Manufacturing

AIRBAG DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

HELITE’s R&D Team develops innovative solutions to integrate in HELITE branded airbags and B2B projects for very diverse industries. We invent and design every single airbag component, which makes our know-how and products unique and authentic. The high-level engineering makes it easy to adapt to specific needs and react quickly to improve products.

AIRBAG PROTOTYPING

Ideas come to life in our prototype workshop. Hundreds of prototypes are made and tested before we decide to organize production. Our very experienced technical team works hand in hand with the engineers.

TESTS & RESEARCH

Many parameters are tested during the development phase of an airbag. The criteria are different depending on the airbag application. Typical tests include: making sure the airbag inflates correctly, inflates fast enough, inflates at the correct pressure, inflates on the body parts that we want to protect etc.

CRASH TESTS

Our know-how and research is so unique that most of our testing equipment we must invent ourselves! The “guillotine” test is very useful for checking the absorption of the tested airbag. Every critical parameter is carefully tested.

TEXTILE DESIGN & PROTOTYPING

After the final prototype has been approved it’s time for textile design and patternmaking. The new airbag needs a nice packaging! Choosing specific textiles, aesthetical details and computerization of the patterns are daily assignments at HELITE.

AIRBAGS PRODUCTION

100% of our airbags are manufactured and assembled in Dijon, France. (now you know Dijon for its mustard and its airbags!). Engineers, technicians and production all work in the same building… a very big advantage when it comes to producing high-quality safety devices.

QUALITY CONTROL

Quality control is conducted on every single airbag that comes out of our production. In other words, 100% of our production is tested before it is sold! The quality control consists of several tests such as: controlling the triggering force, inflating the airbag twice the pressure that it is supposed to sustain. Our rigorous method enables us to guarantee a very high level of reliability. Let’s not forget, we try to save lives!

Google Rating

4.9

Helite UK

4.9

G I

1733488168

Great guys, amazing service!!

Team Flo Eventing

1731445640

My Helite Turtle 2 has saved me from serious injury twice now. It really has made all the difference. Helite UK have been the best company to deal with, amazing customer service which I cannot fault. An airvest unlike any other. The best by far.

Leigh

1731051648

I've had this product for awhile, maybe 2 years and it still seems to be effective. Thankfully I've not had the experience to test it's effectiveness so cannot comment on that

Mark Lunt

1730329368

I have just got my Helite airbag jacket back after sending it in for service and a wash. Two things occur to me: (1) I felt really exposed riding without the jacket while it was away, so next time I will go with the hire vest. (2) How much of a difference there is with the jacket now it's back. It has been serviced, including a software update (it's the electronic version) but it feels so nice after being professionally washed and treated. There is also a comprehensive service report for what has been done. Well worth having the service. And this great bit of kit will, hopefully, last longer as a result. I really wouldn't be without it.

Sam Lambie

1729238115

Carl Walker

1729104837

I was on a national speed limit road when the car in front of me stopped suddenly. I stopped, but the car behind did not notice. The Police said it hit me from behind at 60 mph. My bike ended up in front of the 2 mangled cars. I woke up with a broken fibula and a grazed right elbow. All the emergency services on scene that day were expecting a fatality. They were amazed on what an excellent job the vest had done. Best purchase I have ever made. I cannot recomend it high enough.

Robert Dickson

1728484840

Do a fantastic job servicing your jacket. Keep you updated and great for spares etc. Highly recommended

Peter H

1727209061

Great vest, not used in anger and let’s hope it stays that way .. it only took a few minutes of riding with it before you forget you’re wearing it. Really good quality.

Elaine Perrins

1726503973

after forgetting to attach tether and it snapping, a new one was ordered. Just got to remember to always connect before riding off.

Perry Thomas

1724833486

Bought a Helite turtle 2 for me and my daughter as we ride motorbikes. Easy to use and connect. I did fall off and trigger the jacket to inflate - bike was on its stand, very entertaining for everyone, but me. Reassuring test! Getting replacement cannister and fitting it was easy.

peter french

1724141036

Excellent products and great customer service.

simon trott

1723969829

I bought the Helite for my partner, avid horse rider and regular pillion passenger. It's comfortable to wear whether in a t-shirt or over motorbike jacket. A recent, heavy, fall from a horse (over the top of it) on a rough stoney track, showed just how good these are in protecting you. Abrasions to the arms and bruises to the legs, but able to get up and remount after shaking herself down. Given how and where, this would have, most likely, been a casevac situation without the jacket. Top marks.

D “huggy” Hughes

1722205229

Great company to deal with and very happy with purchases and experience, customer service excellent. Thanks 🙏🏻

Kristian Simpson

1720024861

Utterly terrible customer service. Sold me a product that is out of stock with no information telling me this. I have been waiting for 2 months now for it to arrive with no information whatsoever on when it will be restocked. I have asked for a cancellation and a refund since and I have had no reply. Scammers.

