The Scorpion Exo XT9000 Carbon is a full-featured, light-weight, carbon fiber, adventure-style helmet within the $500 value vary. It has an intermediate oval head form with ample air flow and good aerodynamics. It sports activities a peak that doesn’t vibrate on the freeway and comes with a transparent faceshield, a smoke faceshield, a Pinlock antifog insert, a chin skirt, and an action-camera chin mount.
After I get a brand new helmet, I crawl throughout it to get to understand it. I take it aside, in search of any gotchas, comparable to small elements I’d fumble and lose in mud or sand. I just like the Scorpion Exo XT9000 Carbon’s toolless defend mechanism for mounting and unmounting, although it requires a agency grip to get it on and off. I wouldn’t wish to be putting in it with muddy fingers.
When eradicating or putting in the faceshield, the height have to be tilted up and out of the best way, and the central twist lock on the highest of the XT9000 that lets you tilt the height may fall out of its detent when muscling the faceshield. The left and proper twist locks do come out, although you’ll have them in your hand and know they’re unfastened.
I usually take the height off an journey helmet if I plan to trip on the freeway for a number of hours. Though an journey helmet peak normally catches wind or vibrates on open roads, the XT9000 helmet is rock stable at freeway speeds.
There’s no buffeting or vibration, sitting or standing, on the Final Motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 Venture Bike at freeway speeds. Curiously, with or with out the height put in, there is no such thing as a distinction in wind seize when doing a head twist for a lane test. Whereas the elongated nostril of the XT9000 will catch the wind when positioned sideways to it at 70 mph, the height doesn’t change the aerodynamics. The sturdy peak offers ample solar blocking, plus roost safety when your using buddy decides to present you a rock bathe.
With the height eliminated, you should definitely fill the twist-lock gap on the high with the provided rubber plug. For those who don’t, the empty mounting gap will whistle when the faceshield is raised in any respect speeds above 25 mph. The rubber plug is small and could be misplaced, so I’ve designated a particular pocket in my tank bag for the Scorpion Exo XT9000 Carbon’s little elements.
When using with the temperature at 38 levels, it’s straightforward to really feel the place the airflow goes inside a helmet. The chin vent management is on the within of the chinbar and managed with a gloved-thumb-friendly up/and down slide swap. The brow vents, left and proper of middle, are managed with glove-friendly sliders. At 38 levels, I really feel the chin vent sending air to my chin and flowing to my brow.
I rode with out the Scorpion Exo XT9000’s impressively efficient Pinlock insert to check the effectiveness of the chin vent air motion to stop my scorching breath from condensing on the within of the faceshield. At a stoplight, the defend does fog. Nonetheless, by the point I safely speed up to 35 mph, the faceshield is obvious once more. As soon as I completed testing airflow, on went the Pinlock for the winter and spring.
For cold-weather using, all the house between my chin and the chin bar is roofed with a detachable chin skirt. The removing of the chin skirt offers vital airflow on heat days. The cheek pads and higher Kwikwick III consolation liner are simply detachable for comm unit set up or handwashing. Independently, the cheek pads are quick-release with outstanding RED pulls for medical personnel use, simply in case.
The highest two vents, assisted by the height directing air, despatched 38-degree air down and in. At about 30 mph, I can really feel the air hitting my hair, and the cool in the back of my head the place there are 4 venturi impact exhaust vents—two excessive, and two low. The multi-density EPS liner has deep channeling that effectively routes warmth up and out the again on heat days.
The eyeport offers 190 levels of horizontal discipline of view and a 100-degree of vertical discipline. Goggles match comfortably with the faceshield eliminated, and the rear double ducktail of the helmet holds the goggle strap in place from slipping up or down. Some goggles would possibly even match with the faceshield put in and in its raised place. Though there aren’t any particular eyeglasses channels within the moisture-wicking cheek pads, I don’t have any problem holding my glasses in place. The clear and smoke faceshields are good optically, and the smoke appears particularly good on my white gloss 3K carbon fiber shell.
We at all times advocate that you’ve got a brand new helmet fitted by knowledgeable. I’m the common intermediate oval head form, so the Scorpion Exo XT9000 matches snugly. There aren’t any scorching spots, even after using a whole day. The cheek pads match my face completely and didn’t squeeze my cheeks into my molars, as some new helmets do. If you’re utilizing a comm unit, the speaker pockets will accommodate your 6mm-deep, 50mm-diameter audio system.
Do you have to discover the cheek pads somewhat unfastened becoming, both when new or after a number of years, the Scorpion Exo XT9000 Carbon has inflatable air bladders behind the cheek pads that can assist you alter simply the suitable match. The pump is on the chin, slightly below the chin vent slide. To launch the air bladder strain, there’s a push button simply to the left of the purple pump ball. Any issues concerning the sturdiness of the air bladders must be assuaged by Scorpion’s five-year-purchase/seven-year-manufacturing-date guarantee.
The shatter-resistant, UVA-B blocking faceshields have a one-inch cracked-open place. From there, there are a number of micro-adjustments to mid-rise open, after which absolutely open. As a result of I’m an ambidextrous and constant defend raiser and lowerer, I respect the finger ledges on each side of middle. Nonetheless, the defend’s raised ledge and the height’s entrance are shut collectively. When the defend was absolutely raised, it took me a number of rides to search out the suitable place to intention the aspect of my finger to land cleanly on the ledge of the defend after I needed to decrease it. Getting on the freeway the primary time, I saved yanking down on the height, having missed hitting the faceshield ledge.
Below 40 mph, the Scorpion Exo XT9000 Carbon is fairly quiet. It begins selecting up wind noise to about 65 mph, then ranges off. Cruising round city, I don’t really feel the necessity for earplugs. Nonetheless, I put on ear safety when taking a several-hour trip above 45 mph.
Many journey bike riders use an motion digital camera to re-live their “maintain my beer” moments and to share the wonderful surroundings we trip by means of. A piece of the XT9000’s chin pores and skin comes off, and you’ll set up an motion digital camera mount that’s held securely by a screw. I put in mine to check the situation and ease of use. Sadly, after I went to take it off, I couldn’t take away it with out peeling off the stick-on base that was blocking entry to the screw. So, your resolution to mount the motion digital camera on the chin is semi-permanent. Taking off the middle chin pores and skin does expose extra floor space for airflow, so that’s an possibility even should you don’t use an motion digital camera.
The Scorpion Exo XT9000 Carbon is twin licensed—DOT and ECE 22.06— weighs simply 3.7 kilos, and is well-balanced. It doesn’t leak in heavy rain (examined), and hot-weather air flow is a design characteristic. The XT9000 is available in three shell sizes to cowl heads starting from XS to 3XL. There are three stable colours and 7 graphic selections. It is a well-thought-out journey helmet designed for prolonged put on in all varieties of climate.
Scorpion Exo XT9000 Carbon Quick Info
- Sizes: XS to 3XL
- Shell materials: Carbon fiber
- Weight: 3.7 kilos
- Certifications: DOT FMVSS No. 128; ECE 22.06
- Colours: Matte Black; Gloss Black; Gloss White
- Trailhead graphics (+$30): Hello-Vis; Orange; Purple; Darkish Purple; Matte Gold, White; Phantom
Scorpion Exo XT9000 Carbon Value: $500 MSRP
