Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma review | Honest airbag deployment testing

Date reviewed: October 2025 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: £699.99 (RRP) | gb.alpinestars.com

If you’re considering buying the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma on review here, the protective performance of it must surely be one of your main considerations. But nothing I’ve read or watched has mentioned the fact that the chest area is not certified for any level of protection, so is it really as good as some might claim?

I’ve deployed the Tech-Air 5 Plasma, taken it apart and lab-tested the chest to find out how much safety it can potentially provide compared to other motorcycle airbags, including those from Alpinestars. I’ve also worn it on a 2019 BMW R1250GS and a 2001 Honda VFR800 to see how comfortable it is and whether the claims of breathability really stand up…

To properly understand the certification standards used, and to choose the most protective, please visit our guide to the best motorcycle airbags here.

Pros & Cons

Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 protection at a glance

Understanding the protection offered by any motorcycle airbag is important but can be confusing with two different safety standards. The full guide to airbags explains the test methods and protection in more detail, but this is what you need to know first:

• Product: Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma

• Trigger method: Electronic

• Suitable for use over other kit: No

• Suitable for use under other kit: Yes

• Certified to EN1621-4: Chest: No | Back: Level 1

• Certified to CRITT: No

Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma features

Alpinestars has certainly advanced the comfort, features and performance available on motorcycle airbags with the Tech-Air 5 Plasma. It now uses just one inflator (the previous-generation Tech-Air 5 used two), and it’s a lot more compact and easy to wear under your other riding kit.

The TA5 Plasma has three algorithms as standard, so you don’t have to pay any more money to switch between ‘street’, ‘off-road’ and ‘race’ modes to suit where you ride…

• Street mode will see Tech-Air 5 Plasma trigger when exposed to crashes into obstacles or vehicles, when struck while stationary and during low- and high-sides. If you crash into a car or other object head-on or at an angle of up to 45° to either side, it should still deploy. The system arms after 10 seconds of continuous riding and stays armed until you either take it off, or manually shut it down by holding the button on the waist for five seconds.

• Race mode arms after 10 seconds of riding, and disarms itself after you’ve stopped for ‘about 20-30 seconds’. This delay in arming does mean that you’re potentially vulnerable to a crash during the start of a race. It still detects high- and low-sides, as well as crashes into other objects or vehicles, but it won’t detect being hit while stationary.

• Off-road mode is designed for use on what Alpinestars describes as ‘unpaved surfaces like gravel, riverbeds, mud and other natural terrain.’ That easily covers the kind of gentle green-lanes I ride, and should provide protection for users looking to tackle the Trans European Trail (TET), but it’s not going to be suitable for motocross use. Alpinestars states that situations the Tech-Air 5 Plasma’s off-road algorithm would not consider a loss of control leading to deployment are jumps, obstacles, sudden turns, pushing the bike, wheelies, bumps and standing up.
  High- and low-sides, along with crashes into other objects or vehicles are still covered, but not when being struck at a standstill. And impacts into other things are limited to hitting them straight on only, not at an angle as in street mode.
  You can see an interesting demonstration of the Tech-Air 5 Plasma’s off-road algorithm in this Alpinestars-sponsored video.

You can change riding modes in the app (available for iOS and Android), or by pressing the button on the waist for two seconds.

The Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 is a significant advance in worn airbag technology, but it has come with a compromise to protection…

Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma inflation test

Test carried out with standard canister and remote firing cable

Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma protection and certification

Like all the motorcycle airbags that we’ve independently tested and reviewed, the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 could provide some valuable cushioning in the event of a crash, but the protection it can offer beyond that – for instance when striking the edge of a road sign, fence or rocks on a trail – is demonstrably inferior to that of the recommended systems we’ve reviewed (including many from Alpinestars).

Choosing the best airbag FOR YOU has to be based on your own, considered research. Over-zealous influencers or opinionated shop assistants who don’t really understand what riders want are best ignored. In a world of ‘alternative truths’ – and when you’re spending £700 on something that has the sole purpose of protecting you – it’s never been more important that you take the time to understand what you’re buying, so you can make an informed choice for yourself.

Before investing in any motorcycle airbag, please have a look at the Bennetts BikeSocial guide to the best airbags as it’s 100% independent and unbiased, with detailed explanations of the pros and cons of each system. But to put is as simply as possible...

• To be described as ‘protective’, ALL motorcycle kit MUST (by law) be tested and certified to a recognised standard. It helps you choose while considering the level of protection provided.

