Whilst wandering the Dirt Bike Show this year I was accosted by a PR lady who wanted Londonbikers.com to get to know the Scorpion product range and I immediately jumped at the chance after spending the race season watching Dave Wood winning the KTM RC8 cup while wearing a Scorpion helmet. Most bikers respond with “Eh?” or “is that the one with the inflatable bit?” when asked about Scorpion, so it is definitely about time Londonbikers.com brought the capital’s attention to them.
Fast forward a few weeks and I’m sitting in the Rickmansworth office of Scorpion’s (and Ixon’s) sole UK Distributor Thunderchild Ltd talking its ZX-12r riding director Mark Oldroyd about the brand and the product. Scorpion Sports is the company and ScorpionExo® is the product range based and marketed to great effect in America where their products are regularly in the top 5 best sellers. Scorpion Sports is the offspring of the huge Korean manufacturer Kido Industrial Co. Ltd who have been making clothing products for lots of big names inc. Helly Hansen and Hein Gericke amongst many others throughout the World. So they know something about making a good product and have a state of the art factory campus of 810,000 sq ft which houses almost every operation involved in creating world-class helmets including moulding, liner manufacture and painting to produce helmets which they hope can take on the best the rest of the World has to offer and come out on top.
When I arrived in Mark’s display room I was amazed by the range of helmets on display – there must have been one from every model in every colour and I can say without question there will be a Scorpion helmet which fits and suits your colour preferences. It’s quite an extensive range and runs from just under £100 for the EXO-100 to just under £300 for the EXO-1000, there are 10 models in the range, 8 full face street models and 2 off road types with solid colours, tasteful colours and even some far out wild colours including coloured linings on some models.
The Helmets
Mark let me have a range topping Exo-1000 model and the mid level and likely more popular Exo-750 in a very fetching retro paint job. Taking the helmets out of their boxes for the first time is always a lovely event and the Scorpions don’t disappoint. They smell wonderful, just as new lids should and first impressions are good with both helmets sharing a very classy feel with a high quality outer finish and sumptuous inner lining. The shells on both models are a Fiberglass/Kevlar/Dyneema™ composite (the lower models are Polycarbonate one) made by Scorpion Sports at the aforementioned factory, and are unique in their inclusion of ‘the World’s strongest fibre’ Dyneema which is used in high performance ropes and bullet-proof vests.
The Exo-1000 is easily distinguished from its junior brother by the shell mounted ventilation ducting, very reminiscent of the Arai RX-7 GP, which runs around the crown and ends up at the back in a now traditional spoiler. I’ve never worn an RX-7 so can’t comment about how noisy it is, but I can say that this helmet doesn’t appear unduly noisy as a result of this external ducting. I’ve not worn the 1000 in anything remotely resembling warmth so can’t comment on its performance in hot weather but the two simple click vent openings are a doddle to use with gloved hands, as are the brow and chin vents. The top vents open into the wind flow to catch air as it flows over the helmet, the brow and chin vents slide down rather than out which strikes me as being more aerodynamic and I couldn’t detect any whistling or roaring on the move.
The Exo-750 model has a more traditional built it head vent funnelling air inside the shell and out through a smaller spoiler at the back, no doubt effective and certainly our test guinea pig LB member Curtis didn’t have any complaints of stuffiness while testing it. Arai’s RX-7 has this outer ventilation system to push more air through the helmet to cool the heated heads of the racers intended to wear them, while their Quantum model has the more aerodynamic in-shell system as they don’t expect racers to be choosing that model. No doubt Scorpion applied the same thought process here bestowing their top model with what appears to be a vent system capable of moving the most air. Talking of racers, Scorpion now has Chris Northover (formerly of Team Haribo Superstock and Astro Kawasaki) on board to get the name across to the BSB crowds.
The colour schemes for the entire range appear to something for everyone from plain solid colours to some pretty outrageous designs yet to my eyes none of the schemes fall into that “what were they thinking?” category that at least one of all the Japanese manufacturers’ schemes fall into. These look like they were styled by Americans and therefore seem a little easier on the senses, as with Nolan/X-Lite, being Italian designed. I’m really warming to this particular Exo-1000’s colour scheme (Spring) of random black and white patterns and am loving the iridescent patterns under the surface. This scheme also comes with a funky black and white liner which I really like, it makes a pleasant change from the usual dull blue affair – some of the other colour schemes come with similarly exciting liner colours. But, as a first in my knowledge, you can order alternative linings from the accessories catalogue. Mark has a black and white tiger one; some guy on another website has a leopard print liner so surely there’s something for everyone.
