Summary: Rather anti-climatic after the long wait and
buildup, the Scorpion EXO-1000 is built like a tank and loaded with
features, but more isn't necessarily better.
Finally! After all this time, the EXO-1000 has
arrived.
webBikeWorld had the world's first photographs and product
information on this helmet, which we posted on February 17, 2007, live from
the Dealer Powersports Expo in Indianapolis (see our original report).
We tried to get a helmet for a review several months ago, but production
issues delayed the formal release of the EXO-1000 until late summer in North
America -- not the best time to release a brand-new helmet to the market.
We were finally able to purchase an EXO-1000 from one of the
first production runs released to dealers, and I've been riding with it over the
past couple of months. I think the extended delay from the original
announcement to the touch-and-feel stage sort of threw a chill on the
urgency of the review, thus the delay in bringing you this report.
The EXO-1000 was probably the most talked-about and most
anticipated helmet of 2007, mostly due to the buzz surrounding the "HelmetPump"
inflatable cheek pads. This generated a lot of interest and, as
sometimes happens, this very unique feature developed a "must have"
mentality, without much thought to its functionality. It sounded so
cool and interesting that everyone wanted it. So was all the fuss
really worth it? Let's see...
Paint, Graphics and Overall Quality The quality of the Scorpion EXO-1000, at least based on our example, is
superb, with one exception in the way the visor fits (see the Visor narrative below). The
fittings, the paint, liner and everything else is very nicely done.
The vents are especially praiseworthy, at least in the way they feel, if not
their function.
Flimsy and cheap-feeling plastic vents seem to be the norm
even on the most expensive helmets, but Scorpion has set a welcome new
benchmark that other helmet manufacturers will have to match. The
vents open and close like fine switchgear, which adds to the overall feeling
of solidity in the EXO-1000.
The paint quality, the thick clear coat, the liner and
everything else on the helmet also is of very high quality.
The problem, as we'll see in a minute, is that the helmet is almost
over-built; just about every feature that can be imagined has been added,
which may be responsible for making this helmet around 400 grams or so (nearly one pound) heavier
than it should be.
It sort of reminds me of an old Mercedes-Benz: overbuilt and
loaded with features but heavy and a bit plodding.
Score: We give the EXO-1000 an "Excellent"
rating for paint and overall quality; it would have received an
"Outstanding" except for the visor problem, which may be a quirk of our
example. But otherwise, I'm not sure it gets much better than this in
2007. See
the ratings descriptions in the summary table at the end of this page.
Helmet Fit and Comfort and Internal Shape
We think Scorpion's goal was probably to create a
neutral fit with the EXO-1000; that is, a helmet that
would fit the majority of head shapes.
But I'd say that the helmet is very slightly biased towards
the "long oval" shape. Burn says that it fits him just fine, but I
find that the upper part of the helmet feels like a tight round band, while
the sides feel slightly too narrow for my round skull.
For more information on the importance of internal
shapes and choosing and
fitting a motorcycle helmet, please see the
wBW
Motorcycle Helmet FAQ page.
The band that feels like it goes around the top of the liner
not only fits tight, it
makes my head sweat, which is unusual. And the snug sides make it
difficult to wear full-temple eyeglasses; I have to use
my short temple
modified eyeglasses instead, and I have a hard time stuffing even those
between my face and the liner.
But that's just me. The point is that full round-heads
like me
may find that the EXO-1000 has a bit too much pressure on the sides, but I
do think that the helmet will fit a majority of owners without problems.
The liner is nicely made and it feels like quality material,
but it isn't as soft as some. Scorpion calls the material "KwikWick",
and both the removable liner and cheek pads are claimed to be
"moisture-wicking", but my experience with the helmet differs -- the
material seems to be less absorbent than almost any other helmet I've worn,
and this is one of the only helmets I can think of that actually makes me
sweat and doesn't absorb the moisture.
When I take off the helmet, my head is damp and it just
feels hot and swampy inside, even in temperatures down to 60 degrees or so. This
may also be partly the fault of the venting, which I'll get to in a minute.
This size XL feels to me like it's about
1/2 size small and this may carry through across the rest of the size
range, which runs
from XS to XXL.