• There are TWO different standards used for testing airbags. One is EN1621-4 that tests for narrow-object impacts and is used by Alpinestars, Dainese, MotoAirBag and others across Europe. It’s also the same test methodology as used when testing all passive armour. The other is the French CRITT standard, which only tests for flat impacts (like falling flat on the road without hitting anything else) and is used by French brands In&Motion and Helite.

• Based on testing, airbags that are certified to EN1621-4 will also pass CRITT with very high scores, but airbags that are only certified to CRITT do not tend to pass EN1621-4 without additional passive protection.

The EN17092-6 ‘C’ and ‘U’ mean it’s an armour carrier to be worn under your other gear. EN161-2 FB 1 means it’s got a Level 1 passive back protector, and Airbag 1 FB means it has an Airbag Level 1 bladder that covers the Full Back.

While Alpinestars uses the impact requirements of EN1621-4 to certify the protection of its airbags, the Tech-Air 5 Plasma is only rated to Airbag Level 1, and that only applies to the back. This is how it compares to a passive back-protector and other systems, like the Tech-Air 3 (smaller numbers are better):

To put those numbers into some perspective, in the repeatable methodology used to lab test for impact protection against narrow objects (the striker is sometimes called a ‘kerbstone striker’), if the 50 Joules of energy delivered in the drop test was allowed to hit the striker directly, it’s calculated that 100kN of force would be transferred. So to massively simplify things…

• A Level 2 passive back protector could reduce the impact energy reaching your body to 9% or less

• A Level 1 airbag could reduce it to 4.5% or less

• A Level 2 airbag could reduce it to 2.5% or less

As you can see from the label above, the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma is only certified to airbag Level 1 on the back. That’s still very good, and offers much more protection than passive armour can alone, but it’s not as impressive as the Alpinestars Tech-Air 3. Or the original Tech-Air 5. Or indeed any other EN1621-4 Level 2 certified airbag.

More concerning is that the Tech-Air 5 Plasma’s chest protection IS NOT CERTIFIED at all.

When I deployed the Plasma I thought that the lack of certification at the front could be due to the large gap between the two panels (the standard states that the maximum space between divided chest protectors must be no more than 40mm) but I did notice that the airbag bladder felt relatively soft compare to others I’ve tested, so I took it back to the independent lab where I carried out the testing for the motorcycle airbags video.

Lab testing the Tech-Air 5 Plasma’s chest using the EN1621-2 impact criteria

Using the same criteria, the chest protection of the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma reduced a narrow object impact to 51.1kN in a single strike.

This has to be treated as what’s called ‘indicative testing’, but it does allow us to compare products that – for whatever reason – have not been certified.

In summary, the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma – based on testing – appears to offer the following protection

• Airbag Level 1 impact protection at the back

• Cushioning over a limited area of the chest

• Cushioning over a small area of the rear sides of the ribs

• Cushioning at the shoulders

Personally, I would only wear the Tech-Air 5 Plasma with additional passive protection over the chest on top of the airbag, which would help to reduce the injuries that could be caused by narrow object impacts likely to occur both on road and off.

Look closely at the size of the inflated channels

The photos above show the coverage offered by the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma when inflated. As you can see, the actual channels that provide the protection are fairly small.

The shoulder pads could help in a fall onto your side, and the protection at the front could be valuable if striking the flat road. But hit a rock or a post and the protection here is extremely limited. Personally, I’d rather risk my shoulders, but better protect my vital organs.

Inflation is fast, but keep in mind that any system takes a fraction of a second to reach full pressure, and Alpinestars does clearly state that if you hit something at 31mph (50km/h) or more the airbag may not be fully deployed by the time your body hits what you ran into. This is the same for any system, and you shouldn’t let it dissuade you as it’s often the things you hit after being launched off the bike that can cause the injury.

In urban environments there’s a good chance you’ll have scrubbed a surprising amount of speed off before hitting a car that’s pulled out on you, for instance. Higher speeds will likely see you thrown from the bike and hitting other things after a very short spell in the air, by which point the 200 milliseconds it takes to fully deploy will be more than enough. Being realistic, if you ride into something head-on at speed and you hit that object (like the front of a truck), there’s not much any kit can do. But that’s no reason to not protect yourself from what are the far more likely scenarios.

The Tech-Air 5 Plasma has a deflation port on the bottom of the blader

Any motorcycle airbag must stay inflated for at least five seconds in order to pass certification, and to ensure it offers full protection for the foreseeable duration of a crash. Most stay inflated for a lot longer to protect against secondary impacts, including being hit by another vehicle after your crash is over.

The Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma deflates faster than any other airbag I’ve tested. So fast in fact that I contacted Alpinestars thinking there was a fault with my system, but they assured me that it’s operating normally.

From April 21 2018, all new motorcycle clothing is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. For more information on the new laws, click here.

Can you wear the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma with a rucksack?

While not stated in the instructions, I would expect the Tech-Air 5 Plasma to be fine with a rucksack as long as it’s not carrying more than 6kg and there’s space under the straps for the airbag to inflate.

You shouldn’t wear packs with straps fastened across the chest, though as long as these are left open there should be space. Furygan has recently announced the ADV20L+ and ADV 28L+ packs, which have elastic on the bottom of the straps that means they’re designed for use with many airbags (we haven’t reviewed one yet).

You shouldn’t take the Plasma apart, but I did so you can see what’s inside

Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma Trigger method

The Tech-Air 5 Plasma is an entirely self-contained electronic system with an algorithm developed from the company’s extensive race experience, as well as from data gathered in testing and from deployed customer units.

The main control unit is tucked safely away in the box beside the canister and contains a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope. Arming is a simple matter of zipping the front up, where the strong magnetic catch automatically engages (as well as with Velcro) and you get strong vibration through the chest indicating that it’s armed and ready. This is a notable improvement over the Tech-Air 3’s arming system, which can move around a little in use and needs to be properly positioned to ensure a good connection.

Can you accidentally trigger the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma?

Any airbag system has the potential to fire accidentally, but most have been refined so much by now that it’s very unlikely.

I deliberately ride over the very worst roads I can find – forcing me to be thrown out of the saddle at times – and haven’t had one deploy accidentally this way. That’s not to say it can’t happen, but it is important to ensure any system is kept up to date.

In the very unlikely event that it did deploy by accident, you can replace the cannister yourself. If the data showed it was an error of the system it would likely be covered under warranty.

Fitting the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5

The Tech-Air 5 Plasma must be worn UNDER your other riding kit. It’s well protected in the case of any water getting through your jacket (even if it’s mesh and you’re caught in a storm), but it has no abrasion resistance.

Alpinestars says the TA5 Plasma can be worn with any motorcycle riding gear as long as there’s space for the airbag after it’s been deployed. Ideally it’ll be a jacket with stretch areas that are designed for airbag use, but you can check by measuring the circumference of your chest in centimetres to give ‘A’, and the width of the outer jacket’s chest in the same area in (so from one side to the other, not all the way around) to give ‘B’. Now divide A by 2 and add 16. If B is larger than the result, the jacket’s fine to wear over the Tech-Air 5 Plasma: B≥ 0.5xA + 16.

If you’re still using inches, the formula is half of A plus 6.3, and if you’re in any doubt you can download the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 owner’s manual instructions here.

You must NOT wear any airbag under one-piece leathers unless they’re designed for it – the resulting wedgie could be very serious indeed.

This is the inflated Tech-Air 5 Plasma airbag bladder

Comfort on and off the bike

The Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma is a big improvement in wearability over the much bulkier previous-generation Tech-Air 5. I’ve got my usual size large and have no problem wearing it over a technical top / baselayer (cotton tees will soon get sweaty and stinky), or a thermal baselayer like the Zerofit Heatrub, and it fits great under most of my jackets.

While the Plasma is undoubtedly more lightweight and comfortable than its predecessor, there has been some misinformation put out about its breathability, with suggestions of ‘dozens of holes within the construction’ supposedly allowing ‘air to reach the body’ through the bag itself.

Here you can see approximately how much of the body is covered by the bladder when it’s not inflated.

Let’s be clear: no airbag can be breathable or it couldn’t hold the gas needed to inflate it, but the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma’s bladder does have holes in some areas that allow air to pass through to some extent. On the back there are ten holes, each 6mm in diameter, though all but three of these are blocked by the passive back protector over the top, which only has ventilation at the very top and bottom.

There’s also a 4mm hole in the centre of each shoulder protector, but there are no holes at all in the chest of the Plasma’s airbag.

This is one of the holes in the back of the TA5 Plasma

Compared to some airbags, the Tech-Air 5 Plasma leaves a lot more of your body exposed to airflow (by providing less coverage), but remember that it’s all kept tight against the body at the chest. Though a little thicker than the Plasma, the Held eVest Pro has a very breathable construction, larger airbag coverage and also gives the option of additional passive protection on the chest, which significantly improves things. In&Motion's pricing of the control box makes this less tempting than it could be sadly.