Liners and Visors
This liner is very easy to pull out and is completely washable; it’s the same with the 750 as Curtis reported no problems doing likewise with his. And when I say the liner, I mean all of it. Look at the images - the basket, cheeks and collar rim all come off so it’s stripped down to the polystyrene liner. Both models use a breathable material for their liners called Kwikwick but I imagine it to be the same as most other similarly priced helmet liners in that it’ll try to keep you warm in the cold and vice-versa. With the liner out you can see the grooves in the polystyrene which aid the funnelling of air over your head, and as clear as day a sticker indicating the date of manufacture which is nice to see.
There is also a removable breath guard, nice, but which naturally isn’t a great fit as it’s a one-size fits all. Use a Foggy Repro mask or similar for something more tailored however Scorpion’s theory is that you shouldn’t need such a device because they are very proud of their antifogging coating to their visors. Mark was very happy to hold a visor over a hot cup of tea and show the complete lack of fogging, and neither I nor Curtis noticed any fogging – Curtis in particular rode through some of the colder weather in late December without any visibility issues. Mark talked about the visors being made in Canada by a company who manufactures fighter aircraft canopies so they are proud of the quality and durability of them, but how many of us have had any visor break on them? Not me. It’s all very well being able to pull the visor completely flat without damage, but I’d be happy with it simply being able to withstand even the smallest abrasion better than they all do now. Not a gripe at this helmet you understand, these visors are meant to be scratch resistant, but if there’s one thing I hate it is all visors’ lack of surface hardness.
Changing the visor is very main-stream, two rotary dials are turned through about a half inch of travel to release the catches and out she comes. There is the usual loud click as spring-loaded catches lose their grip on the visor and clipping it back into position is easy enough, one side first the press the other side over the dial and presto. Various coloured visors are shown in the catalogue as accessories although of course they are only for track use. Ahem. The release dials are also replaceable from the catalogue should you not fancy those fitted as standard – titanium, chrome, gloss and matt black are the choices.
Pimp my Lid
While on the subject of the visor and accessories I’ll make a special mention of the Winter Snow Kit which is available for the 400,450 and 750 models. It includes double glazed and heated visors (cigarette lighter type adaptor), a tight fitting breathbox (like a Foggy Mask but which covers the mouth too) and alternative cheeks pads designed to keep you warmer. This kit was designed with the snowmobile market in mind but Mark is bringing it into the UK now, and considering this winter I’m thinking he’s some sort of genius.
Before leaving the visor area I’ll mention another feature which distinguishes the 1000 from the rest of the full face range, the “SpeedView™” internal sun visor. There are other helmets with a flip out sun visor it’s true, but I can’t think of many race type helmets with them - flip-down visors tend to be more a feature of touring helmets but it is a welcome addition. I’ve been caught many times by the sun coming out briefly on a cloudy day and stopping to change visors for the 15mins the sun is likely to stay out for would be more hassle than it’s worth. The Exo-1000 has an interchangeable half visor operated by a lever on the left hand side behind the release dial to keep your eyes shaded and avoid premature crows-feet (a concern at my age for sure). You could have a dark smoke, yellow or blue tint if you don’t like the standard light smoke fitment by again referring to the generous accessory list.
The AirFit
Fit-wise I should mention that most people seem to find the sizes a little on the small side - my normally medium head fits the Large better. The Scorpion is definitely for the more standard shaped heads, it doesn’t have any of the angular chin shape of the Shark from the previous helmet review. It’s more an Arai/Shoei shape judging by how it fits me, but being pretty different to main stream in design this Scorpion has a trick up its sleeve –the AirFit™ system. It’s probably the one marketing point which people will identify Scorpion with and rightly so. Inspired (I imagine) by the fancy trainers of the 80’s (was it Reebok or Nike?) all models designated “Air” (this being the Exo-1000 Air to give it its full title) come with an inflatable lining which you can inflate after putting the lid on to give a tighter fit.
