How airbag vests work
An airbag vest looks like a regular riding vest or jacket. The difference is inside: a folded airbag and a CO2 cartridge built into the garment. When the system detects a fall or collision, the airbag is fully inflated in under 100 milliseconds.
- Under 100ms
- From trigger to fully inflated
- 17 to 28L
- Airbag volume, depending on the vest
- Under 2 min
- To re-arm the vest after a deployment
Faster than a blink
That's how quickly the airbag inflates. By the time you make contact with the ground or another vehicle, it is already fully inflated.
The speed of inflation is not a marketing claim. It determines whether the protection is actually in place when you need it. A slower system might still be inflating when you reach the ground.
Helite airbags inflate in under 100 milliseconds, which means the vest is fully deployed before impact in virtually all fall scenarios.
What the airbag protects
Helite airbags are designed to cover the body's most vulnerable areas in a crash: the cervical spine (neck), back, abdomen, thorax (chest), hips and sacrum.
Standard armoured jackets protect some of these areas with foam or hard plate armour. An airbag vest adds a layer of coverage that absorbs and distributes impact force across a much larger surface.
Why airbag volume matters
More gas in the airbag means the vest maintains effective pressure across a larger area at the moment of impact. Helite sizes the CO2 cartridge to the vest, so smaller riders get a correctly calibrated system, not an oversized one that's under-pressurised.
- 60cc
- Cartridge inflates to 17 litres of protection
- 100cc
- Cartridge inflates to 28 litres of protection
A rigid shell over the airbag
Several Helite vests include Turtle Technology: a rigid SAS-TEC Level 2 back protector fitted over the airbag. This combination works like a helmet. A hard outer layer distributes force and a soft inner layer absorbs it.
In independent testing by CRITT Sport, Turtle Technology distributed force from a localised impact (like a post or mirror) 10 times more effectively than a standard airbag alone. The rigid protector also shields the airbag from puncture by sharp objects.
Two deployment systems
- Mechanical
- A lanyard connects you to your motorcycle. The airbag deploys if you're separated from the bike in a fall.
- Electronic
- Onboard sensors detect fall patterns automatically, with no physical connection to the bike required.
Not sure which suits your riding? The comparison guide walks through the differences.
After a deployment
All Helite vests are reusable. No repairs, no service centre visit. Under two minutes, and you're ready to ride.
- Unscrew the empty CO2 cartridge
- Fit a new one of the same capacity
- Fold the airbag back in
- Close the vest
Ready to find your vest?
Browse the motorcycle range, or use Find your fit to check your size first.