Just got a Scorpion EXO100 - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

noahmercy · 06-13-2009, 11:43 PM

Just thought I'd do a quick write-up on my new lid in case anyone is considering a half-helmet.

I was just about croaking from the heat when riding in slow/ stop-n-go traffic in the warmer weather while wearing my full-face helmet, an HJC CL-15. My options were wearing no helmet, purchsing a high-end helmet that had superior venting, or going to a half helmet so my face would be exposed to some airflow. I'm a fairly inexperienced rider and am uncomfortable with the idea of riding sans brain bucket. I work for the big orange box, so a $600 Shoei is kinda' out of the budget. Therefore I decided on a half-helmet. After asking around on the net and trying on a few lids, I settled on the Scorpion as a good compromise between safety and comfort.

After riding with it for a week at speeds from 20-75 mph, I am very pleased with my choice;
*I find it far cooler than my full-face despite going from white to satin black. It does have a forehead vent and combined with the airflow over my neck and cherubic cheeks, I don't feel like I'm going to pass out when sitting in traffic any more.
*It's much easier to don and doff...I wear prescription glasses and don't have to take them off to gear up now.
*It's easier for me to use my MP3 player (I use noise isolating earbuds with my music set to a low volume...it helps eliminate most of the wind blast-thereby saving my hearing- while still allowing me to hear what's going on around me).
*It's a little lighter weight, so my neck isn't as tired after a long ride, especially if there's some bumpy roads or corner carving involved.
*I can now turn my head more fully to look over my shoulder when changing lanes. My full-face would hit my shoulder and limit my ability to check my blind spots. I wear a Cortech denim jacket with armor and my shoulders are big anyway, so it was a real issue for me.
*My peripheral vision is unimpeded. I know that the MSF claims that most full-face helmets don't block peripheral vision, but according to my optometrist my peripheral vision is quite a bit wider than average (so am I...coincidence?) and I definitely noticed the edge of the eye cutout on my CL15.
*I don't suffer from the distortion and color shift I got with the visor on my full face coupled with my prescription lenses (duh...no visor on this one). I tried on some high-end full-face helmets and noticed the same vision problems, albeit not quite as severe as with my economical HJC.
*The retractable internal dropdown sunvisor is a Godsend when the sun is coming in hard from the side, where normal sunglasses do nothing for your peepers. It also does an excellent job of keeping your face from getting too beat up when you're riding through a bugstorm.
*I get a lot less buffeting at highway speeds and in stiff wind, which is a pleasant surprise.
*It looks pretty sharp-certainly more appropos for a cruiser than the full-face I was wearing. I think I'm gonna' stencil it and lay on some scallops with metallic copper. That'll look toight!

I really like this helmet and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone looking for a half unit.