To dismiss airbags that are worn over your other kit as too hot is naive – while they will of course block vents, those with a decent 3D mesh all over the inside (like MotoAirBag and In&Motion) can provide a surprising amount of air movement. Also, it’s possible to flex your shoulders forwards when riding with a vest over the top of other gear to get a good blast of air down the front of your jacket.

Compared to the Dainese Smart Air when worn under other kit the TA5 Plasma is slightly more breathable at the upper chest only, but that’s at the expense of a serious reduction in chest protection.

Don’t wear heated kit under the Plasma, and while the owner’s manual doesn’t specifically state that you can’t wear heated clothing over the top, it does say that the airbag shouldn’t be put next to any direct heat source above 40°C. A heated vest would of course also need to have room to expand. Most airbags worn under your other kit should not be used with a heated vest or jacket.

Convenience

Being so lightweight and well-designed the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma is easy to carry but it takes up more room when folded than others from Dainese, MotoAirBag or even Alpinestars themselves. The fact that a passive back protector is required over the airbag to get the protection to a reasonable level means it won’t roll up that small, and when I took it for lab testing it occupied a lot of space in my Kriega R30 rucksack.

It’s great that it can be fully stripped for washing, and the battery life is an impressive claimed 30 hours. I haven’t been able to test the accuracy of that, but I’ve found it lasts very well. The battery is also easily replaceable by a service centre if required.

Charging the TA5 Plasma is easier than any other electronic airbag I’ve used, thanks to the easily-accessed USB-C port on the front. A full charge takes about four hours with a 1A charger.

You can turn the Tech-Air 5 Plasma off fully using the slider switch under the back panel, and you can download a safety data sheet to show on a flight from the Alpinestars website, though at the time of writing the link was broken. The Tech-Air smartphone app can also be used to access the documents.

One annoying thing about the Tech-Air 5 Plasma is that, when hung on a coat hanger it naturally falls shut and arms itself. If it doesn’t detect movement it will eventually turn itself off, only re-arming when the front’s opened then closed again, so it’s not the end of the world but it would have been nice to have been able to clip the arming tab out of the way.

Here’s a closer look at the inflated bladder

Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma Build quality

I’m very impressed with the design of the Plasma: the way the single cable from the control unit it neatly routed, the build quality and the clever packaging of the inflator and electronics really show the thought that’s gone into it. It’s also totally modular and can be stripped down for full cleaning, which is important in something that’s going to get exposed to your sweat, even with the Polygiene silver chloride bacteria-reducing coating.

Washing the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma

You can wipe the Tech-Air 5 Plasma down with a cold damp cloth then dry it with a towel, or you can strip everything out and handwash the material fully.

Taking it apart is a lot easier than you might expect, with the 12 tabs that keep the bladder in place being numbered and colour-coded. The instructions also explain how to do it and include a diagram, which is handy as the bladder’s labels are stickers that have a tendency to fall off.

Most of the electronics come out with the passive back-protector, but the switch and arming module are also easily removed and on just one cable. Do be careful of course, but it is something you can do yourself with a little patience.

According to Polygiene, the silver chloride coating that inhibits the growth of odour-forming bacteria in the Tech-Air 5 Plasma is ‘integral to the textile’, so ‘lasts for the lifetime of most products.’ Polygiene’s US marketing guidelines state that it should not be considered ‘permanent’, but that it ‘remains effective after washing’.

Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma costs

No airbags currently on the market demand a subscription payment, though it is an option on some if you want it. None of them restrict updates to the existing hardware, regardless of how you pay.

The Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma does not offer a subscription model, but there are servicing costs over time:

The supplied adaptor allows the owner to check the bladder’s integrity

Tech-Air servicing in the UK is carried out by BKS Made-to-Measure in Devon (not to be confused with the BKS that’s sold by J&S). It’s not compulsory, and the airbag system will not shut down if it’s not been carried out, but it includes:

• All components removed from the system and the vest cleaned

• Diagnostics of the electronic unit are checked (and firmware upgraded, if applicable)

• Expiration date of inflator checked and replaced if necessary

• Airbag inspected for any sign of wear and/or damage.

• System reassembled into the vest and checked for functionality

If the airbag is deployed, the user can check the integrity of the bladder with the supplied adaptor to pump it up by hand, then a replacement inflator costs £89.99 and can be quickly and easily installed at home.

