Jackets with airbags!

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Dave20046

What the hell's the gas canister made of? Surely not metal, 60cc is relatively large isn't it?

60cc could be contained in a cylinder with diameter roughly 3cm and length of roughly 8.5cm

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

60cc could be contained in a cylinder with diameter roughly 3cm and length of roughly 8.5cm

That's a fair size for a solid object to do some damage in a crash but I'd hope they've though this out and put it on the other side of the cushioning or something

Originally Posted by dyziowg

Or they could combine the two, and create a airbag type hedge which pops up on the front of your bike

Hehe, I think you're onto something there

Making it compulsory is going a bit far. Your jacket will have to form part of the MOT Test to ensure your bottle is full.

I will need at least 6 canisters as it will take me an age to learn to disconnect my rip cord before I get off.

[mister c]

The guy with the Duke had the same injuries as me. How could a jacket with air bags stop you from breaking your pelvis?
Ok, anything above the waist then it could be useful. Maybe they will bring out airbag pants & gloves then we will be totally protected lol.

[ophic]

I can see the news reports now.

"Fallen biker bounces in front of oncoming lorry..."

If they make airbag underpants i'll definitely be buying some of those!

Originally Posted by Dave20046

Ditto

And we make up 1-2% of traffic on the roads! I hate that statistic.

look at it this way... we dont account for 80% of deaths and whats more the do not link the statistics of bikers Killed by cars. because that would make car driver look bad.

Something in life has got to get you. I would welcome this new jacket, but NOT to make it law.. imagine riding in the thing in winter..

Is it resetable?

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by ophic

If they make airbag underpants i'll definitely be buying some of those!

you can get similar results for a fraction of the cost by stuffing a rolled up sock down there...

[Stu]

Apologies for the long post, but as I have been using one for over a year I'll try & answer as much as poss

Originally Posted by L3nny

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/te...00/7886427.stm

Looks like it could be a good thing, although i wonder how many people would set them off by accident.

I've set it off by accident at least 3 or 4 times and once in a collision. In the collision I had already braked to a virtual standstill before colliding with the car that had crossed my path, I dropped the bike, it inflated but did not save me from any injury as I was not going to sustain any in that case.

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

i like how you're not legally required to wear anything but a helmet and they're calling for jackets with airbags to be made compulsory...

Think how long it took seat belts to be compulsory after they were invented, what, 50 years? Airbags in cars are still not compulsory I think there's no chance of motorbike airbags becoming law in our lifetimes.

Originally Posted by missyorkie_chris

Are people gonna want to fork out so much dosh even though it's for their own protection? Gear is costly enough but then again you can't put a price on life

My Jacket cost £99 the replacement air cartridges are £1.78 plus vat & postage (so just over £3) - otherwise the jacket is as good as anyother textile jkt, 100% waterproof (well the lifejacket inside has to hold air so it's going to be waterproof, not breathable but never get any trapped moisture inside the jacket, removable thermal lining, padded elbows no back protection)

Originally Posted by Dave20046

If someone could prove to me that they are indeed safer and are definitely not going to do more harm than good, are practical, and they aren't going to be OTT expensive then I'd be interested in replacing my textile jacket with one (I take it they haven't made decent leathers with them.).

I don't see how they could ever do more harm than anyother textile - just the hassle of clipping the tether (think putting on your seatbelt in a car)

Originally Posted by orose

The annoying thing about the vid is that it doesn't mention whether the guy had any sort of back protection on. If the jacket he was wearing was the same as the one he was wearing during the event, I'd doubt he was - it probably came with one of those daft foam pads instead.

No back protection in mine, I always wear an additional back protector - this is similar to high priced leathers AFAIK

Originally Posted by Dave20046

If it's fully waterproof then I'll be tempted...just wait for the price to come down a bit or for them to become mainstream. What the hell's the gas canister made of? Surely not metal, 60cc is relatively large isn't it?

Yes metal, mine are 38grams of CO2 not ideal but it's positioned over a fleshy part of your stomach should save you more than harm you easily

Originally Posted by Dave20046

That's a fair size for a solid object to do some damage in a crash but I'd hope they've though this out and put it on the other side of the cushioning or something

Not sure, I'll check, possibly

Originally Posted by Mogs

Making it compulsory is going a bit far. Your jacket will have to form part of the MOT Test to ensure your bottle is full.

I will need at least 6 canisters as it will take me an age to learn to disconnect my rip cord before I get off.

You soon learn - it can take a fair pull without inflating which reminds you.

My mum recorded that for me this morning on the news. I wish she didn't have to see the statistics though...

I've seen a video a little while back where they test something similar at about 20mph. I'm not convinced it will actually be effective at 70mph unless i see it. They can't have much confidence in their product only going up to 20mph.

I also don't think it's practical. You could forget its attached to the bike, and when you get up you would puff up lke a blowerfish.