Motorcycle Airbag Vests: Your Inflatable Guardian

Gasp, screech, bang. If you hear that horrible series of sounds, you’re much better off in a car than on a motorcycle. At least in an automobile, you can rely on an airbag absorbing some of the impact. Honda put an on-board motorcycle airbag in the 2005 Gold Wing, but it was rather poorly executed.

Fortunately, technology has marched on since then, and personal motorcycle airbags are becoming increasingly common. MotoGP made airbags mandatory in 2018, and an increasing number of street (and more recently, off-road) riders are also donning airbags to protect themselves.

Yet, they are still not as ubiquitous as they should be. Let’s face it—motorcyclists can be image-conscious, and it’s hard enough to get some to put on a helmet, let alone an airbag.

One part of the issue, though, is that riders don’t always know how a small inflatable vest could possibly help them in a crash. Here, I’ll detail how personal motorcycle airbags work, take a look at the offerings of some of the largest manufacturers, and explain why you should wear one.