RoadJunkie Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Well, ya don't need no stink'n Goldwing to enjoy the comfort and safety of a well-designed airbag!! No sir...check this out... Air Bag Solution? Link to comment
Mr_Ed Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Pah! Let me know when they have something that blows up so big that I'll look like a bubbleboy. Seriously though.. I'll be interested to see where this goes but I'll never be an early adopter. Link to comment
RFW Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 I always wanted to be the Michelin Man! Bob. Link to comment
MotoBoy Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Could have some possibilities, but I'd like to see some long-term data on crash survival before adopting. Like the BRS 'chutes on light aircraft, it takes a while bo build up a knowledge base regarding real-world performance at speed and on pavement. I wonder how strong the "bladders" are and what they're made of, and whether they deteriorate over long-term abrasion and heat of riding. Interesting concept, however. Oh, and one other thing. Often when I stop, I'm in a REAL hurry to make a beeline from the bike to the interior of e.g. a gas station, and leave the bike in a flash. I bet I wouldn't get a thousand miles before I'd trip this thing in a rush to get to the "facilities." Link to comment
red baron Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 I can see me inflating that thing every time I get off the bike ... how much do those little CO2 thingies cost? Link to comment
smiller Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 I wouldn't dismiss the concept out-of-hand but would question whether high-quality fixed armor (as is used now on premium rider wear) wouldn't be just as effective as well as a lot more practical. As was mentioned real-world crash data will be needed to tell the story. Link to comment
MRB Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Hi I am new to this forum but I actually use an air bag jacket. HIT AIR from Japan and they supply jackets to several police forces including the Japanese Police. HIT AIR japan They have had models available in Asia for some years now. They have done a lot of testing. No they don't go off by accident it takes a pull of 25-30kg and assuming the Kevlar bags stay intact they are reusable with a $20AU gas cylinder.I have just returned to riding after a break of 25 years and, having hit the road at 120kmph in the past, see this additional protection as good value. The " Hurt Report " analyzed 3,600 motorcycle traffic accidents and found that 75% involved a collision with another vehicle. The report also comments that the typical motorcycle accident allows the motorcyclist just less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance action. Leathers may help "gravel rash" but do little to help impact. This jacket inflates in less than one half a second with a collar around the neck, an "air splint" down the back, hips and chest. I figure if the Japanese motorcycle ploice use them ther is something in it? Link to comment
Gregori Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 If it takes a 25-30kg pull (~60 lbs +/-) to get the thing to trigger/disengage, I can anticipate a lot of folks puling their bikes over (possibly on top of themselves) at fuel stops, etc. The other issue I see if in a getoff, being tethered to the bike. Not the best scenario. If I DO go down, I want to be as far from the bike as I can. Half a second to deploy is fine if you're launched up and over the impact, away from the bike, and the vest has time to inflate before you hit - but a half second is an eternity. At only 60 mph, that's 44 feet of travel before the thing is inflated - more than 3 compact car lengths. (So, if a car tuns left in front of you, and you impact it, the vest wouldn't be inflated until you were already on the ground.) While I think that the concept is a good one, the current implememntation is more likely to hurt the user than to save them. I'd wait until the technology improves to the point where it incorporates inertial sensors in the bike, and has a much faster reaction/inflation time. Grins, Greg Link to comment
MRB Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 I have used these and yes, if you do forget to unclip the quick release you feel a solid tug (the lanyard has a coiled springy section)- ignore that and keep pulling and you will set it off or pull over a light motorcycle - if you really want to. Dianese (leathers) in Europe do have an electronic version of the air bag jacket with deceleration sensors on the bike but I prefer the simple lanyard - the electronics make me "nervous". With my jacket I received a DVD of information including several intentional "T" bone crashes (crazy Japanese!), slow motioned to see the inflation. The actual figure they quote for deployment is point 2 of a second. Bottom line -if they were any real concerns would they be in use by the Japanese Police, the Tiawanese police, Spanish police etc? Would they not look at all the data? Manufacturers of air bag motorcycle jackets include Sidi, Dianese and Rivet in Europe with several of them using the HIT AIR bag system in their own jackets. Anyway to each his own - I have no reason to convince anyone. They will not save you from every crash but I am very happy to use mine from the evidence I have seen. Link to comment
RoadJunkie Posted January 22, 2006 Author Share Posted January 22, 2006 The preferred approach to safety devices are those that are engineered such that no action is required by the user to arm or engage the protection. For example the air bag in your car takes no action to arm and is available when the car is driven. The seatbelts, on the other hand, are an administrative approach to safety which requires discipline in fastening the belt to take advantage of the safety benefits. How many times have you listened to the news where a fatality was attributed to the lack of wearing a seatbelt? Anyway, the air bag in a vehicle seems to be effective in most accidents because it has been heavily tested in situations that are typical of automobile accidents. I’m not sure there is a typical motorcycle accident–in that sense--because you are likely to be thrown into some unpredictable environment where abrasion, sharp objects, etc., would influence the type of protection needed. I don’t know how puncture or abrasive resistant the air vests are. As a question of process, it would appear that for all of the law enforcement agencies discussed, each time an officer mounted or dismounted their motorcycle they would have to be disciplined to detach or attach the trigger umbilical. The fits into the administrative approach to safety. Anyway, the concept is unique and very creative, and it is wise to consider alternate methods to improve safety. But I must agree with Interstitial on this one regarding an integrated inertial accelerometer system that would transparently trigger the air vest, that is, an engineered control. Link to comment
ednap Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Interesting concept and not a bad idea. What about when you don't get thrown from your bike though like a slide? Link to comment
Pat_Da_Geeeze_Donahue Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 I think what they've got here is *almost* a good idea. They just need to work on the configuration of those air bags. If they use 'em to line the sleeves just right they'll act like those inflatable splints the rescue squad carries. That way you can splint those broken bones almost as fast as you break 'em. These things could be useful though if you drive off a bridge and find yourself in the water. Pat <- has Goldwing, no airbag Link to comment
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