The Tech-Air 5 Plasma bladder is good for six inflations before it needs to be replaced, which costs £299.99 at BKS Made-to-Measure, and Alpinestars recommends that the whole thing is replaced after 10 years.

This is the coverage offered by the first-generation Tech-Air 5

Seven alternatives to the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma

Alpinestars has positioned the Tech-Air 5 Plasma as a middle ground between the full protection offered by some of the dedicated systems in its range, but it does come with a compromise to protective performance. Here are some others you might want to consider…

• Dainese Smart Air, £599 | EN621-4 Airbag Level 2 impact protection at the chest and back mean the Dainese offers provably higher levels of protection to your vital organs, but it doesn’t have any cushioning at the shoulders. It can also be worn over the top of your gear if you want, though it’s not waterproof so don’t do that in the rain. Read the full review of the Dainese Smart Air here.

• Alpinestars Tech-Air 3 V2, £539.95 - £579.99 | Designed to be worn under or over your other gear, the Tech-Air 3 V2 is certified to the highest Airbag Level 2 under EN1621-4 at the chest and the back. It doesn’t have the shoulder cushioning of the Plasma, but it can offer greater protection to your vital organs. The more expensive ‘Canvas’ model has a tougher outer that’s more suited to wearing outside your existing kit, but it’s also a little warmer being a heavier construction. The older V1 is the same, but doesn’t have the user-replaceable cartridge of the V2. Read the full review of the Alpinestars Tech-Air 3 V2 here.

• Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road, £949.99 | The Tech-Air Off-Road offers full Airbag Level 1 protection at the chest, back, shoulders, collarbone and back, with additional passive armour over the top. If protection is important to you when riding off-road, this is arguably the very best solution. Read the full review of the Alpinestars Tech-Air Off-Road here.

• MotoAirBag M1, £438 | Fully certified to EN1621-4 airbag Level 2 and with huge torso coverage, it’d be easy (and lazy / misinformed / disingenuous) to consider this a ‘bulky’ airbag system. It’s certainly a little heavier than many others, not least thanks to it having two inflators, but it’s very wearable and has a deep 3D mesh inside that allows air to move around surprisingly well. The V4 model is made of a tough mesh material and is even more free-flowing. Having ridden 2,500 miles in it, in temperatures over 40°C going through France and Spain, I can tell you that it’s more than comfortable. However, I credit you with the intelligence to be able to judge comfort and wearability for yourself, so try it on before you spend your money on any system. The MotoAirBag can only be worn outside of your existing kit, and it can’t be used with a rucksack. It’s a mechanically-triggered device but the inertial system is way more advanced than traditional elasticated straps, and a lot faster to fire. Read the full review of the MotoAirBag M1 here, and the review of the MotoAirBag V4 here.

• Ixon IX-U05, £499.99 + controller (£400 or £120/year) | Greater coverage than the Tech-Air 5 Plasma in many ways, and potentially similar protective performance, the Ixon’s around the same street price if you buy it outright (no subscription), though you can’t freely swap between riding modes. Add the optional passive chest protectors and the protection is greatly improved. One of the potential advantages of In&Motion is that its algorithm is being constantly refined and updated through anonymised riding data by anyone that owns one (as long as they've agreed), rather than solely through in-house testing, racing or analysis of data from deployed systems. It's also important to understand that these algorithm updates go out to ALL users, regardless of whether they pay for the In&Box by subscription or a one-off payment. If In&Motion made its pricing model a little more affordable, it would be far more of a competitor. Read the full review of the Ixon IX-U05 here.

• Held eVest Pro, £524.95 + controller (£400 or £120/year) | Similar impact performance to the Tech-Air 5 Plasma, but with the option to add passive armour over the stop of the front of the bladder – and greater coverage of the airbag – this is well worth considering. One of the potential advantages of In&Motion is that its algorithm is being constantly refined and updated through anonymised riding data by anyone that owns one (as long as they've agreed), rather than solely through in-house testing, racing or analysis of data from deployed systems. It's also important to understand that these algorithm updates go out to ALL users, regardless of whether they pay for the In&Box by subscription or a one-off payment. If In&Motion made its pricing model a little more affordable, it would be even more of a competitor. Read the full review of the Held eVest Pro here.

