Where's your Helite Airbag tether attached?

[PhillyPod]

Hi All,

I read through the threads dealing with the Helite airbag but couldn't find this specific question. I recently bought a Helite airbag vest from Revzilla. I am primarily using it when I ride my 2-wheeler but we also have a '17 RTS that my wife primarily rides (her vest size is currently out of stock). I took the Spyder out this morning and I can't find anyplace to attach the tether. Helite specifically says DO NOT attach to the handlebars. They recommend finding a metal bar/piece under the seat. I was able to find something there on the bike but looking under the RTS seat, I find nothing to attach it to.

I know there are a few of you on the Forum using them. Where do you attach it?

Thanks!
Warren

[JayBros]

Look at pg 48 of your operator's guide there is a helmet hook on each side of the RT under the seat to which one can attach a helmet D-ring. Don't know anything about the Helite vest but might the Spyder helmet hook(s) work?

[Bfromla]

Grab rails within reach? Maybe something that could connect to where the drivers backrest goes. Sorry don’t know how much usable slack can safely use without accidentally activating.

[Peter Aawen]

...... They recommend finding a metal bar/piece under the seat. I was able to find something there on the bike but looking under the RTS seat, I find nothing to attach it to. ........

My Spyder is a 2013 RT Ltd, so this probably only applies directly to any 2010 to 2019 RT's (including your wife's 2017 RTS ) but I just lifted the seat Warren, and put a 'purchased separately' tether strap around the main spar that runs underneath it. If I hold the tether up when I close the seat, the free 'D' ring on the end of the tether sits just above the front of the seat. I also put a clear 'anti-scratch sticker/pad' on the tupperware just in front of the seat too, so that the 'D' ring & anything clipped onto it won't mark the tupperware.

Then when I wanted to add a similar tether point for the pillion seat, I again lifted the seat & fed a tether strap thru the gap alongside the brake reservoir, under the main spar again, and out the other side of the spar thru the gap in the placcy left by the cover that used to hide the battery back in the 2010-2012 models... That tether is long enough to reach either side of the seat, or I can feed it back & out between the hinges at the rear of the seat so it comes out under the pillion backrest & behind the seat.

Something similar should work for you Warren, if you lift the seat & look under the tupperware for places you can secure a separate tether extension strap to the main spar of the frame. I reckon that even if your Spyder RT is a 2020+ version you could probably find somewhere that'd work too, just so long as you get yourself an appropriate extn strap to clip the vest &/or anything else you want on to!

Over to you!

[PhillyPod]

Thanks for the suggestions. I really appreciate it!

As for the helmet hooks, at least on my model, they are small, cheap and plastic. I wouldn't trust them to hold the tether. Frankly, I can't even use them to hang the helmet. On my Arai the D-rings only extend less than an inch from the bottom of the helmet. I don't think there would be room to hang down. Really a poor design IMHO.

The grab bars are a possibility but they may be a bit too far back and the tether too short. I will have to check that out.

Finally, at Peter's suggestion I took a good look under the main spar that runs beneath the seat. I didn't see space near the break res but, I DID see daylight next to the gas cap running over to the other side. It will probably take some work threading a wire through first but it might just work! I have the extra strap on order so will have to give it a try.

Thanks again guys!

[RodO]

I've not road tested this yet but I've got my Helite's tether being held by the Torx bolt at the upper right side panel that's just below the glove box.

I'd test fitted elsewhere under the seat but I'd say this is the cleanest and strongest.
Don't know why the attached image is rotated 90d but you'll get the idea...
IMG_4584.jpg

[Peter Aawen]

....
Don't know why the attached image is rotated 90d but you'll get the idea...

It's probably rotated 90° like that because you took that pic on your phone/tablet/camera with it held upright, ie, in Portrait Mode, which would put its default Anchor Point into the Top Right corner and so cause the Forum Software, that always puts Anchor Points into the Top LEFT corner, to rotate it like that!!

If you ever take a pic that you might want to load onto the Forum, simply rotate your phone/tablet/device 90° anti-clockwise (ie. drop the top to the LEFT! ;-) ) so that it's in LANDSCAPE MODE, which will usually put the Anchor Point into the Top LEFT corner and so for most, the Forum Software will then display your pics the same way you took them!.

Just Sayin'