Hit Air Testimonials

Please select a Category below:

SIGN UP for our mailing list!
Get coupon discounts and the latest product news.

First name

Last name:

Email Address:

Re-Enter Email Address

TIPS

... While it may not be possible to totally prevent a thief from stealing your bike, you can make stealing your bike more of a challenge by using some common sense and high quality locks and or alarm systems. Be sure to take photographs of your bike for use in the event your bike is ever stolen...

Hit-Air Testimonials

► Crashed (my first!): Pics of Gear/Bike

► I have not put on a single mile on my bike without wearing this vest

► When I discovered the Hit-air, I knew I had to have one.

► I never ride without my Hit-Air jacket!

► A major decision to buy a motorcycle was because of my Americade, Hit-Air experience

Send us your testimonial! Feedback

Crashed (my first!): Pics of Gear/Bike

Was out riding around East on Long Island on Sunday, as is tradition around these parts. Was out doing photography, just riding around and enjoying the autumn weather. I was also testing some of my new gear to see how warm I could stay (it was in the 40's).

After about 4 hrs I was heading home on Rt 25A, which is pretty fun to ride (lots of twists) but at times can have heavy traffic. Time was around 6-ish, which also meant it was just getting real dark.

Anyways, was doing about 40mph heading West when a red mini-van (heading East) decided to turn left, thereby crossing my path. He claims he didn't see me and was obviously driving too fast/not looking.

From my end I'm cruising and all of a sudden I see the side of a mini-van right in my path. This was near the bottom of a decline. I grabbed my breaks, bike slid out and down we went.. I fell to the left and the bike slid out from under me, sparking every where... Read entire testimonial

Malatesta

I purchased my hit air vest directly from Rueben at Bikebone.com back around January of 2008.

Dealing with Rueben was an absolutely pleasure. He explained the merits of hit air compared to some of the other companies putting out these jackets. He did this without negatively selling the other manufacturers, but rather focused on what was right with the hit air products. When I recieved the vest, I was extremely impressed. The quality of the workmanship was outstanding, the material seemed bullet proof and the vest fit perfectly. The first time I wore it was at Daytona bike week in march of 08. Since then, I have not put on a single mile on my bike without wearing this vest. I hope to never test it's function, but I do feel better off wearing it than not.

Rob Ieva

► I am a long distance rider

and my choice of riding apparel was the Aerostich Road Crafter. The Aerostich is one of the best riding suits on the market. I have logged thousands of miles wearing my Road Crafter. The Aerostich is especially great for abrasion protection. Protection against abrasion is good, but abrasion is not what can do you the most harm. Injuries to the neck and back are the most serious one can sustain because you could easily end up paralyzed any where along the vertebrae from your neck down to you hips. That is not only bad but sad.

When I discovered the Hit-air, I knew I had to have one. I did my independent research and due diligence. This included reading as much as I could find about the testing of the air bag system. I bought the jacket and was very impressed with the quality, workmanship and functionality.

Wearing a jacket that provides me with superior protection against injury to my neck, back and hips (the most vital parts of the body) gives me the peace of mind that ordinary jackets cannot provide. I now have four Hit-air jackets and all of them are comfortable, stylish and very safe. I get compliment from everyone that I show the jackets to. I highly recommend the Hit-air to anyone who is a serious rider and understands the importance of safety.

Nick J. Georgia, USA

Top

► When I began riding motorcycles again

after 10 years off I became much more safety conscious. I love the freedom and joy of riding but not the inherent risk. My first line of defense was taking proper rider training courses offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation including the BRC and ERC. Rider training never ends and you never stop learning but these courses were really invaluable. Next I learned the acronym ATGATT "All The Gear All The Time".

The question then became what gear to use. For me the answer was a full face white helmet, kevlar lined jeans, boots, gloves, and a protective motorcycle jacket . I initially bought a mesh-type jacket with CE approved armor in the shoulders, elbows, and back. I felt more protected but also understood this jacket would not do much to protect my body from the severe impact of an accident.

