So I've been looking and trying on Helmets from every Shop/Dealer in a 50 mile radius from where I live and sort of narrowed it down to these two, the Scorpion EXO-AT950 Dual Sport Modular and Bell MX-9 Adventure. The reasons I chose these two are fit, comfort, noise, price, etc. My apprehension about getting the Scorpion are weight and face shield which, according to the salesperson is not recommended removing the face shield for goggles, I'm a newbie rider so don't beat me up if this doesn't make sense, but I'm thinking it's better on dusty trails to wear goggles as appose to a face shield that opens and closes and the Scorpion has another internal tinted shield. I like the modular concept of the Scorpion but it weighs 2.6 pounds more then the Bell MX-9, again I'm not experience enough to know if this will be a deal breaker.
It’s tough to get a do all helmet. Here’s how I roll...first off I’m not into buying expensive helmet so I bought two at the price of one expensive helmet.
O’Neil $130 + Goggles
I originally bought this helmet when I bought my TW. I like it for extremely dusty trails and when I don’t want to stand out in the woods.
What I don’t like is that’s it’s hot when wearing goggles. I don’t like it in the rain and it’s a bug catcher. I hate when I have to stop and get that buzzing bug that’s inside my helmet.
Bilt Adventure $110
I bought the Hi-Viz so I can be seen on the road. The coolest part of this helmet is the drop down visor. When it’s hot I ride with the face shield up and the drop down visor down. I treat the shield with Rain-X which allows me to see well in the rain. It doesn’t catch bugs when I’m riding with the face shield down. I like the clear shield for evening, night riding and it does well on dusty trails.
I bought them at Cycle Gear after trying them on for proper fit.
I like an MX style helmet for the TW. When I'm going slow and there is no dust, I drop the googles. If a Ute passes me I can don the goggles in 2 seconds:
After assuming goggles were always necessary I was surprised how well a simple drop down inner shield like the Scorpion and the Bilt works in light to moderate dust. I have the Hi-Vis Bilt Adventure too, bought it for cold weather but have adopted it for year round use.
I suppose the selection depends on just how much dust you deal with, and any special concerns like contact lenses or desire to mount an action camera.
The Scorpion is a complex and thus somewhat heavy brain bucket. Those who smoke or like to open entire front to talk, eat and drink will like modulars. I know folks who really like theirs. Maybe a bit confining when all closed up for my tastes considering the mild temperatures and speeds my TW experiences. This is the scorpion:
Think I'm going to try a few more helmets before I make my final decision. From opinions express the drop down shield seems to be more of a plus, but weight is still a bit of a concern for me.Think next time I do a try on I'll leave them on little longer. Thank you all for your thoughts and look forward to showing photos of my first adventure.
What type of riding are you primarily going to do, slow forest service type roads or highway commuting?
My wife uses the Scorpion EXO-AT950 or very similar type helmet but she likes a face-shield when riding. She likes the protection of the face guard and that it flips up. I believe it's lighter than the previous "Hawk" helmet she used which was similar in design but without the visor. I have a vented and much lighter istorm bmx/mx helmet I wear goggles with. I want to stress this is a very light helmet and well ventilated which keeps me much cooler (head) than anything else. Like Fred, I have another helmet I can wear in the cooler or wetter weather if need be and is always taken as a backup. The istorm helmet is also DOT certified. I think I saw another member wearing one down in San Rafael Swell this past spring at the TW gathering.
It really does come down to the type of riding you do the most. I prefer a MX style with goggle for most offroad but on slow hot rides with less danger I wear a half helmet and safety goggles. But I don't ride road and if I did would consider a modular dual sport helmet.
I have the Bell MX 9 as the Scorpion didn't fit. I liked the flip up feature of the Scorpion.
I only use goggles when riding my MX bike. I like the flip up shield on the MX9 for the air flow.
If you are a glasses wearer, the MX9 is very tight for the glasses arms. I've tried getting thinner pads, but they seem to be impossible to come by these days.
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