Score: I'll give the
EXO-1000 a "Acceptable" for its internal shape but a "Poor"
for the issues with the liner.
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Air Flow
The EXO-1000 has 4 separate intake vents: the chin vent, a brow vent and two
top vents, each with separate controls. Again, the quality of the vent
mechanisms is excellent, but I've been very surprised at the lack of air
flow that I get from them.
The chin vent has a flat vertical cover that opens forward, so
there is no direct air flow on to the face. The helmet has two vent
openings through the back of the chin bar, but I find it very difficult to feel any air
coming in, except maybe when running around 60 MPH on a Sportbike in a
leaned-forward position. This seems to allow some air to find its way
in around the vent.
The brow vent is a nice idea, but I feel no difference
whether it's opened or closed. The two top vents surprise me the most;
they open forward as air scoops, so you'd think they would gulp a lot of air
and push it down on to my head, but I feel less air in the top of the
EXO-1000 than almost any other helmet I've tried.
This, combined with the tight feeling head band, makes the
top of my head get hot and sweaty, even in cooler weather -- not something I
enjoy very much. It isn't until around 60 MPH that I can feel the
slightest amount of air flow...strange.
The helmet has two exhaust vents on the chin and two in the
rear in addition to a big exhaust vent that can be opened or closed, located
underneath the lip of the rear spoiler. Why an owner would ever want
to close this exhaust vent is beyond me, so maybe some weight could have
been saved by making this a less complicated design.
Score: I'll give the
EXO-1000 a "Poor" rating for
venting and air flow.
Helmet Weight Here's where all the gimmicks and geegaws cause a
problem. Our EXO-1000 in size XL weighs in at a
whopping 1821grams (4
lbs., 0-1/4 oz.), which makes it #78 out of the 83
helmets we've reviewed at the date of publication.
In fact, this gives the EXO-1000 the very dubious
distinction of being the heaviest full-face, non-modular helmet we've ever
reviewed. The only helmets that are heavier are all modulars: the
Schuberth C2; the
Nolan N102; the
Nolan X-lite X-1002; the
KBC FFR; and the
stupendously massive HJC
FS-Max (Modular) at 1911 grams (all in size XL).
That's too heavy, and although I will say that the helmet
does seem fairly well balanced so that the weight isn't riding up top, the
mass can be felt when turning my head side-to-side.
I'd guess that the multiple intake vents, exhaust vents,
internal sun shade, the HelmetPump inflatable cheekpad system and probably
the Snell compliance have taken their toll.
For more information on helmet weights, see the
wBW
Motorcycle Helmet Weights page for a chart comparing
the EXO-1000 with all of the other helmets we've reviewed
on webBikeWorld.
Score: "Poor" to
"Unacceptable", depending upon personal preference.
Visor
The EXO-1000's clear visor uses the Scorpion quick
release visor system, which is a round dial that allows
the visor to be easily removed but is a bit fussy to
replace. The visor has an interesting bend at the
very top and it's notched to fit under the brow vent.
It's a complex mold and, unfortunately, ours has a problem
on the left-hand side, where it doesn't come close to sealing around the
gasket surrounding the eye port opening. It starts with about a 1/8"
gap on the left and doesn't touch the eye port gasket until almost half-way
across the face of the helmet.
This may be an issue only with our example, but prospective
owners may want to closely inspect the seal between the visor and the eye
port gasket before committing greenbacks. Not that this is a
deal-killer, but it's a surprising faux pas and, I think, may be
partly responsible for the elevated noise levels we found.
The visor has another unfortunate trait
that we also experienced on the
HJC FS-10;
it only has 4 detents to hold it open, and the first is
nearly half-way up. There is a lever on the
left-hand side that cracks the visor open just a touch;
the lever also acts as a visor lock, but it's
fussy to use and the visor must be fully opened and
slammed home to seal (or as close as it gets to sealing)
if the lever is used.
Score: I'll rate the visor
clarity, operation and visibility as
"Acceptable", which drops to a "Poor" considering the
sealing problem, which may be an issue with our helmet
only.
wBWLightbox - Click photo to view.
