With adventure riding style becoming all the more popular, we asked local distributor Darbi Accessories to help us find an Adventure Helmet to help us look the part on our CRF250L Rally and any other adventure bike we ride. Being the good folks they are, they sent us the feature-packed Scorpion-EXO ADX-1 system helmet in the cool Battleflage colourway to put to the test.
Product: Scorpion-Exo ADX-1 Helmet | Price: $539 | Distributed by: Darbi Accessories
After receiving the Scorpion-Exo ADX-1 helmet from New Zealand distributor Darbi Accessories, I will admit to being slightly hesitant towards my new helmet.
You see, for years now I have avoided moving to a "flip face" helmet as I've never really been too sure of them. The chin bar is after all one of the more likely parts of a helmet to be called into action to save your dome.
Thankfully the Scorpion-Exo comes out of the box with a full European Union safety tick to the tune of the ECE 22-05 standard. If it's good enough for the safety police in Europe, it'll be good enough for me I figure – though I really do hope I don't put it to the ultimate test all the same.
The ADX-1 itself is a pretty neat lid once you stop focussing on its flippy front. Being an Adventure style helmet it , of course, as the prerequisite peak, which is easily removable if you so wish, drop-down sun visor, large eye port and decent ventilation.
Sizing wise it seems to be bang on in the same vein as my HJC i70 – with both being a Large – and feels comfortable while I'm wearing it. Noise wise it is pretty similar to most helmets in this price range, but that's not to say it's a noisy helmet at all.
But it's the functional features where this helmet shines.
The biggest talking point is obviously that flip face mechanism, which Scorpion calls ELLIP-TEC®". The mechanism is on an eccentric cam with springs the shield, which is mechanically pulled into place. Opening the face shield is pretty simple, with a nice big red switch located front and centre so you can pull it open with just one hand.
I'm not going to lie, in actually using this system it really has helped change my mind towards flip face helmets. It's just so useful, especially when you're often asked at gas stations to remove your helmet for "security reasons".
The shell itself is made of a lightweight polycarbonate making the helmet overall tip the scales at just 1550g.
Inside is a removable liner which is conveniently washing machine safe (who actually hand washes anything these days?) with space set aside for adding the speakers necessary for an intercom system.
The visor itself has been aerodynamically designed which goes towards keeping noise levels down and comes straight out of the box with a Pinlock insert to prevent fogging. The Pinlock works a treat, but I wish there was a solution to prevent my glasses from fogging up behind it.
Speaking of glasses, this is one of the few areas that the ADX-1 isn't so flash. Unlike my HJC i70 which has integrated spacing in the liner to accommodate the arms of your glasses, the ADX-1 does not. This is kinda nit picking, but with this type of helmet being extra snug around the ears wearing glasses does get uncomfortable after about an hour in the saddle.
Other neat features include the removable peak which can be removed without the need for those times when you're not feeling particularly adventurous. For those times where a visor isn't useful there are blanks to slot into its place and make this helmet more like an MX helmet.
Then there is the Speedview™ retractable sun visor. The positioning of the slider to drop down the sun visor is a little bit tricky in use, but I don't think Scorpion would've had any other choice on positioning due to the flip front nature of the helmet.
Overall I really dig this helmet, and while it does have its downsides it has overtaken the HJC as my go-to helmet of choice.
Afterall, it looks damn cool matched with my Scott ADV gear and the On Throttle CRF250L Rally.
