Motorcyclists are masters of risk. We were happy to sit a few inches away from the hot engine, fully exposed to the elements, and with no shrinkage between us and neighboring Suburban. At the same time, most of us wear helmets, armored jackets, long pants, boots, and gloves — our bodies may be in the wind, but we’re not completely wary of the wind. . That makes the prospect of a motorcycle airbag jacket like the Alpinestars Tech-Air 3 interesting. After all, it seems to hit the perfect mid-point: comfortable, unobtrusive, yet still 9 times more protective of even the best conventional chest and back pads. Objectively, it’s a smarter, safer way to drive — but it’s not your only protective device.
Full disclosure: Alpinestars sent me this Tech-Air 3 airbag jacket to review in the bustling urban environment of Brooklyn, NY. I’ve worn it on highways and streets, from the smoothest sidewalk New York can offer to the worst, cracked and broken cobblestones.
Comfort and convenience
The Alpinestars Tech-Air 3 vest is extremely comfortable. I wouldn’t wear it as a pajamas, but it’s lighter than you’d expect. In fact, I took it to Jalopnik’s office one day and carried it around, and every writer who has tried it on commented that it wasn’t too ostentatious to wear. The air tank that inflates the vest, the computer that controls it, and all the other hardware are neatly tucked away. Put your waistcoat over your leather riding jacket, and you’ll forget it’s there.
That is until you reach for a bag. Worn as an outer layer, Tech-Air 3 blocks any external features on the jacket you’re wearing underneath. The vest has a separate pocket – not exactly a fair exchange for all the pockets, vents, straps, pads, and MOLLE panels on my most technical riding outfit. (Then again, this can be a boon if, like me, you happen to be wearing a perforated leather jacket on a 34-degree day and need something to block the cold wind.)
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Of course, the problem can be completely avoided by wearing the Tech-Air 3 inside your existing jacket. Alpinestars markets some jackets as “Tech-Air Compatible,” but any jacket that allows for 1.6 inches of internal clearance will allow the Tech-Air t0 jacket to perform well.
all system can be managed through the option The Alpinestars Tech-Air smartphone app, works more reliably than most device control apps I’ve tried. It allows you to turn the airbag jacket on or off, check the jacket’s battery level, and even track your driving route.tes, as long as you remember to stop and start tracking for each ride. The app also handles any firmware updates that Alpinestars may send your way, all through the vest’s Bluetooth connection.
It turns out that battery control is important. Alpinestars claims the Tech-Air 3’s battery life is 40 hours, but be careful how quickly the vest drains its battery when it’s left on but not worn. Twice, I intended to wear the airbag to drive and ended up leaving it at home, running out of juice. After the second I started to leave it constantly on the charger between moves.
Protection
Alpinestars claims the Tech-Air 3 inflates in 50 milliseconds and disperses the impact nine times as well as the usual CE Grade 2 rated back protector. Luckily, I didn’t test that impact absorption myself; I usually try to keep the rubber side down when cycling. At the volume that Tech-Air 3 inflates, I believe Alpinestars’ claim — it’s like bubble wrap for your body.
Of course, there’s another reason I’m so glad I never had to test the Tech-Air 3:’s inflation potential: Replacing a vest isn’t trivial. The system needs to be shipped back to Alpinestars, which charges $99 per cartridge for replacement. If your crash punctures the vest’s airbag or shatters it, it’ll cost you $199 to replace it—all plus the $599 purchase price of the vest itself.
However, there’s a bigger problem with the Tech-Air 3’s protection than cost. See, we have data from motorcycle crashes detailing exactly how people get injured when they go down: A study called MAIDS, based on crash data in Europe. MAIDS tells us that, for a driver’s chest, abdomen and spine, half of the injuries were “minor,” a category that includes “lacerations or abrasions.” One might reasonably expect, in the low-speed city environment that Tech-Air 3 is designed for, that the majority of incidents would be considered “minor”. And that kind of injury requires abrasion resistance rather than impact absorption.
Alpinestars, to its credit, claims in Tech-Air 3 . User Manual that thing “Although the Tech-Air 3 System is certified against abrasion, we recommend using it in conjunction with additional protective clothing.“A deeper exploration of that volume reveals that Tech-Air 3 is rated by the Standard EN17092-6, including protective outerwear or bras designed to be used in conjunction with other jackets. Test Criteria used on vest, EN1621-4, Measure the impact attenuation of the vest but not its wear resistance. Tech-Air 3 maybe protects you from road rashes, but the certification powers are simply untested.
And, of course, you will only be protected on your torso. MAIDS Data showed a higher rate of injury in the rider’s upper extremities — your precious arm that, by definition, no vest can protect. For both abrasion resistance and preserving your most useful limbs, Tech-Air 3 is best used as an additional piece of clothing, working in conjunction with an abrasion-resistant jacket.
Should you buy the Tech-Air 3?
Tech-Air 3 is a protective garment whose effectiveness is measurable, empirical, and unavailable when it comes to impact protection. But we motorcyclists face all kinds of threats to our bodies and this vest can’t solve them all. So the question “Should you buy this vest,” is not one that I can answer for you. It will depend on your commute, your driving environment, and your own propensity for risky behaviour.
If your bike is your daily commute, then you probably already have a jacket with a favorite slip rating. In that case, buy a vest – it will actually make you safer, and at this point, what’s another piece of clothing? If you’re a touring racer, someone who doesn’t wear an inflation-restricted backpack, buy a vest. It can be worn over your regular device, unlike Alpinestars Tech-Air 5, the next step in the airbag ladder, providing more comprehensive coverage and solid back protection. And if you’re a sports car racer, you should definitely pick up the Tech-Air 5, where the extra bulge areas around your torso are well worth the extra $150.
But if you’re putting together your first set of gear on a budget, don’t buy the Tech-Air 3 for the first time. That $600 can get you a great armored jacket, made of wear-resistant materials and equipped with impact-resistant pads at all your vulnerable spots. If you’re only going to buy one piece of gear, a good jacket will protect you more in a variety of crashes than the Tech-Air 3 on its own. Adventurous riders should also pause until Alpinestars offers a more terrain-friendly option with longer battery life and more stable neckline bulge.
For most riders, Tech-Air 3 is a safer way to drive – no doubt. But its protection is limited enough, both in terms of scope and area, that it’s not the only layer of safety you can put on. However, wear it over a real jacket and one day you might appreciate the protection it offers.
