Helite Turtle 2 & E-Turtle 2 review | Tethered & electronic airbags tested

Date reviewed: October 2024 | Tested by: John Milbank | Price: From £550 / £675 | heliteuk.co.uk

The Helite Turtle 2 on review here is one of the most popular airbags on the market, thanks to its simple design and triggering method. The E-Turtle 2 incorporates the same bladder and Level 2 passive back protector, but uses an electronically-fired CO2 cartridge and a small ECU for a self-contained system that can be further enhanced with an optional £125 wireless fork sensor that attaches to your bike. I’ve been using them on a Zontes ZT350-T, as well as testing the deployment and protection to find out if they’re worth the money…

Pros & Cons

Features

Starting with the mechanically-triggered Turtle 2, the Helite is a relatively simple design that’s worn over the top of your existing riding kit and attaches to the bike’s frame (usually just under the front of the seat) via a tough, elasticated tether.

If you’re thrown from the bike, once the tether reaches the end of its stretch the firing pin is pulled, the CO2 cartridge punctured and the airbag bladder inflated within 80ms.

At the back, the airbag bladder is also covered by a Level 2 SAS-Tec passive protector.

The electronically-triggered E-Turtle 2 uses the same airbag bladder and passive protector making it basically the same shell, but it carries an electronic control unit next to the CO2 inflator. This means there’s no connection to the bike besides an optional wireless fork sensor.

A single small pocket with a water-resistant zip is included on the left chest of both airbag systems, though it’s not big enough for anything much beyond a toll pass. I can just fit my Trove wallet in, but this is a very compact design.

Can you wear the Helite Turtle 2 with a rucksack?

Both the Helite Turtle 2 and E-Turtle 2 can be worn with a backpack as long as the straps are kept loose to allow space for the bladder to inflate. Given the expansion space required, you shouldn’t use rucksacks that harness across the chest like those from Kriega and the Oxford Atlas.

Trigger method

The mechanically-triggered Turtle 2 uses an elasticated tether to pull the firing pin out of the inflator mechanism. It’s important to note that the airbag will only fire when the tether reaches its full extension, so it must be set correctly to not give too much slack. You’ll need enough to be able to move around on the bike and stand up on the pegs if necessary, but not so much that you’re thrown too far away from the machine before it’s triggered.

The tethered Turtle 2 is unlikely to fire if the rider is hit by another vehicle while stationary, at least until they’re thrown clear of it.

In the event of a low-side, it’s possible that the bag won’t fire and depending on their weight and direction of travel relative to the bike, a rider could potentially remain attached to the machine, at least until the force between the two becomes enough to pull the pin.

The electronically-triggered E-Turtle 2 uses a controller that’s been developed by Helite based on 12 different motorcycles covering a total of just over 3,000 miles, along with 30 crash tests into a concrete wall between 9mph and 32mph, five impacts into a car at 45°, and 20 more at 90°.

Seven Helite staff and about 80 other users have also covered 150,000 miles on 15 different motorcycles while the algorithm was created.

The E-Turtle 2 will only trigger during an impact when the rider is travelling at 11mph or more, and as it uses GPS the company states that ‘detection of an accident or fall cannot be guaranteed’ in areas like tunnels and underground car parks.

If the optional (£125) fork sensor is fitted to the bike, crash detection is said to become more accurate, and will also be capable of detecting an impact while stationary. Development of this addition was carried out with five impacts by a car from the side, 10 from the back and 20 from the front.

It’s impossible to say with any certainty which airbag system (mechanical or electronic) from any brand would be most likely to trigger in any given crash due to the utterly chaotic nature of the real-world.

Can you accidentally trigger the Helite Turtle 2 or E-Turtle?

The mechanically-triggered Turtle 2 has a very strong mechanism that’s surprisingly hard to fire. Of the two I tested, one seemed a little easier to pull than the other, but they both require an extremely firm pull so while it’s not impossible, an accidental deployment is extremely unlikely. Get off your bike and forget to unclip and you’ll almost certainly just get pulled back.

Helite says that the E-Turtle 2 ‘has been designed for urban motorcycle use only. It must not be used for any other application including: motocross, trial, freestyle, pit bike, race track, acrobatic tricks (rearing, wheeling [sic], swerving), bicycle, horse riding, skiing… and other sports.’

With the fork sensor fitted to the Zontes ZT350-T, I rode the worst possible Fenland track I could find – with deep subsidence and potholes – at 50mph to the point that I was getting kicked out of the seat, but I wasn’t able to accidentally trigger the E-Turtle 2.