Aleš Adam

1718443094

paul 147

1714571503

Bought Touring 2.0 Air Jacket direct from Helite UK. First of all, this is a fantastic, well designed, stylish jacket with an integrated air vest.It has a detachable thermal liner; more pockets than I have ever seen on a jacket; and lots of vents for summer riding. There are always compromises with an all-season jackets because of the temperature range it is meant to cover, but the jacket has been well designed to marry safety and comfort as far as possible. Happy that this will be my every-ride jacket, including on European tours.It may seem a little pricey but honestly, if the combined airbag technology and solid protection can save you from a serious or a fatal injury, then it is probably the cheapest purchase you will ever make!Bianca from Helite was great - ran through all features of jacket and set up to bike. Great service.

Alan Severn

1714147414

Visited to drop Safety Vest off for servicing. Service needs to be pre-booked and garment delivered to them. Always an easy company to deal with.

Martin Slowey

1713338304

It's difficult to leave a review for a product you hope you'll never need to use, but I purchased the Helite Turtle 2 vest on the strong recommendation of a friend who was wearing one during a serious crash. He's convinced the vest saved his life.The quality of the vest is exceptionally good and you'd barely know you're wearing it. Sure, it adds a bit of bulk, but you'd expect that from a product that's designed to protect you.I've been using the vest on my ADV bike.

Kerry Wilson

1712607420

Absolutely brilliant service and an amazing product worn by our teenage daughter. I take great comfort from the fact she wears this very discreet airbag jacket every time she rides. We bought the jacket along with her youngster a bright 16.2 dark bay TB x warm blood.

Steve Jackson

1711723264

An advanced motorcyclist introduced me to the Helite jacket and although expensive it's nothing to the alternative. The sizing info was a bit confusing so a call to Helite was made. What a great call with someone really motivated to protect people from harm. Wanting to keep things simple my wife and I got the Turtle 2 with the lanyards. Don't panic they're not that sensitive and you definitely know when you get off and forget to undo! The jacket makes us feel both warmer and more protected. It does bulk us up a bit but after removing back protectors from our jackets (no need for duplication) it's all fine. So far we're really happy with our purchase. For info here's our sizing. 6'5", 14st = XL, 5'5", size 12, loves layers! = M. Let's hope we don't need to test them but much prefer the odds these give us!

liam

1708976045

Peter and staff have been brilliant, from answering all my questions. My h-moov dispatched and arrived quickly (bonus points for using dpd).And the airbag itself is a brilliant product and worth every penny just for the piece of mind.

Katie Burling

1708603071

Fab jacket. My daughter was fighting hard against wearing more conventional body protectors as she felt restricted. She was pretty positive about wearing one of these however and hasn't fought us since. Just as well, as it's been tried and tested. She pretty much bounced! Replacing the gas canister was easy. Pleased to have bought it.

Ian Wilson

1708083021

I placed an order based on the website measurement instructions, subsequently received a call from Peter to review the sizing. On his advice I went a size smaller - excellent advice. The vest was received when promised and is a great fit. I've done a few hundred miles in the past couple of weeks and it is more comfortable than previously with the back protector in the jacket, now removed as the vest has an integral back protector. It's easy to clip on/off to the tether. Thank you Peter and Helite.

Geoff C

1707660058

After several years of deliberating I finally purchased a Turtle 2 at the NEC Motorcycle Live event in 2018. My main concern that held me back from buying one earlier was that it would be uncomfortable and that in the height of a continental summer it would be unbearable. I was quickly proved wrong, on both counts. Within days I’d stopped noticing it and during a long hot summer, when worn over my Joe Rocket ‘Phoenix’ air mesh jacket, it remained barely noticeable.After six years use (I ride all year round) it still looks much the same as when it came out of the box and it remains part of my pre-ride ‘checklist’.Two weeks ago I set off at 07:20 with the air temp gauge on my bike showing ‘4c’, my ‘borderline’ temperature and a 50/50 decision moment. Forecast was for temps to rise and the roads were reasonably dry so I rolled the dice. 15 miles later, I hit a patch of black ice on a very slight RH curve in a village. I was doing around 25-30 when the front let go and the bike went down in an instant. We didn’t slide far, barely six paces. Minimal damage to the bike; a small scuff on the right cylinder head protector and pannier. As for me, I never felt a thing and it was only as the driver of the car that followed me (a biker as it happened) was helping me lift the bike to its feet that I realised the air vest had deployed. I never even heard it bang like you do on the demonstrations, but the brain does tend to shut down non-essentials at times of stress. I actually patted my chest to check and yes, it had inflated and was actually starting its deflate. Any suggestion that it might not deploy in time, at such slow speed offs, was proven otherwise.I reordered a gas cartridge from Helite which was prompt;y dispatched. This is excellent kit.(PS: Ive been a motorcyclist since 1969)

Steve

1707648006

Excellent piece of kit. Hope I don’t have to use it, but feel safer in knowing the protection it offers in a crash.

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