Recently there’s been a slew of economically priced helmets flooding the market. So many that we’ve had a difficult time just trying to keep up with them here at ADVMoto. The Scorpion EXO-AT950 modular adventure touring helmet caught my eye as a great example of the new multi-purpose designs. With its long nose, flip front, removable beak, flip-down sun visor, easy adaptability to comm systems, and removable visor, there isn’t much this helmet can’t do. And after logging about 2,500 miles in all kinds of terrain and (nasty) weather, it’s easy to deliver an objective opinion about this helmet’s functionality.

The three modes: I’m partial to flip fronts for many practical reasons, the biggest being that they allow for relaxed conversation with others by simply raising the front, which is also great for catching some fresh air on extremely hot days. The down side seems to be increased wind noise at high speeds. The removable beak can be added or removed depending upon your tolerance for ambient brightness. It provides excellent eye shade from the sun’s glare, but it does cause a little drag at high speeds, and it’s effortlessly removed via twin titanium finger screws. The visor, also removable via the same titanium finger screws, covers an oversized, high visibility eye port. It’s common for experienced riders to swap the visor for goggles, especially in environments with extreme dust or dirt in the air. The only down side is that a modular of this design is slightly heavier than some helmets without these options. For me, that’s a small price to pay for the versatility.

Further incidentals include well thought-out detents for the visor’s opening positions. I often ride with the visor open to the first notch, yet on some helmets there either isn’t a detent, or they don’t hold in this position. It can be a real pain in the butt if this simple mechanism isn’t logically approached by the manufacturer. (And it often isn’t!) The drop-down sun visor is another huge bonus. An increasing number of helmets have been appearing with this feature. Especially for those of us with light blue eyes that react almost violently to too much sunlight, this feature is a godsend.

There are also internal speaker cut-outs for adapting an audio system. I’m a huge fan of Sena’s comm systems and use them on every helmet in my arsenal. It only took about five minutes to adapt a Sena S20’s mounting hardware to the EXOAT950. Because it places the speakers close to or touching the ears, the added bonus is that more external noises are reduced.

Rain seems to follow me around even in areas of drought. For this review I got to experience the EverClear windshield coating that did a better than average job of deflecting the rain. An optional Pinlock is also available that’ll reduce or eliminate fogging.

The other surprising thing was the price, and for a helmet of Scorpion EXO-AT950’s quality, you’d expect to pay more, as in a lot more. What’s not to love? An excellent quality modular adventure touring helmet at this price point… what are you waiting for?! MSRP: Solids $269.95 | Graphics $289.95 Sizes: XS–3XL Option: MaxVision Pinlock Shield ScorpionUSA.com

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