but since it’s the heaviest element of the vest, it won’t go unnoticed as it sits on the back of the rider’s left rear hip.
The very user-friendly jacket automatically activates via magnetic closures, then randomly notifies the wearer of the system’s readiness. Discarding the system is as important as interacting with it because a series of false positives or even a friendly slap in the rear while leaving the motorcycle can trick the ECU into decoding the event as a crash. touch and join the system. So we recommend unpacking the jacket whenever you’re not riding to bypass any false deployments and save yourself from a $99 blunder.
Is Tech-Air 3 worth it? According to Alpinestars, this system reduces the force exerted on the driver’s body by up to 95%. If it’s important to wear a vest over your daily riding jacket, it’s the only game in town from Alpinestars. If the external option isn’t necessary, for just $150 more, the Tech-Air 5 offers additional airbag protection for the driver’s ribs, shoulders, and upper arms, and comes with Traditional back protector. 5’s algorithm can also switch between street and track. As mentioned, however, the Tech-Air 5 repair is twice as expensive, which makes the Tech-Air 3 a much more affordable alternative.
