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LHR MOTORCYCLE MAGAZINE PRODUCT REVIEW
Guardian Angel in a Vest: A Review of
the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma
FIRST IMPRESSIONS optimal inflation room. During about 30 seconds, then slowly
summer heat rides in the Western deflates. Alpinestars offers a full
At first glance, the Tech-Air 5
Plasma looks like a high-tech vest C a p e , a i r fl o w r e m a i n e d reset and refill service, but the
straight out of a sci-fi film. Its decent—even during long s y s t e m i s r e u s a b l e p o s t -
charcoal-black mesh panels and highway hauls under the sun. deployment with official servicing.
bold plasma blue highlights are A C T I V A T I O N A N D TECHNOLOGY BREAKDOWN
sleek, with a minimalist design DEPLOYMENT · Smart ECU: Processes
and subtle branding. It feels What sets the Tech-Air 5 apart is 1,000 calculations per
l i g h t w e i g h t ( w e i g h i n g its standalone intelligence—no second to detect impact
approximately 1.7 kg) yet need for external sensors, GPS, threats
surprisingly robust.
or tethers. The system auto- · M o b i l e A p p : S h o w s
Inside the garment is where the activates when zipped and battery life, firmware
real magic lies: powered on. Once armed, it runs u p d a t e s , s e r v i c e
silently in the background.
· 6 integrated sensors (3 reminders, and ride logs
g y r o s c o p e s , 3 Alpinestars' crash detection · F i r m w a r e U p d a t e s :
accelerometers) algorithm is built from over 2,000 Delivered over-the-air via
real-world crashes and millions
· Electronic control unit the app
(ECU) housed at the back of kilometers of MotoGP data. It
detects highside, lowside, and · Battery Life: Lasts up to 30
· Lithium-ion battery with frontal impacts with deployment hours and recharges fully
30 hours of runtime time clocking in at just 20-40 in 4 hours (2 hours to 80%)
· Bluetooth connectivity to milliseconds. We found the app interface
your smartphone via the "Faster than the blink of an eye," a intuitive, with a clean dashboard
Alpinestars Tech-Air app local rider commented after layout. Firmware updates
testing. installed smoothly and the app
Setup is easy. You charge the vest
using the magnetic micro-USB In our test, we did not trigger a even allowed ride log downloads
cable, download the app, and deployment (thankfully), but we showing GPS overlays and
sync via Bluetooth. Once zipped did review case studies from local sensor data—a neat bonus for
up and armed, the system riders who experienced airbag data geeks.
monitors your motion in real time, deployment after low-speed
calculating crash algorithms every impacts or evasive maneuvers REAL-WORLD USAGE: CAPE
millisecond. gone wrong. All of them reported TOWN RIDING CONDITIONS
zero rib or spine injuries and no
FIT AND COMFORT Riding with the Tech-Air 5 Plasma
tech failures.
The Plasma variant is more PROTECTION ZONES on Cape Town's varied terrain
breathable and stretch-friendly showcased its adaptability. From
than the standard Tech-Air 5 When deployed, the vest inflates fast-paced commuting along the
thanks to its ventilated panels and to protect: N1 to relaxed riding through
laser-cut flex points. We tested it · Chest Franschhoek Pass, the vest
under a range of jackets including: remained non-intrusive and
· Ribs secure.
· Alpinestars Andes v3
Touring Jacket · Shoulders In windy conditions and uneven
· F u l l b a c k ( i n c l u d i n g tar, the sensors never triggered a
· Dainese textile commuter false positive. Lane filtering in
shell thoracic spine) traffic? No problem. Hitting
This level of coverage offers CE
· Revit leather sport jacket potholes or harsh braking? Still no
Level 2 protection—the highest activation. Alpinestars' algorithm
In all cases, the vest fit snugly available in motorcycling—and far clearly distinguishes between
under the outer garment without surpasses most traditional back dangerous forces and normal
restricting movement. Alpinestars protectors. riding dynamics.
recommends 4 cm of space
around the chest and waist for The airbag remains inflated for In colder conditions, the vest also