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Rotating Sun Visor
Here we go again: the EXO-1000 comes with what I guess
is now a marketing "must have" feature, the internal sun shade.
These devices are a good idea with, so far, very poor
implementations, in our opinion. They add too much weight; the
rotating mechanisms are usually cranky; they don't rotate down far enough to
lower out of the rider's line of sight; the bottoms have weird curves and
nose cut-outs (anyone with a nose that big would be wearing an open-face
helmet anyway); they don't always have infinite positioning (on or off only)
and, to top it off, they're usually not dark enough to block the sun anyway,
probably because of liability concerns.
How about this, manufacturers: make a very dark or opaque
internal visor that can be pulled down manually about 25 mm and is cut
straight across? That's all you'd need to keep the sun out of your
eyes when riding west on a summer's afternoon.
Score: I'm sure some will
argue, just as they do with our fondness for D-rings,
but I'll rate the internally rotating
sun visor as "Poor". If you don't agree,
no problem, but I'm just not a big fan of these things
-- yet.
wBWVideo Tour of the Scorpion EXO-1000 Helmet
Noise Levels
The EXO-1000 does have a relatively "dirty",
aerodynamically speaking, shell, with
lots of vents, the rear spoiler, exhausts and those big
round visor removal knobs that stick out in the air
flow. This makes the helmet louder than I think it
should or could be.
Noise and tolerance thereof is subjective, of course,
and I always wear high-quality ear plugs, but there is a
wind rushing noise that seems to be generated around the
top vents and the rear exhaust spoiler on the EXO-1000,
along with a continuous low-frequency wind rushing noise
around the bottom of the helmet, caused by turbulence
and amplified when riding behind a short windscreen.
What I don't hear is the annoying whistling noise that
can be caused by air passing over vent holes, and this
is surprising. It isn't the loudest helmet I've
tried by any means, but I'd say it's probably in the
bottom third.
Remember that we always wear correctly
fitted, high quality earplugs and an extra helmet liner
when riding, and we strongly recommend that you always
wear hearing protection also. See the
wBW
Earplugs and Hearing Protection page for more
information on choosing and wearing earplugs.
And also remember that your experience with noise levels
will probably be different because it depends on many factors, including your
head shape, the motorcycle configuration, prevailing winds
and more.
Score: I'll give it a break
and rate the EXO-1000
as "Acceptable" for the amount of noise that it transmits.
HelmetPump Inflatable Cheek Pads
This is what all the excitement was about. The EXO-1000 includes air
bladders in the cheek pads and a small air pump in the chin bar to inflate
them. The air pump is a rubberized button, similar to...didn't Nike
make an athletic shoe with an air pump back in the '80's or so?
Another small button lets the air out. This all sounds
interesting, and it's so new and different that everyone thought it would
change the world. But think about it -- when's the last time you felt
the need to inflate the cheek pads in your helmet? I think once I
bought a set of thinner cheek pads for an Arai helmet, but other than that,
it's a need I didn't know I had.
With the cheek pads deflated, the helmet fits pretty much
like any other helmet; maybe like the cheek pads are slightly thinner, i.e.
more roomy than normal. But you don't really notice it until you pump
them up. I can't really add much air before they get too tight.
So for those unusual owners who may have a large head but
very hollow cheeks, this may be a desirable feature. For the rest of
us, it's a complexity and weight additive that the helmet could do without.
But then they wouldn't have much to market, no?
We're interested in hearing other opinions; perhaps we're
missing something here?
Miscellaneous
Note to Scorpion: Please, please, please stop
using that phony chocolate smell inside the helmets.
It's no longer funny, if it ever was.
We first experienced the stench on the EXO-400, where we thought a
practical joking retail employee maybe slipped a cheap chocolate bar in the
box before shipping the helmet. But it turns out that this is
Scorpion's idea of fun.
The smell is overwhelming and it gives me a headache; it
smells like very cheap chocolate. Who wants to be trapped inside a
helmet with that smell? I had to leave the helmet outside,
wrapped up in a bag with a box of baking soda inside to try and absorb the
odor, but it's still in there. I'm sure some of you won't mind it, but I can't stand it and it
would prevent me from buying another Scorpion helmet if I didn't have to do
it for the sake of webBikeWorld reviews!