Helite says that, were the E-Turtle 2 to accidentally deploy for no apparent reason, a free replacement canister may be supplied.

Watch the Helite Turtle 2 being deployed

Demonstration of the protected area (excuse my wife giggling in the background)

Protection & Certification

The Helite airbag system uses a single ‘monotube’ bladder that runs down the front of the chest to the waist (with a gap of 6cm between the left and right tubes), over the shoulders and back of neck, behind the back protector and across the bottom of the waist, as shown in the deployment clip above.

I spoke to Dan Read, an Air Ambulance Advanced Paramedic with MAGPAS who told me that one of the greatest risks to spinal injury is hyperextension of the neck (backwards movement of the head), and the Helite gives very good support in this area, also limiting movement of the helmet to the sides and back.

This is the striker and anvil used in the EN1621-4 protocol

When considering the protection offered by an airbag, everyone I’ve spoken to (industry and consumers alike) has assumed that, in order to meet the legal requirements of the PPE Regulation, airbags and passive chest / back protectors are tested in the same manner, using 50 Joules of energy delivered through a kerbstone-shaped striker that simulates hitting handlebars, the edge of a car wing, the top of a fence or, well, a kerb. The test sample sits on a hemispherical anvil that represents the shape of the back or chest. And that’s exactly what the airbag standard of EN1621-4 does, with lower maximum forces transmitted being a requirement of airbags than for passive protectors, as shown below. For context, if the test rig was allowed to drop with no protector between the striker and anvil, it’s calculated that 100 kN would be transmitted.

Passive chest protection testing is a little more complicated because a Level 1 and Level 2 passive chest protector both need to transmit 18 kN or less in a kerb-type striker test, but Level 2 has an additional force distribution test using a much smaller striker that concentrates energy in a similar way to if the rider was struck by the end of a handlebar or footpeg.

The use of a kerb-type striker makes some sense to me as my first crash saw me slide about 40m before hitting the kerb with my back and bouncing up, off the road onto the verge. I was wearing a back-protector and walked away fine. Unfortunately my bike snapped its forks when it hit a lamppost beyond the point I ended up.

This is the striker and anvil used in the CRITT standard

Helite doesn’t test with the EN1621-4 standard, instead using the requirements of the French ‘CRITT’ protocol, which has a 130mm diameter flat striker that drops onto a 300mm square flat anvil.

Rather than measuring force transferred, this protocol looks at acceleration over time, making it very hard to compare the protective performance of this airbag with the likes of not just MotoAirBag, Alpinestars and Dainese (which certify using the impact requirements of EN1621-4), but also with traditional passive protectors, because the test methodology is so different.

For that reason, I took the Helite Turtle 2 to an independent lab to carry out indicative, comparative testing that would help us better understand the protection on offer.

Here are the results, carried out using the EN1621-4 airbag requirements of a kerb striker delivering 50 Joules and a hemispherical anvil. I’ve used MotoAirBag in the comparison as it’s easy to recharge and is fully certified to EN1621-4 Level 2, so gives us a valuable baseline…

Based on this testing, the Helite Turtle 2’s back protection – with an airbag bladder and Level 2 passive protector combined – mitigated the force transmitted to a level that would meet the requirements of EN1621-4 Level 2.

Helite’s airbag bladder is a long, susprisingly stretchy tube that wraps around the inside of the shell

However, because the kerbstone anvil displaced the pressurised gas in the Helite’s bladder during this testing of the chest, the force mitigated was higher than that required of a passive Level 1 chest protector (≤18kN) under the EN1621-4 methodology.

I also ran tests using the same hemispherical anvil, but with a flat, 130mm diameter striker to create a comparison that was closer to, but not matching the CRITT standard:

As you can see, the Helite’s chest protection improved with this test, though the transmitted force was still more than the other protectors tested. The force transmitted at the back remained the same.

Interestingly, the passive protectors transmitted MORE force with the flat striker, which is because they’re designed to spread the energy of hitting an object.

Anecdotally, many riders use Helite airbags and have been happy with the protection provided. While it’s impossible to assess the effectiveness of any device in a chaotic crash, it’s still plausible that a ‘softer’ airbag such as this can provide valuable padding in a fall, particularly when not striking an object, or when impacting at the rear, where the passive protector is also fitted.

The Helite Turtle 2 is classified as achieving 3 out of a maximum of 5 stars under the SRA rankings shown here, which uses the CRITT protocol to rate airbag systems. This means the Helite scored between 61 and 75 points in total (from a maximum of 110) in the following categories:

As the distribution of points awarded for any product isn’t stated, we don’t know where the Helite failed to achieve the highest scores, so this is perhaps a less useful ranking system than it might be.

