I just purchased a Scorpion EXO 700 helmet from Sportbike Track Gear for a very low price of $149. Originally, these helmets went for $219+, so I figured it was time to bite the bullet.
A couple years ago, not knowing an incredible amount about helmets, including design, ventilation and fit, I instead went with what matched my bike - the HJC CL-14 in blue, silver and white that I purchased from a local dealership on clearance for $99. I put the XL helmet on and it was comfortable, but after a short while, it became apparent that I chose too large of a helmet. Needless to say that when you purchase a helmet that is not a good fit for your head, you end up with something that moves around easily, lifts up from your head when reaching proper speeds, is noisy and gives you a constant worry wondering if it will really protect you. While I can't blame HJC for the mistake in judgment, I went with another brand this time around.
One of the reasons for choosing the Scorpion EXO 700 is due to several members of FZROnline.com who have already purchased them and have stated how well they enjoyed them. "Enjoyed them" was not exactly my thoughts with my "bobble-headed feeling, too large for my head" current lid.
One of the things that influencing me when buying certain products is seeing what the “pros” use. This is one of the reasons why I went with the Alpinestar boots. Even though some “pros” wore certain products, like gloves and leathers, from their sponsors, it seemed like the majority of them wore Alpinestar boots. That might be a sponsor thing, but some of them had no A-star sponsorship stickers, and they still wore the boots. Any way you look at it, I took it into consideration and bought them. The problem with this helmet is that no “pro” was wearing them except the sponsored ones. While that didn’t necessarily change my mind, it did concern me a bit. I’m certain; however, that some riders are not going to wear something that might jeopardize their career and cause them physical detriment. One sponsored rider that does wear his Scorpion helmet is Matt Mladin and that seemed good enough for me.
Since I had a Track Day quickly approaching, I did what most "smart" consumers do - go to my local Cycle Shop and try one on for size, then look on the internet for a deal. While I hate doing that, I did tell myself that if I could only find similar pricing to my local Cycle Shop on the net, that I would go back and buy one from them instead. After checking out the current selection of Scorpion helmets on the Cycle Shop's website, I headed on down to see what they carried locally. After scanning the helmets shelves, which seemed like a Shoei mural, I noticed one Scorpion helmet in solid black on the shelf in the size I wanted to try - a large. I pulled it over my head and instantly knew what a helmet should feel like - something that makes your head feel one with the helmet. I liked it - not the simple color, but the initial fit. I must tell you that I am a "man" when buying things. I don't try on jeans or shirts. I go for basic colors and not get creative. Initial impressions sell me and I wanted this helmet. Unfortunately, the local Cycle Shop seemed to want to sell me a $500 Shoei helmet instead of a $230 Scorpion due to the selection ratio which was about 35 to 1 respectively. So, home I went to go cyber shopping, which is something I enjoy because I hate going to stores to look for products.
I do what most people do – pull up Google and start searching – I mean millions of users can’t be wrong. Of course, with any Google search, there tends to be something from eBay in the selling section, which I have nothing against. I scored brand new Alpinestar’s SMX Plus boots for $230 of eBay, so it isn’t all that bad. So, after looking through several internet motorcycle superstores, I decided to look on eBay to find a deal on a Scorpion helmet. I found one and the company selling it was selling it for $80 off most places with the total shipped price of $149.95. That didn’t do it for me since the seller; sportbike-power-sellers only had 144 reviews currently. That really isn’t enough to make me feel comfortable enough to lose $150. They did; however, have a decent listing as well as some videos that they stole from SportbikeTrackGear.com. So, I decided to check out SportbikeTrackGear.com instead and found out quickly that “sportbike-power-sellers” was their eBay selling name.
So, I went to their site and ordered the EXO 700 in the Rivet style and in the Grey/Black Matte finish I didn’t want a really dark helmet since it gets really hot in Missouri and I don’t need to pass out from helmet heat. I also ordered an additional Smoke Grey visor, since the helmet is clad with a clear one, which was another $36. I don’t have a problem with the $36 visor since the deal on the helmet was a killer. Plus, no one else was any cheaper on the visor. After I ordered they stated on their invoice to call if you needed your product as soon as possible and with my Track Day coming up, I started punching the numbers on the Blackberry. “Yes, we have it in stock and we’ll ship it out tomorrow and since we’re in Michigan, it should arrive quickly.” They did and it did. I received my helmet within a couple days via FedEx.
One thing I already liked as I opened the black and yellow colored graphic box was the helmet was in a cloth bag - one of those cloth bags that I didn’t get with my HJC helmet. I looked over the helmet and couldn’t help but notice the quality inside the helmet itself. It looked very well designed and manufactured. I also noticed the sticker on the front of the visor stating that the very flexible face shield was boasting an “anti-fogging” technology. We’ll just see about that.
As I pulled the helmet down, I had the same feeling that I did in the store – “one with the helmet”, like some Kung Fu master teaching quote. I apparently missed the “breath deflector” when I tried it on at the store, but it was there and not necessarily in the way, but I did see it. Unfortunately, it still allowed some fog to generate on my personal spectacles. Yes, I wear glasses and they, at last, felt like they would move with my head instead of doing what they wanted under my previous helmet. I wondered if the fogging would be an issue while riding. See, the last helmet had no breathing deflector and a lot of space around the front, so an abundance of air came pouring in to dissipate the accumulating condensation on my astigmatism corrective lenses. I walked around the house for a bit and yanked on the helmet occasionally, trying to test what the real world might present.
Coming soon – the ride test!