The helmet has a chin curtain that keeps some air and,
presumably, noise from entering under the chin bar. This has the
unfortunate side effect of blocking the air that usually comes up from
underneath, which, I believe, normally constitutes the majority of
ventilation in most helmets. The chin curtain can be removed; it's
apparently designed to offer some protection for the pump and deflation
button.
The Scorpion EXO-1000 carries both a DOT and Snell approval.
It uses a D-ring attachment system and the extra
length of chin strap attaches with a snap. The
padding under the chin strap is comfortable.
Conclusion
Let's see: take away the gimmicky air pump and remove
the sun visor, and what do we have? Basically an
EXO-700 that weighs about 200 grams more and costs
$120.00 more? We think the best deal in the house
is the Scorpion
EXO-400, a quality helmet which can be had for
around $140.00 (solid colors).
The EXO-1000 feels well built, but it has just a wee bit too
much of nearly everything. Sometimes simpler is better. That's
one rider's opinion; don't forget -- we're not selling the things, so we
have no interest other than letting you know how we feel.
Product Review: Scorpion EXO-1000
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Comments? Send them to
Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.
From "R.I.": "Just got my new Scorpion EXO-1000
yesterday. Finish, fit and features. Simply put excellent.
Not a flaw on the lid anywhere I could see.
Only minor gripe I had was the face shield didn't lock down.
A quick inspection showed the shield latch or as Scorpion calls them, the
speedshifters, on the left side of the helmet wasn't fully engaged around
the opening in the shield. Quick twist to pop off the shield on that
side and re-attached properly in less then 5 seconds.
My first ride with this helmet I have to say it was waaaay
quieter then my old HJC. Until I opened all the vents. With everything
open, it was about as noisy as my old HJC fully closed. That's
something I can definitely appreciate.
The Speedview sun visor will take a little getting used to.
Its about as dark as my light smoked shield I had on the HJC, but it doesn't
come down to completely cover the lower portion of the face port. I DO
like it, and it great to ride with, I just wish Scorpion made it just about
3/4 to 1 inch longer. Maybe they can't and still have it fully retract
into the top of the helmet. I took it for a 15 mile or so ride and so
far no hot spots or anything. I'll see how well I like it after a
longer trip.
Overall, I think I'm really gonna like this lid. On a score
of 1-10, I'd give it a 9.5."
From "D.I.": "I think you should put more emphasis on
the EXO-1000's incompatibility with glasses
- aside from one pair of very thick-armed glasses, every other pair I own is
completely mangled trying to get the arms back to my ears.
Unfortunately I wore the pair that works to the store when I tried the
EXO-1000, or I never would have bought it.
Your short-arm glasses "solution" (wBW
article) shouldn't be a factor in the review. Most people won't
want to chop up a couple pairs of glasses that easily cost more than the
helmet itself. Not to mention that it means carrying a pair of chopped
clear glasses, chopped prescription sunglasses, and normal versions of each
kind of glasses for a ride of any length.
Four sets of glasses to save money on a helmet? Maybe
you guys have a better vision plan than I do, but at $200-300 a pop for
lenses alone, I can buy a top-of-the-line Shoei or Arai for the cost of the
"chopped" glasses. And unlike the EXO, these other brands tend to work
very well with just about any glasses."
Editor's Reply: Thanks for the feedback.
The "chopped" glasses do not figure into our helmet evaluations. I've
actually found very few helmets that won't fit my normal glasses, which have
very thin frames. Some oval shaped helmets give me a problem because
of the mis-match between the liner and my head shape, so that may be an
issue. But it's always important to wear a helmet by trying it on in
the store before purchasing it to avoid problems like this.
Regarding the cut-down eyeglasses, it's best to use an old
pair for the modification that might be lying around after a slight
prescription change. I have an old pair from 2 prescriptions ago that
I use, and I have set of cheap clip-ons to put over them if necessary.
Total cost? Maybe $5.00."
From "D.M.": "I enjoyed your review of this helmet.
