Airbag vests have come a long way since I started wearing them eight years ago. The primary evolution has been the introduction of electronic/battery powered airbag vests and the steady improvement of mechanical ones like this Spidi Air DPS.
In general, I prefer the simplicity of mechanical vests – there’s less to go wrong, so long as the rider simply remembers to buckle up before each ride. There are no batteries to degrade or to forget to recharge and no additional electronics to fail. However, other riders (especially those who get on and off the bike often, like delivery service providers) prefer the convenience of electronic vests.
Either way, the safety benefits of wearable airbags have now been confirmed by hundreds (if not thousands) of online testimonials by riders who have walked away from what should have been far more serious injuries after crashing. I’m a believer, as is the Rider staff, who now wear airbag vests on every test bike and press launch!
Spidi’s Air DPS vest is a mechanically actuated airbag that the rider wears over their usual jacket. Once aboard, a coiled wire leash attached to the motorcycle is snapped to a matching tether on the vest. If the rider is ejected from the motorcycle, the tether on the vest is violently pulled, activating a piston, which then punctures an integrated 60cc CO2 cartridge. The released gas then inflates a 26-liter series of air chambers, which wrap the rider’s neck, back, chest, and hips, insulating the rider from whatever their torso is going to hit when they land.
The whole process takes all of 0.2 second – a fraction of the blink of an eye.
Quality of construction and materials is excellent. Two beefy, glove-actuated clips hold the vest firmly in place over any jacket, and the straps themselves are adjustable to fit any size, from svelte to bulky. The aforementioned CO2 cartridge, piston, and tether cord assembly reside on the lower right side of the vest, hidden by a zippered access cover.
The black exterior shell is comprised of Spidi’s TexTech fabric, with high-viz swatches on the front and generous gray reflective stripes throughout for added conspicuity at night. A Level 1 back protector pad is included in a dedicated pouch for supplementary protection. Out on the road, the Air DPS is a comfortable companion, and at only 2lbs total, it never feels unwieldy.
I activated it to test coverage, and all the vital organs on the body’s front are covered. The neck is held firmly in position, and the air chambers inflate all the way from the chest and ribcage down to the hips and pelvic region. After triggering the canister, the vest self-discharged the gas within approximately 8 minutes. Don’t worry about accidentally activating the inflation process – the tether requires an extremely strong pull, not something that a rider can typically do by getting off the bike and forgetting to unbuckle it.
Read all of Rider’s apparel reviews here.
The vest configuration allows the rider to use whichever jacket fits the specific riding occasion. Likewise, the Spidi is fairly breathable and did not significantly block airflow during hot summer riding. So long as the rider remembers to clip the tether to the bike on each ride, they can rest assured of a substantially higher level of protection than a jacket alone in the event of the unexpected.
The Spidi Air DPS vest carries an MSRP of $699.90 and is certified according to the EN 1621-4:2013 FB European standard that governs motorcycle airbag garments.
These are a licensing of Hit Air vests. I’d also look at their site for variations on the theme.
Can it be “re-used” after deployment? Is the fabric stretched and/or damaged upon inflation? I like the idea of inflatable protection, but why does it have to be so expensive? The tech has been out for a decade now. When does pricing reflect this, considering many companies now offer similar products? I thought competition would lower prices, obviously not. Price gouging, anyone?
Hi Craig-
Although I haven’t personally crashed in an airbag vest, my understanding is that this Spidi model can be reused after inflation, so long as the damage to it isn’t catastrophic (e.g., the fabric is torn open, etc.) Some discretion is wise in making that decision.
As for pricing, good quality gear always has been and probably always will be expensive. This is a high end, niche market type of product – and as I always tell gear skeptics, compared to hospital bills, good gear is downright cheap!
It does seem high, but It’s the price of a high/mid level helmet or jacket. My guess is that the volume of sales aren’t there yet for prices to come down. That said, a mechanically identical vest can be had from Hit Air for about $100 less.