A really nice safety feature to have when traveling by car is obviously the fact that you have airbags surrounding yourself to keep you protected in the event of a crash. Unfortunately for us with taste best suited to wind and speed, that key feature has been missing until recent years, and even then it comes at quite the premium. Alpinestars has been leading the pack when it comes to motorcycle airbag vests, and their premiere Tech-Air 5 is coming into 2021 with some important updates to make living with a motorcycle airbag vest a little bit easier.
Nothing has changed when it comes to the actual integration of the product into your rides. The vest is still worn under your regular protective jacket and in the event of a collision, the six onboard sensors will monitor the impact and deploy the airbag if necessary.
This year, however, the vest will (obviously) connect with your smartphone via Bluetooth. Before this model, the previous iterations were locked to “Street Riding Mode” through the app, but now you have access to ‘Race Mode’ when you get to the track. When changing modes, the algorithm for crash detection changes and makes the vest more suited for track/road use depending on the mode that you choose.
If you’re lucky enough to live close to a Certified Tech-Air Service Center, the 2021 update also comes with an ‘Inflators Only’ option that will allow for the replacement of the argon canisters for $179. Beyond the canister swapping, the service repair techs will also be able to inspect, clean, and even replace the airbags at an additional cost.
The Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 will be available at official retailers with an MSRP of $699.95.