I bought one early in November. I didn't check it when I left the
store and found out that the cheek liner on the left was loose. I
tried to re-attach it and it wouldn't go in. I found out that the
female part that attaches to the helmet had come off. I tried all
weekend to re-attach it and it wouldn't go in.
I met the rep from Scorpion Canada at my dealer the following week. He
took one look at the helmet and told me that it was shot. Evidently
the female connector is not a snap in but a slide in. So if you pull
on it like the other two connectors on the cheek pad you will likely rip out
the female connector. I was told this has been a common problem.
Nowhere in their packaging or "manual" for the helmet do they tell you this
is a slider, so beware.
So they have to replace the helmet. The store doesn't
have any more mediums in my colour so I will have to wait for a replacement.
It turns out the replacement will not likely come until late January.
I was back in the store a few weeks later and saw my colour in a large.
For fun I tried it on, it fit tighter and actually better than the "smaller"
medium so I took the helmet. Can we say poor quality control?
The internal shield is too light in colour and I will check
replacements in the Spring. As others have written it is too short. I
ride a K1200S so I am leaned over the bike better than a cruiser rider but I
still wished that it covered more area. Maybe future replacement
shields should be made longer and more square as suggested in your report.
I am hoping that it is due to cold weather but the main face
shield has been quite useless despite the fact it is specially treated to
prevent fogging. After riding for about 5 minutes the shield is full
of wet, condensation so I have to lift it up to clear it. Riding in
35F weather is not something you want to do without the shield in place.
Yes I have opened the vents but it doesn't seem to help.
Again, keeping warm is my priority. I have two Shark RSR-2 helmets and
haven't experienced this problem nor on Shoei's that I have owned.
Hopefully it is a cold weather thing but I won't know for another 5 months
as it is hibernation time here in Canada.
The helmet is heavy but it doesn't bother me like you and
others have mentioned. I do like the pump. I like a tight
fitting helmet and pumping up the cheek area gives me a feeling of security.
Although it seems like I have griped substantially on this
helmet I admit that I like Scorpion as a company and feel that for the money
you can't beat the quality."
From "J.D.": "Being the helmet junkie that I am, I
bought the EXO-1000 with the white and silver graphics expecting it to be
one hell of a helmet.
Now I'm ticked I can't take it back!! This helmet is very heavy and is
louder that anything I've ever worn. Not a whistling noise but a
booming noise, can't figure it out, it happens around 55 mph.
You were dead on about the visor seal as mine is the same way, doesn't quite
seal all the way. It's about 60 degrees here and I was sweating after
about 15 minutes riding with it, should be called quick sweat instead of
quick wic.
Now to the pump. Reebok used to have a high-top basketball shoe with
this same feature back in 89, I had a pair. The shoes didn't last very
long because the the air bladder was uncomfortable around the ankles and
didn't "help prevent sprains". The helmet pump is also uncomfortable
as the bladder is not as pliable as foam and doesn't do a good job
conforming to the rider's face.
After riding awhile, you begin to feel the pressure points. Foam moves
back and forth and up and down. The air bladder just moves in and out
and doesn't move up and down nor side to side which is why you have pressure
points. Back to the drawing board Scorpion. Less hype and more
helmet."
From "R.T.": "Great review... as always as detailed as
can be. I was disappointed to see that Scorpion didn't set the world
on fire with the 1000. But perhaps it is a sing of thing to come, as
most of the quirks can be revised... at least I hope.
I currently own an EXO-700 and the rear vent whistles on a
naked bike. Coincidentally, I wont buy another 700. The 400 on
the other hand is all that and a bucket of chicken wings. love it so
much, I own 3 of them (Warhawk, Tsunami & Sting).
I also own an Arai RX7 Hayden Replica, an old Arai Quantum
/s Harada replica & 3 KBC VR2 (Repsol, Dragon & Gunslinger).
The EXO-400 should be the standard by which all others
should be measured upon..."
From "A.K.": "I am speechless. I too own an
EXO-1000 yet I have found none of the faults you mention. Yes, it may
be heavy, but I haven't ridden in a long time and started with an HJC
flip-up, so maybe my standards are low.