Now, before you all start thinking about airbags or eyes bulging out of sockets, this is not a safety feature in itself. It will secure your head inside the helmet better than not inflating it for sure, but at the pressures we are talking about it is simply like wedging a little more cushioning inside. So don’t go thinking you are better protected. Rather it is about comfort (and therefore there is some degree of safety improvement to be had) because the inflation is concentrated around the cheek area only. You pull the lid on, then using the red squishy button under the chin bar press away until comfortable. On the move the result is a lack of draughts coming up your cheeks (as the air is forced up your chest and neck) so it’s warmer in this weather and always quieter. It doesn’t need inflating, I find the fit perfectly satisfactory as it is (and you should buy it on that basis too) but see the inflation thing as fine tuning, and I’d imagine that after a couple of years it’ll take up the slack in the then worn pads and avoid that sloppiness helmets get as they age. Deflating is a matter of pressing the smaller button next to the big red one – it’s even marked on the chin skirt for the emergency services as taking the helmet off while highly inflated is going to be harder than when not.
On the road and both Curtis and I were very happy with the helmets. There were no complaints from Curtis who can vouch for the effectiveness of the vents after going out in the freezing cold with them all wide open and definitely feeling it! He talked a lot about how much lighter (near 1400grams) and quieter than his Caberg the Exo-750 is, and reckoned that the Airfit system is great – producing a tighter fit and helping keeping his face warmer than expected (by stopping icy air coming up the sides).
Curtis did report that the Airfit pump button sometimes grazed his chin so perhaps he has a slightly more ‘pointy’ head than mine, I had no such issues. I found the 1000 to be very comfortable and easy to use with it’s simple locking switch to keep the visor open a crack (although it is perhaps a larger crack than I’d prefer if nitpicking), lock it shut or leave it fully manual. Venting wasn’t really tried out given the current conditions but the visor was, as Curtis found, impossible to fog up. I haven’t done hundreds of miles in all conditions, but I have no reason to suppose there would be usage issues in those miles. It seems a very nicely made high quality helmet; I know Curtis loves the 750 too. My only gripe is remembering to deflate the Airfit otherwise it near pulls my ears off – hardly a fault of the lid.
Meeting Standards
In terms of safety Scorpion are one of the very few manufacturers to have sent every one of their helmets off for testing, most manufacturers send one or a sample off then use the results of that sample to speak for the rest. All Scorpion lids are Euro 22-05 and Snell (USA) certified (the 1000 meets the 2010 test too), and the 200,400,450,750 and 1000 helmets all have the coveted gold ACU sticker on the back for those of you wanting to do track days. In the Sharp tests both the 1000 and the 750 scored 4 stars which is more peace of mind for those who need it. As far as I’m concerned, if Dave Wood is happy to wear one (he runs a motorcycle shop and thus can choose what he wears) I’m happy to wear one. He’s not given some secret special racer’s version, just one out the box as we could buy.
Weighty Matters
The only down side I can really see with this helmet is the weight - the Exo-1000 tips in at 1520grams which is a little heavier than most at this price. It doesn’t feel clumsy or bulky when on, but I can tell it’s not my 1380gram X-Lite especially when changing speed. The Exo-750 is a much lighter animal, tipping in at around the 1380gram mark. Mark pointed out to me that currently the factory producing both European models and the American models stickers both up as the American ones. These are heavier helmets because the Snell and DOT standards across the pond require a thicker shell to withstand more impact force than the European legislation requires.
Summing Up
So I’m gonna sum up as it’s getting quite long now, longer than I’d anticipated. After reviewing an Arai, Shark and my own X-Lite I was interested in these Scorpions as the new kids on the block. Now, after spending a lot of time with them, I’m very impressed. Very very impressed in fact. Assuming it fits, no-one should buy a helmet of any price without trying one first. The Airfit is not some cheap gimmick, it actually works and the flip-down visor does likewise, in fact I’ll miss it. I’ve never seen a range of helmets with as many accessories, I mean, a heated visor? Yup, I’d have one of those too.
Scorpion deserves to be as big a hit here as they’ve been in the US. Their European office in Strasbourg must be very busy.
On a side note, I’ll say that all Scorpion helmets come with a 3 year warranty which, unlike Arai and Shark to name but two, covers more than just the shell – it covers the whole entire helmet and its various parts.
Also for those of you who fancy a flip-up full face helmet, take a look at their Exo-900 model whose flip-up front can be entirely detached and replaced with a clip-on visor for the full open face look. It features the Airfit and the 1000’s built in sun visor.
Related Links
- Scorpion USA Site
- Scorpion European Site
- Scorpion Catalogue 2010