After much research I discovered the airbag jacket concept and several manufacturers with products. I have actually tested and used three different brands at this point: The Airetronics Vest, The Impact Jacket, and The Hit-Air Jacket. The Airetronics vest simply didn't work very well for me because I kept setting it off! It actually has two tether cords and two separate CO2 cartridges on each side. It seemed if I moved even slightly in the seat I would be in danger of setting it off. The Airetronics vest also offered no additional protection such as traditional CE armor inserts.

Next I tried out the Impact Jacket. The Impact Jacket is a good product, but because I test inflated this jacket many times I found the airbag would not always inflate consistently. Several times the test inflations were unusually slow because the force with which with tether is pulled out has a direct impact on the size of the hole created in the CO2 cartridge. Airbag deployment is also hampered if you do not have an absolute perfect jacket fit. With the standard CE armor included it is a much better product than the Airetronics vest, but I still was not fully convinced.

Finally I found out about the Hit-Air Jacket - the original company that started this research and product line. The Hit-Air jacket has all the standard CE armor with the additional benefits of the airbag protection. I found the inflation mechanism on the Hit-Air to be much better and consistent.

With the Hit-Air key-ball mechanism, it doesn't seem to matter what direction you pull the cord, or with what force the cord is pulled (minimum 40-45 ft. pounds) because it will inflate consistently every time. I also like the fact compressed air from the CO2 cartridge is delivered evenly throughout the airbags by several connecting tubes. After many inflations, I have found an absolute consistent inflation time of 350-450 milliseconds.

Some have debated that this is too slow to help you out but consider even if the jacket is only partially inflated at the time of an initial impact it is partially inflated evenly throughout the jacket and therefore provides some protection. In any type of motorcycle accident where the rider is thrown from the bike to the ground by the time one reaches the ground the jacket is inflated. I feel much safer and am always happy to share my experience with others.

The Hit-Air Jacket looks just like any regular high quality motorcycle jacket, but under the surface it is a completely different level of protection. I never ride without my Hit-Air jacket!

Brian Gorrell - Oklahoma, USA

Top

► My Hit-Air experience,

I attended the 2006 Americade event in Lake George, NY. The Hit-Air jacket was being demo'd as I walked by, I stopped to watch and asked questions. From that point on after looking at other biker products I spent most of my time there in the Hit-Air booth asking questions and helping out for free, I was really very impressed with the jacket.

I was given the chance to try different models and have the air bag system deployed. I found out that it would be hard to deploy it yourself by pulling on the lanyard. It takes a pretty hard yank (up to 30 kg or 66 lbs) to deploy it, I don't believe anyone alone can do it.

They showed and allowed me to repack the jacket, replace the keyball, CO2 cylinder and demo the jacket on those that asked questions. One of the Hit-Air dealers and I talked about the jacket and other riding experiences we had over the years. He gave me his business card and I told him, when I buy my bike, I'll buy a jacket from him.

Well, less than 6 months (August 06) later I bought the Honda 2006 ST1300 w/ABS. I then bought my first Hit-Air jacket, the MX model from the Hit-Air dealer I met at Americade. I also purchased the HP model to wear over the Comfort Shell riding suit I bought from a BMW motorcycle dealer; riding without the Hit-Air, was like driving without a seatbelt.

To sum this up, I’ve wanted a bike for a very long time. My brother owned a Honda 250XL years ago, rode it, enjoyed the feeling but did not like the idea of maybe leaving my skin or breaking my ASSet on the highway. I later became a very active bicycle rider, riding from Jacksonville, FL to Orlando, Tallahassee and other cities in the area. All with the idea that if I fall or crash, it would below 20 miles an hour.

As I traveled to different countries as a SCUBA diver, my fellow divers and I would rent scooters to travel around the country or island. As you can see, that feeling of freedom has always been in my blood, beginning with my first bicycle, a Red Firestone cruiser in the mid 50’s.

Like I said in the beginning of this testimony, I was really impressed with the Hit-Air jacket. A major decision to buy a motorcycle was because of my Americade, Hit-Air experience. Are there any competing companies that make a similar product, yes but from what I have seen, the quality of the Hit-Air jacket is not matched; you be the judge.

Do I like this jacket? Yes, I have no plans of leaving my skin or breaking my neck, torso or tailbone on the road. I believe in ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time)!