The internal visor was the main feature that drew me to this
helmet. It works great. Now I don't have to have a dark visor on
all the time and change change my field of vision as conditions reinvent
themselves.
The second most important feature, for me, is the visor
release mechanism. The HJC mechanism was clumsy, very superficial
feeling, and was difficult to use. I didn't dare take the visor
off...it was too much of a pain to get back on. The Scorpion mechanism
is intuitive, robust, and elegant. I read somewhere else that it
couldn't be done with gloves on......so, take the gloves off. I don't
get it.
This helmet moves a great deal of air. Especially if
you use the slightly ajar setting on the shield lock. I find that I
have to close all of the vents when it gets a bit cool, less than 40F, or I
get really cold. It worked wonderfully at 100F that I saw earlier.
The air pump feature didn't figure into the purchase
decision. It should have. It is great. I have a small head
and it is quite difficult to get a helmet to fit me properly. With the
air pump system I can "lock"
the helmet on my head removing all wiggle, never could do that with other
helmets...regardless of the size.
I am sorry that this is so long, but I wanted you to know
that Scorpion has one very satisfied customer. It is unfortunate that
your experience didn't equal mine. I greatly appreciate your reviews
and advice. Keep up the good work."
From "B.": "Just a quick note about the fake "chocolate
smell". It's the smell of the plastic/rubber that they use for the
helmet, not something they deliberately add to the helmet. A lot of
children's toys made of rubber smell the same way. This is also why
the baking soda didn't get rid of it . Anyway, thanks for the review.
I was excited about the sun visor thing, but I doubt it makes up for the
other shortcomings."
From "E.C.S.": "I just got the opportunity to try out an
EXO-1000 helmet by Scorpion. I have to say, I was disappointed!
I tried the XL and the fit was good. I had purchased
on of their EXO-400 models for my fiancé and knew about what size I would
need. It has enough pressure to feel secure, but not head-ache
inducing (I have a bit of a roundi-sh or short-oval head). The liner
felt good, pretty plush and thick feeling.
It is a really heavy helmet, although when I put it on, it
balanced well and you couldn't really tell unless you quickly turn your head
from side to side.
The paint was good (I saw both solid and graphic versions),
and it seemed really well manufactured. I couldn't find any mold
flashings or glue drips etc.
Here's where the disappointment sets in:
First, the inflatable cheek pads: I could actually wear the
helmet without inflating the cheek pads and it fit beautifully (I'm a bit
chipmunk-cheeked)! I did try out the inflation mechanism and found
that, while inflating was easy, I had a REALLY hard time finding the release
button, and I wasn't wearing any gloves! I couldn't imagine trying to find
it when I had even lightweight gloves on.
Second and most disappointing the, internal sunshade:
I had been reading your reviews of several helmets with this
feature and I report, sadly, that this helmet suffers from the same flaw.
The sunshade, which has only the open and closed positions, falls such that
the bottom of the sunshade falls right in my line of sight. I ride a
cruiser, so I look out of my helmets in a more straight-ahead angle, so it's
in just the wrong place. I suppose if you were on a sport bike, then
this might not be an issue.
I think the internal sunshade is probably the best
innovation in helmets since the advent of the modular helmet. So why
can't anyone manage to make he shade drop all the way down to the top of the
inside of the chin-bar? This would eliminate any of these weird
line-of-sight issues. I guess I'll just have to keep switching visors
for now!
Thanks, and keep up the good work!"
From "L.W.": "I was able to test ride the EXO 1000 and
would love to hear what your take is on this helmet.
My impressions of the EXO 1000 is that this is one BIG
helmet. It weighs over 4 pounds and the shell is simply enormous.
I thought the quality of build and construction was quite good. The
pump system feels solid but the inflatable cheek pads seem a bit
uncomfortable to me.
Unlike a dual density foam that forms to your face the air
pads stay hard and don’t conform. Another thing about this helmet is
the noise level, it is very loud. I understand that if you inflate the
cheek pads firmly it helps to reduce the noise, but the booming sounds in
this helmet are loud even with ear plugs in. I was really looking
forward to buying this helmet but now I’m looking for something else. i.e.
the Schuberth R1."
Comments are ordered from most recent to oldest.