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Thread: Hit air

  1. #1
    Senior Member wickedchop's Avatar
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    Hit air

    Hey guys, do any of you own or have used a hit air vest or any other similar vest from another manufacturer? Going to be doing club racing this season and the boss (queenie) is pretty much mandating that I use one or don't race!!!! I've heard pretty much all good things and have been told if they were out years ago that the over the years injuries would have been way less substantial. They look constricting to me. Interested in your opinions. Thanks in advance......Alpinestars also makes a suit that has a built in air system but it's like a boat load of loot.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Cooter's Avatar
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    I saw them demo that Alpinestars air jacket. Bang! and your the stay-puft marshmallow man... I don't know much about the vest though, and I believe this tech is still in the learning stages. IMHO, I'd spring for the best full suit I could and wait for the V3.0 of the active stuff.

    I'm sure you and I agree that club racing is much safer than the street anyway

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    I wear a Hit-Air MLV vest for street riding and think it is great. I absolutely think that are great for the track. I think most if not all the pro racers use them now.

    I do believe impact injuries are the leading cause of death or long term injuries. We usually think abrasion resistance, which is import enough to me that I wear Motoport Kevlar gear (mesh in the spring, summer & fall, stretch in the winter). But impact injuries is what I am trying to minimize. In my last low speed low-side, which was over 10 years ago, I injured my shoulder, scrapped up my knee and stubbed my big toe. My shoulder still bugs me, my big toe looks funny (the old nail turned black and fell off), but I can't even remember where exactly I got rash on my knee.

    With that said, I do think the Alpinestars system is great, but it is pricey. The Hit-Air is very simple and I got it for 50% of retail from a rider getting out of riding. So it works well enough for me that I won't be upgrading in the near future. I think the Alpinestars unit works better than the tether on the H.A. vest, but the tether would work well enough in most crashes I believe. I may not do as well in a low-side. But I think it would work excellent in a high-side, which is exactly the place I would want it to work. It isolates the head and offers impact protection to the torso. Although, even in a low side, if it deployed a tad late, it will still help with secondary impacts (particularly on the street vs. track).

    You may also take a look at the Helite Turtle vest. That is the one I would buy today if I were in the market. It has a slightly faster reaction time and the built in back protector that goes outside the air vest. So it not only offers increased protection, but abrasion resistance for the actual air bladder.

    It works well enough, but does want to be in the same position as my messenger bag. The fix is to stop using the bag, but I love it for off the bike carrying of spare gloves, camera, etc. After my last tank bag got stolen off my bike, I'm hesitant to go back to one and keep my spare gloves in them.

    It is a tad warmer than riding without, especially in the summer, but I am in Arizona. It doesn't make a huge difference, but it is just noticeable. The vest snugs up the armor, preventing optimum airflow. But I do believe it is worth it for the potential impact protection it offers.

    Between the armor & abrasion resistance in my Motoport gear and the Hit-Air vest, I think I am about as reasonably protected as I can be. I also have the vest in Hi-Viz as I used to commute at the time I got it.

  4. #4
    Senior Member wickedchop's Avatar
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    Shaughn, I'd love to wait it out and let the industry catch up so prices go down, but my wife was at a riders meeting with me one morning when they had the demo and "sales pitch" so it's pretty much I just do track days without it and continue to listen to her nag me and I'll have to get it anyways!!! I'm going racing this season and that's that, and she ain't having it without the hit air vest so I'm beat either way...lol. She is mean to me!!! I don't know why she hates me. And yes club racing is waaaaaaay safer than the battlefields of the street. Yellowcarbon, that was some good info you laid on me, much appreciated, I'll continue to do my research, I'd like to borrow one at the track just to test it out, maybe that's an option, or get divorced...lol
    Last edited by wickedchop; 12-07-2017 at 09:16 PM.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Cooter's Avatar
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    Hey Wicked if she's mean to ya, you better keep her around. Not many diamonds like that left

  6. #6
    Senior Member wickedchop's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cooter View Post
    Hey Wicked if she's mean to ya, you better keep her around. Not many diamonds like that left
    Lol, she's cool as hell man. I'm just being a douche. She only wants me safe, any chic that gets up at 5 am and goes to the track w ya, helps ya set up in the pits and leans on a fence for 8 hrs and watches her dumb ass husband ride a superbike around a racetrack is a keeper!!!

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    That's pretty much what I think ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ !

    Except the part about the dumb ass husband riding a super bike around a race track. A man has to pursue his needs, going fast in and on bikes, boats planes, trains and automobiles, mountain climbing, hunting, fishing,etc.

    I hope to try what you do sometime before I die. Listen to her, she's smart !
    Last edited by njloco; 12-08-2017 at 01:59 AM.

  8. #8
    Senior Member wickedchop's Avatar
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    Ok, here is what we came up with after talking to numerous racers, track day gurus, coaches, and last but not least you guys. I'm gonna purchase the Aplinestars missile race suit, down the road i can purchase the integral tech air insert for that suit which will be about $2000, suit ,$1000, tech air insert $1000. If I choose not to buy the insert i can still purchase the hit air vest, so it's a win win all the way around. Thanks for the input guys it truly helped me make a good un rushed decision. Kenny, you have been down and seen what we do here, hopefully we can get you out again and maybe on the track this time.

  9. #9
    Senior Member wickedchop's Avatar
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    Well we pulled the trigger on the Alpinestars missile suit, the reason for this follow up post is this......If anyone is buying any gear in the future contact me or contact Justin from "Trackside parts club" at (914) 588-4638. Revzilla was $999.95 for the suit plus 8% sales tax. I called Justin who religiously supports us trackside at EVERY event and he is shipping me the same suit for $850 all in to the door!!!!!! I don't know about you guys but that's a substantial amount of money that can go to a rear tire, fuel, registration fees, etc. I'll post pics of the suit as soon as it lands

  10. #10
    Senior Member wickedchop's Avatar
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    IMG_20171221_170749.jpgIMG_20171221_170655.jpg Santa came early....lolIMG_20171221_170819.jpg


    Last edited by wickedchop; 12-21-2017 at 10:11 PM.

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