While it doesn’t allow comparison with traditional armour or airbags certified to EN1621-4, a CRITT-certified airbag that scores the maximum 45 points in shock mitigation can only exceed 80 g in testing for less than 1 ms.

Ultimately, there are two different standards for airbags, which makes it very difficult for a potential buyer to compare them, but the limited lab testing I carried out will hopefully help you decide what’s right for you.

From April 21 2018, all new motorcycle clothing is deemed to be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). To meet this legislation, it must be tested to a recognised standard. For more information on the laws, click here.

NOTE: This review and the discussion of safety standards relate to motorcycle protection. While Helite states that the Turtle 2 is ‘used by both bikers and horse back riders alike’ the EN 13158 standard for equine protection that’s often used for inflatable equine protectors requires testing based on impacts both with flat ground and against narrow fence rails. The Helite Equine air vest instruction manual only states certification to the CRITT protocol, which only uses a flat striker and anvil.

The certification method isn’t stated on the Helite airbags, but the use of CRITT is declared in the owner’s manual

What does Helite say?

I entered into this review expecting to find that the airbag technology on offer from various brands would all provide comparable levels of protection, and that the differences would come down to trigger methods, wearability and price.

However, as I was so surprised at the results delivered by this, and other CRITT-certified airbags when tested using similar requirements to the EN1621-4 protocol, I asked Gérard Thevenot, who founded Helite in 2001, for his opinion: “1621-4 uses a very low surface anvil supposed to simulate the biker body. This is totally wrong as all biker’s bodies offers a very big surface.

“The energy absorbed by an airbag is proportional to the volume of gas which is compressed. Using a narrow anvil, not representing the body surface, compresses a very small volume of gas which does not characterise at all what is happening when the airbag is worn by a biker.

“Helite believe that by hitting the airbag with a kerbstone striker which is the same test as the one done for rigid protectors, is not what we are looking for to test an airbag. Why make an airbag at €700 if a rigid back protector at €20 can pass the airbag certification? 

“A rigid protector is designed to avoid perforation, an airbag is designed to reduce injuries done by impact with cars, trees, and general traffic… which have a much wider surface than the 1621-4 striker and even quite often bigger than the CRITT striker.

“All serious car tests measure acceleration, for example HIC, Head Injury Criterion, also used to test helmets, only measure accelerations.”

Under EN1621-4, the minimum requirement for a rigid back protector to pass its standard is ≤9kN, whereas the minimum requirement for an airbag is ≤2.5kN. Passive (or ‘rigid’) protectors do transmit more energy when tested using a flat striker and a flat anvil as in the CRITT methodology, but testing shows that airbags certified to the EN1621-4 methodology can be capable of reducing the forces transmitted through strikes from narrow AND wide, flat objects.

M. Thevenot also told me that “EN1621-4 has been officially rejected by the EU commission”, sending me a copy of an objection raised in France of the standard back in 2013 when it was introduced, an English translation of which can be downloaded here.

However, I found that in 2018 the European Commission made an implementing decision that can be downloaded here stating that “The arguments presented by France in the formal objection are not sufficiently substantiated. The method laid down in the standard enables to determine, at the moment of the impact, whether the shock absorption provides the necessary protection. In addition, it was not demonstrated that the airbag deployment test and the thickness of the airbag do not comply with the general requirement in point 1.2.1 of the basic health and safety requirements of Directive 89/686/EEC. On the impact test, the aim of the test is to measure the impact attenuation (transmitted force), therefore the test corresponds to the additional requirement in point 3.1.1 of the basic health and safety requirements of Directive 89/686/EEC.”

Some in France still created their own standard though, which means there are now two different test methods – the EN1621-4 methodology, which is used by MotoAirBag, Dainese, Alpinestars, Spidi and Hit-Air (though not all certify the chest and back)… and the CRITT methodology used by Helite and In&Motion (both French companies).

It is important to stress that EN1621-4 is a test criteria developed for mechanically-triggered airbags, so electronically-triggered airbags cannot be certified IN FULL to this standard, hence Dainese and Alpinestars using the impact requirements in their electronic systems to prove the levels of protection relative to other airbags and passive protection. The EN1621-5 standard that will include electronic triggering methods is due to be finalised in 2025.

Is there a better way to test airbags?

All good motorcycle kit manufacturers are constantly striving to improve the protection offered, and I’ll be the first to agree that higher levels of performance are important to establish (it’s why we launched the Bennetts High Performance Awards).

