No one doubts at this point that the airbag for motorcyclists is a tremendously effective element of passive protection. Of course, its great handicap for implementation in the motorcycle world is, on the one hand, a high price and, on the other, the lack of versatility that made the most advanced airbags on the market directly linked to a jacket or suit.
That is why Alpinestars has been working on new solutions in this regard and has presented the new Tech-Air5 Plasma airbag, which continues the work of previous versions and provides complete coverage of the upper part of the body, protecting the chest, ribs, back and shoulders. .
To complete the protection, it includes a Nucleon Plasma back protector, which adds extra protection but, at the same time, maintains comfort and air flow. But the most important thing about this new Alpinestars airbag is not so much in what was mentioned above, but in the management system it has. Thanks to a new algorithm they have managed to make it prepared for three types of use: street, circuit and offroad.
This is an innovative solution that allows complete use of the airbag, regardless of the use being made of the motorcycle. It must be said that the system is a single charge, with the cylinder interchangeable by the user themselves. This does not mean that it can only be used once, but that once it is activated it is necessary to change the cylinder to have the protection again.
The new Tech-Air5 Plasma is much lighter
Another important aspect is weight, and the truth is that the new Tech-Air5 Plasma airbag is also an improvement over the rest of the options offered until now by the Italian firm. Its official weight is 1,530 grams which, according to those responsible for the brand, represents a weight reduction of 25% compared to the rest of the Tech-Air5 systems.
Regarding the operating system of the new Tech-Air5 Plasma, you only have to close the vest and close the magnetic flap. Then it will detect that it is time to operate, and for 30 hours of driving the system will be operational thanks to an integrated lithium-ion battery that will have to be recharged.
Thanks to this electrical energy, the electronic system with 6 sensors, 1 triaxial accelerometer and a triaxial gyroscope will monitor the situation and know when to deploy the airbag in the event of an accident.
In addition, through the control system you can choose between modes (street, race and off-road) that are changed by pressing a display button. As if all this were not enough, the new Alpinestars airbag has Bluetooth connectivity and thanks to the Tech-Air App it shows the operating status of the System, the status of the battery and a detailed driving analysis.
The launch price in the United States has been 789.95 dollars, about 768 euros at the current exchange rate.