• Furygan Airbag Evo, £369.90 + controller (£400 or £120/year) | The old Furygan airbags offered reasonable protection against narrow object impacts when a passive Level 1 chest protector was fitted over the bladder. Sadly the new Evo and Evo+ models dropped that ability, so you’d need to put the armour in your jacket. One of the potential advantages of In&Motion is that its algorithm is being constantly refined and updated through anonymised riding data by anyone that owns one (as long as they've agreed), rather than solely through in-house testing, racing or analysis of data from deployed systems. It's also important to understand that these algorithm updates go out to ALL users, regardless of whether they pay for the In&Box by subscription or a one-off payment. If In&Motion made its pricing model a little more affordable, it would be far more of a competitor. Read the full review of the Furygan Airbag Evo+ (which can be worn over or under other gear) here.

• Alpinestars Tech-Air 5, £669.99 | The previous generation Tech-Air 5 uses two inflators, so should achieve higher pressure in the bladder than the Plasma. It covers the back and shoulders, and also has much greater coverage over the chest. The back is certified to Airbag Level 2, but the chest is not certified. I’ve been told that this is due to the chest being a split bladder design, but this is not a blocker to certifying with the impact requirements of EN1621-4 unless the gap is greater than 40mm. I have not been able to test the impact protection of the original Tech-Air 5’s chest, and this is bulkier than the Plasma. Read the full review of the original Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 here.

These are just some of many alternatives – you can find all the airbags we’ve tested here, and be sure to check out our complete guide to motorcycle airbags here.

Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma review: Verdict

Put simply, the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma is a compromise. It’s fantastic to have free access to three different riding modes, but the hardware doesn’t offer the same protective performance as the company’s dedicated airbags that focus on single riding styles.

By using just one canister instead of two compared to the first-generation Tech-Air 5, the airbag’s smaller and lighter but the coverage and protection has been reduced due to reduced argon gas pressure.

By making the bladder reach further down than the Tech-Air 3, the level of safety provided for the vital organs in your chest has been dropped very significantly, and even the back is less protected now.

The Tech-Air 5 Plasma is far less intrusive to wear than many other airbag systems, and will provide some cushioning in some crash scenarios, but for any narrow-object impacts such as a roof-rack or the edge of a car, a sign-post or fence – or indeed rocks and trees – I’d strongly recommend that it’s combined with passive armour at the chest. You’ll have to insert this into your outer jacket as there are no pockets in the Plasma for it.

Not convinced? The next time a salesman tries to tell you otherwise, ask them to demonstrate by striking themselves hard across the chest with a baseball bat while wearing it when it’s deployed. I’ll happily do it with any airbag that’s certified to the EN1621-4 Level 2 impact requirements on the front, but I won’t with this one. I look forward to seeing someone make that video.

It’s personal choice of course. As long as you understand its limitations the Tech-Air 5 Plasma can provide some level of protection in a wide range of situations without demanding you spend even more money, and it’s compact, unobtrusive and extremely wearable.

But lab-testing, deployment and road use has shown that there are better options available  (including from Alpinestars) for safety. For what other reason would you be investing in an airbag?

If you’d like to chat about this article or anything else biking related, join us and thousands of other riders at our friendly and helpful BikeClub forum.

Second opinion: Sean McManus

I don’t think I picked Tech-Air 5 Plasma… I believe my injuries did.

Two years ago, I had an accident on the bike, then earlier this year I had a head-on collision with a van (both not my fault). On both occasions I landed on my right shoulder, which has left me with quite a bit of discomfort.

During my second accident another biker pulled over to check I was OK. He made me aware he was an off-duty Police officer, and I later found out he was in charge of the Police motorcycle department. He pointed out that he wears an airbag vest and recommended to wear one.

I looked at the one he had on, but it didn’t offer shoulder protection so in my case it probably wouldn’t have helped in my situation. I did my research watched John’s video regarding all the different airbag vests to make an informed decision on which would be best for me. I did look at the tethered one, but I do have a disability in my right hand so attaching one may be difficult for me.

After searching the internet and many YouTube videos I can across the Alpinestars Tech-air 5, but the one negative thing I heard time and time again was that it hot in the summer to wear. So, after a little bit more searching I came across the Tech-air 5 Plasma, which had a bit more breathability to aid cooling in the hot weather and most importantly it offered the protection I wanted – chest, shoulders and back. And of course, nothing to attach to the bike. I did wait many months for this to come to the UK but I’m happy with my choice. It’s not the cheapest thing to buy but think about it – when you buy a bike you buy the crash protection accessories to protect that, so why not spend on something that will hopefully protect you more. After all, your bike can be replaced but you can’t.