Scorpion Helmets

Airflow
You never seem to be able to get the best of both worlds in relation to noise and airflow; always choosing one or the other. I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing some exceptionally quiet helmets, but the trade off has always been airflow. If you ride in hot weather that may not be a compromise you’re eager to make. Some other helmets with great airflow sacrifice wind noise. You can’t ride in your car with the windows down and have it quiet as if they were up, it just doesn’t work that way. The trick is to find a happy medium.

The EXO-700 seems to make a good compromise. It’s certainly not as quiet as some other helmets, but the airflow is impressive. And, of course, closing the vent quiets down the helmet considerably. If you’re planning a long ride with the vents open, you may want to consider ear plugs particularly if you intend to ride at highway speeds. In the twisties or around town, plugs are not necessary for any duration of ride.

Let’s talk about venting. The EXO-700 has a left and right top entry vent, a middle entry vent in between the left and right top entry vent and one more entry vent on the chin guard. The chin vent is on or off and blows onto the inside of the shield. The top left and right vents are open, half-open or closed; the top middle vent has four settings. All airflow coming into the top vents exits aft.

On the spoiler, at the rear of the helmet there are three small venting exit holes that are always open. On either side of these three holes are two three-way adjustable exit vents. Finally there are two flush-mounted “gill” vents on the left and right lower rear side of the helmet. These two flush-mounted vents are fixed.

While we’re on the subject of the spoiler, I should mention that it does a superb job in reducing buffeting and shake to almost nothing. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of wearing an improperly sized helmet with poor stability and I can tell you first-hand it can be downright scary. At speeds approaching 100MPH, the EXO-700 stayed put and I didn’t feel as if I was fighting the wind or the helmet. The EXO-700 did not lift or move, and moving my head to side created manageable turbulence. I have to attribute this to the wind-tunnel testing; the system is effective. The weight of the helmet also helps; I came up with an unscientific measurement of just above three lbs.

I had the opportunity to ride with the EXO-700 when temperatures were in the mid-eighties and humidity hovering in the same range; a good test of several features. The airflow was more than adequate and did an excellent job of moving volumes into and out of the helmet. The airflow was so much when all vents are open at their maximum, it was almost as if the shield was open slightly. If you sweat a lot like I do, you’ll enjoy the amount of air this helmet will push through.

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