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So, Alpinestars dropped a new piece of "protective" gear, the Tech-Air 5 Plasma. And the hype machine, offcourse, is running at full throttle. It’s lighter! It’s more comfortable! It has modes! It’s the future of not dying on a motorcycle.
Give me a break.
I’ve been around this industry long enough to know that when the marketing focuses on comfort and convenience, you better start asking hard questions about the "protection" part of Personal Protective Equipment. And with the Plasma, the answers are… not great. In fact, they’re downright alarming for a piece of kit that costs £700 and has the sole purpose of keeping your internal organs from becoming external.
Let's be brutally honest. This thing is a compromise dressed up as an innovation.
The Illusion of 'Advanced' Safety
The entire point of an airbag is to absorb a massive, violent impact so your skeleton doesn't have to. The gold standard for this is the EN1621-4 certification, which basically tests how well the gear handles hitting something sharp and unforgiving, like a curbstone or a fence post.
The Tech-Air 5 Plasma is certified. On the back. To Level 1. That’s the lower of the two airbag protection levels. Already, we’re not off to a great start. Other Alpinestars products, like the Tech-Air 3, hit the much more impressive Level 2 rating.
But here’s the kicker. The part that should make every rider pause before hitting "Add to Cart." The chest protection? It isn't certified at all. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
Independent lab testing showed that in a standardized impact test, the front of the Plasma let a staggering 51.1kN of force through. For context, a Level 2 airbag is legally required to transmit less than 2.5kN. This is like buying a state-of-the-art helmet that’s only rated for Nerf darts. It’s a complete failure at its primary job. I can just picture the salesman, pointing at the fancy logo and talking about "algorithms" while conveniently glossing over the fact that it won't do much if you hit a lamppost chest-first.
The Alpinestars Tech-Air 5 Plasma review | Honest airbag deployment testing had a fantastic suggestion: ask the salesperson to put on a deployed Plasma and let you hit them in the chest with a baseball bat. I’ll second that. I’ll even buy the bat. Any takers? I didn't think so.
So, what are we really getting here? It’s not certified protection. It’s "cushioning." That’s the word they use. And honestly, it’s insulting. Are we supposed to be grateful for a light "cushioning" over our heart and lungs? Is that the new standard for a £700 safety device?
Comfort Over Everything, Apparently
So why the massive step down in protection? It seems it’s all in service of making the vest lighter, slimmer, and more "breathable."
The Plasma uses one gas canister instead of the two used in the older, bulkier Tech-Air 5. That saves weight and space, for sure. But it also means less gas, less pressure, and a smaller inflated airbag. You can see it in the pictures—the protective channels are noticeably smaller. This is a bad idea. No, 'bad' doesn't cover it—this is a fundamentally flawed trade-off. It's like Ford deciding to make the new F-150 out of aluminum foil to improve the gas mileage. Technically true, but it misses the entire point of the product.
Then there’s the deflation speed. The Plasma deflates faster than any other airbag on the market. This is being spun as a feature, but it's a terrifying liability. A crash isn't a single event; it's a sequence. You might hit a car, slide, and then get hit by another car. Most airbags stay inflated for a while specifically to protect you from these secondary impacts. The Plasma? It’s in a hurry to get back to its comfy, non-protective state. Why? What possible safety reason is there for that?
And the breathability claims are just laughable. Let's be clear: an airbag, by definition, cannot be breathable. It has to be an airtight bladder. The review points out there are a few tiny holes in the back, most of which are blocked by the back protector anyway. There are no holes in the chest. It's marketing nonsense designed to sell a product that prioritizes feeling good over actually being good.
This all feels like a solution in search of a problem. Riders weren't complaining that their life-saving devices were too protective. They weren't begging for less coverage. Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one here. Maybe people really do want an airbag that’s mostly for show.
It ain't for me, though. It feels like every critical design choice was made by the marketing department, not the engineers. Make it lighter, make it feel less intrusive, give it three "riding modes" we can put on the box... and if we have to gut the actual protective capability to get there, so be it.
So What Are We Even Paying For?
Look, if you want a lightweight vest that offers some minimal cushioning and makes you feel safer, then I guess the Tech-Air 5 Plasma is for you. It’s a beautifully constructed, well-designed piece of gear that utterly fails at its most important task. You’re paying a premium for a product that is demonstrably less safe than other options on the market, including some from the very same company. It’s a fashion accessory with a gas canister. You’re buying the brand, the algorithm, and the illusion of safety, but you’re not buying certified, proven protection where it matters most. And for £700, that’s not just a bad deal; it’s a betrayal of the trust riders place in a name like Alpinestars.