Research will continue to better inform the kit we wear, and a study linked here using a 32kg cylindrical impactor striking a test dummy’s centre chest at 13mph indicated that larger coverage can provide better protection – by reducing deflection – than smaller areas with higher pressure. That makes sense.

Equally, this study indicated that an airbag in the test that would not meet the requirements of EN1621-4 could cause similar deflection to one that met Level 1 when struck with a 200mm diameter cylinder at 19mph.

But as the study states, the results only show what might be considered some limitations to EN1621-4, and that further examination of the optimal pressures would be beneficial. It doesn’t suggest that the existing test methodology is irrelevant, stating: “values of transmitted force might not be considered as the only indicator of the potential thorax protection, and the introduction of a complementary test based on biomechanical measurements like chest deflection should be considered.”

High pressure doesn’t always equate to high protection, and a passive protector – when struck with a large, flat object, will transfer far more force to the wearer than if it’s hit with something narrow.

A test carried out by Motorrad magazine at Autoliv in Sweden using the criteria suggested above showed that a passive Level 2 protector did effectively nothing to reduce the deflection of the chest in a wide impact like this.

It showed that the Held eVest (which uses an In&Motion airbag) caused 4% less deflection than the Alpinestars Tech-Air 5, but that the Helite E-Turtle 2 reduced it by a further 20%.

However, there are two important points to note here… This was a limited test that didn’t include any airbags that are certified to EN1621-4 at the chest (this Alpinestars model is, to the best of my knowledge, only certified at the back), so we can’t gather any useful comparison data from it. Plus, the technicians carrying out this test pointed out that the gas cartridge of the Helite – a hard component – is located on the right side of the chest over the bladder and hence contributed to the result. They say this is not a bad thing in principle, but the obvious question remains of what would happen if the rider didn’t strike the surface at a perfectly flat angle as in this test. If the left side of the chest hit before the right, the cartridge and mechanism wouldn’t be involved in the impact.

Data shows that in some cases airbags certified to EN1621-4 can achieve high levels of protection against kerb-type AND flat impacts, so introducing the CRITT protocol – which entirely ignores impacts with objects such as handlebars, fences, kerb edges etc – does not help riders make informed choices.

A question I’ve been unable to answer is how many EN1621-4 certified airbags can also meet or exceed the requirements of CRITT… and how many CRITT-certified airbags could also meet the requirements of EN1621-4.

Comfort on and off the bike

Despite its length, I found the Helite Turtle 2 and E-Turtle 2 to be comfortable when riding thanks the soft neoprene collar and the freedom of movement around the arms.

Off the bike they’re fine for short periods, but you probably wouldn’t want to wander around for too long in it.

Any airbag will restrict airflow, but the limited coverage over the chest and the 3D mesh lining mean that, while some vents in your riding jacket might be covered, air can still move around well in hot weather.

The three chest straps can be adjusted for length to suit most kit and sizes once you select the correct vest.

Convenience

The inclusion of a passive back protector can make the Helite Turtle 2 and E-Turtle a little more awkward to store in your bike’s luggage. Helite states that you should not leave it folded or rolled up, but that it’s ‘okay to store in the saddlebags temporarily.’

Both airbags tend to cover the pockets on your jacket, and with only one small pocket on the Helite itself, you’ll likely need to use your trousers for anything you want to carry.

As long as you remember to connect it, the tethered Helite Turtle 2 is extremely easy to use, the only inconvenience being unhooking before you get off the bike.

The E-Turtle 2 has a single 3.7V 2,600mAh cell inside the ECU that can deliver up to 25 hours of use, and goes into a sleep mode after about 45 seconds with no movement. Turning it off and on is simply a case of pressing the front three times, and while the button isn’t particularly tactile, it can be done while riding with thick gloves on when you realise you forgot!

Charging isn’t as simple as it could be due to a specialist cable being required. As some chargers could damage the control box, Helite states that you must ONLY use the provided 2.1A USB-A unit, but the cable terminates in a barrel plug, so sadly you will have to carry the charger and cable on any trip as the Helite E-Turtle cannot be charged using any other device. A disappointment when all other modern devices use USB-C.

Charging is also extremely slow – the test device I have took several hours to charge (I went to bed before it finished), and Helite claims between five and 12 hours. On long trips, make sure you take the charger and cable, and pop the E-Turtle 2 on charge as soon as you finish riding.

The optional fork sensor can be paired to an unlimited number of E-Turtle 2 airbags, and each airbag can pair to up to five fork sensors. Once paired, there’s no confirmation of successful pairing and operation during use, so Helite recommends that it’s checked every month. Keep in mind though that the non-replaceable battery in the fork sensor only lasts about four years, so as this time gets closer it would be worth checking more regularly as you won’t know when it’s stopped working, which could be the day after you test it.

