The Alpinestars line of Tech-Air airbags has a history going back over 20 years. After gathering data from road racers, the technology debuted in 2009 in MotoGP with the Tech-Air Race system. Since then, Tech-Air bags for club racers, sport riders, cruisers, and, most recently, rally/off-road/adventure riders have followed. Now, the new Alpinestars Tech-Air MX airbag system is tackling the complex job of protecting highly active motocross racers.
Upper body protection for motocrossers has always been minimal. Roost protectors were often misinterpreted as back protection. Fortunately, legitimate CE-approved protection is available to motocross riders savvy enough to understand the value. The Alpinestars Tech-Air MX airbag system is intended to raise the level of protection.
There are two essential parts of the fully self-contained Alpinestars Tech-Air MX airbag system—the airbag and the software that determines when it is deployed.
The Alpinestars Tech-Air MX works on two levels. There is traditional plastic protection that is CE level 1 rated to protect the chest and back—Alpinestars’ marketing department calls it Nucleon Plasma. It is there for minor crashes that do not require airbag deployment. When the airbag is set off, the level of protection is increased four-fold to CE level 2 standards, adding shoulder protection to the mix while still protecting the chest and back. There is no claim of neck protection.
The software is a critical part of the Alpinestars Tech-Air MX airbag system. It determines when to deploy the airbag. Once instructed, the airbag inflates in about 40 milliseconds, or 1/25th of a second, and stays inflated for five seconds. This means it can protect the rider from multiple impacts.
The Alpinestars Tech-Air MX airbag system’s ECU is informed by a triaxle accelerometer and triaxle gyroscope. When the information sent by the sensors convinces the ECU the rider has crashed, the airbag is inflated by a compressed gas unit. If undamaged, the airbag can be deployed six times before it requires replacement. The gas inflator is user-replaceable.
There are three Riding Modes, though Alpinestars has not revealed what they are or the differences between them. The modes are switchable on the Tech-Air MX unit, with LEDs letting you know which mode you are in.
As power is required to run the system, the lithium-ion battery must be kept charged. Alpinestars claims 30 hours of riding per full charge. Should the battery be dead, an hour’s worth of charging through the USB-C port will provide eight hours of riding. A full charge from zero takes four hours.
The software is updated wirelessly via a smartphone app. Alpinestars constantly monitors deployments and non-deployments to reduce the number of false deployments during regular riding and no-deployments in a crash. The initial software was developed by monitoring AMA Pro Motocross, AMA Supercross, and MXGP racers.
Arming the Tech-Air MX unit is easy. You simply put it on. An integrated magnetic switch senses when the left buckle is closed, and the switch tells the ECU to turn on the protection. When the left buckle is open, the Tech-Air MX automatically shuts off. The fit of the Tech-Air MX is adjusted via straps.
“The Airbag from Alpinestars is definitely a big improvement and big step ahead on the security level, compared to a normal chest protector it helps on big crashes and inflates to protect us much better,” according to 2021 MX2 World Champion Maxime Renaux, “The great thing of the new Alpinestars airbag is that it is really light and really comfortable, just as a normal chest protector, so it won’t disturb the movement of the rider. It won’t disturb trainings and races. It will just bring another step in security, and this is obviously important in our sport. So, [I’m] really grateful that the brand made a step forward on this and allow us to be provided with the best equipment for protection.”
Pre-production Alpinestars Tech-Air MX airbag systems are now available to MXGP and Pro Motocross racers, with the public release scheduled for the second half of 2025. The price has not been determined.
