Motorcycle airbags become more popular with CA motorcycle riders [Video]

SAN DIEGO — Motorcycle airbags have been protecting racers for years by inflating inside a jacket during a crash on the racetrack. Now, airbags are catching on for recreational motorcycle riders, thanks to TV commercials and social media posts.

The airbags consist of an inflatable bladder inside a leather suit, jacket or vest. They can protect you in an accident.

GoPro video recorded in 2016 in the Bay Area showed a novice rider wearing an airbag vest. He got up after the crash and declared, “Exactly why I bought that vest. It saved me, literally.”

“A lot of people said that video is fake. It’s an advertisement for the product, which is completely crazy,” said Patrick Schrickel, director of operations for HELITE Moto, seller of airbag vests made in France.

“It took a while, but I feel like now we’re at a point where …