Any firmware updates to the Helite E-Turtle 2 would need to be carried out by the company during a service.

Build quality

Overall build quality is good in what is a relatively simple design with a single tube bladder. I found no issues with the stitching of the outside shell, and the inclusion of some reflective sections is useful.

Having recharged Helite Turtle 2 airbags several times, I would say that it’s worth being careful when resetting the trigger mechanism as it’s made of plastic, with no metal thread inserts, so the metal canister and trigger base could be cross-threaded.

Washing

The Helite Turtle 2 and E-Turtle 2 should not be machine washed. They can be hand washed and scrubbed with warm soapy water (no detergents or bleach), but they must not be immersed and the reflective panels shouldn’t be rubbed hard. Baby wipes are recommended for the fluorescent yellow jackets. The airbags must be allowed to dry naturally on a hangar, not in a tumble dryer or on a radiator.

Costs

Helite airbags cost slightly more for the LL and XLL models than the other sizes, plus the hi-viz versions are a little more expensive too. The prices below reflect size large in black.

Service recommendations are every 2 years for daily riders, or every 3/4 years for leisure riders. When servicing at 2 years, the warranty is extended to 4 years, but Helite will not service its airbags once they reach 10 years of age

Both systems can be recharged by the owner, with CO2 canisters for the mechanical Turtle 2 costing £22-£25 (depending on the size of the air vest and hence the size of the cannister). The electronic canisters of the E-Turtle 2 cost £60-£65.

These Helite airbags are not repairable, the bladder being non-removable from the shell.

Three alternatives to the Helite Turtle 2

With France having its own standard, comparing airbag systems is more tricky than you might expect. Here are three recommendations to consider:

• MotoAirBag V4, £639 | This is a mechanically-fired device, but its genius tether is able to react to a crash very quickly as it works in a similar way to a car seatbelt. Under the EN1621-4 impact requirements, it’s also the most protective I’ve seen, and has a large head support to prevent hyperextension of the neck, as well as impressive coverage right down beyond the base of the spine and around the sides of the ribs. MotoAirBag is worn over the top of your existing jacket (it has a tough, abrasion-resistant shell), or on its own with the removable mesh sleeves that carry Level 2 passive armour. Read the full review of the MotoAirBag here.

• Alpinestars Tech-Air 3, £519.99 | Meeting the impact requirements of EN1621-4’s Airbag Level 2, the Tech-Air 3 is easy to store and comfortable to wear over or under your existing kit. Replacing the inflator can’t be done by the user, but it’s carried-out in the UK in a matter of days. Read the full review of the Alpinestars Tech-Air 3 here.

• Dainese Smart Jacket, £599 | Dainese certifies the Smart Jacket to the impact requirements of EN1621-4, achieving Airbag Level 2 on the back, and only just missing it on the front, hence being awarded Airbag Level 1 (the certification results are published). The inflators have to be replaced by a UK-based service agent, but Dainese has just announced a new model that can be recharged by the owner, which we’ll be reviewing very soon (it also achieves Airbag Level 2 front and rear). Read the full review of the Dainese Smart Jacket here.

• DO NOT be tempted by cheap airbags sold on the likes of Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, Temu and Facebook marketplace. These are often rebranded cheap flotation devices that do not inflate quickly enough to offer protection. Read our report of dangerous and illegally-sold airbags on Amazon here.

These are just three of many alternatives – you can find all the airbags we’ve tested here  and be sure to regularly check for the discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Helite Turtle 2 review – Verdict

There are two schools of thought when it comes to motorcycle airbags. Some brands using the CRITT protocol consider airbags to be a ‘cushion’, and say that EN1621-4 is a ‘shield’.

In the real world, every crash is different, so it’s impossible to say what might and might not protect you most effectively if things go horribly wrong. Based on the data and information I’ve gathered, airbags I’ve tested that are certified using the CRITT methodology appear to offer very little protection against hard-edged impact compared to EN1621-4, but studies suggest they can still offer valuable protection against some other forms of impact.

However, data shows that those airbags certified using EN1621-4 offer higher levels of safety if you’re struck by something like a handlebar, the top of some Armco, the edge of a road sign or car, or a kerb. But they can also meet the requirements of CRITT, which tests for flat impacts, as well.

Personally, I feel more confident wearing an airbag that’s been certified using the requirements of EN1621-4, but the protective gear you buy should always be down to your own, informed choice, taking into account the potential protection, the coverage offered, comfort and convenience.

Do you own this airbag? Tell us what it’s like, or ask us questions about it at bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk.