Top of the range sportsbike helmet from Scorpion – the EXO-2000 Evo Air
The EXO 2000 Evo Air is Scorpion’s Moto-GP derived sports bike helmet.
It’s a full face helmet with a shell made from Scorpion’s TCT composite material – that includes layers of fibreglass, aramid and organic poly resin (whatever that is – sounds like a fancy word for plastic!) and aims to take on the top-of-the range helmets from the likes of AGV, Arai and Shoei. That’s a big ask – especially when Scorpion are undercutting the rest with a hugely competitive price point.
- Snell 2010 tested/certified
- Not SHARP tested
- Composite fibre shelled helmet
- 3 Shell sizes
- Emergency removal cheek pad system
- Great ventilation & build quality
- 5 year warranty
- Includes Pinlock Max Vision and/or smoked visor*
- Sizes XS-XXL
- Expect to pay £245-£299
Best places to buy a Scorpion Exo 2000?
It’s been replaced, but the last time we checked it was still available at FC-Moto. And if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Safety
The Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air is a development of both the EXO-2000 and the 2000 Air before it. The 2000 Evo Air is the first time we’ve seen Scorpion’s TCT composite fibre shell though, so it’s difficult to know exactly how well it’ll perform in an accident – especially as SHARP haven’t tested it yet.
However, the EXO 2000 scored 3 stars back in 2014 and Scorpions have scored an average of 3.5 stars out of 5 for safety across all SHARP-tested helmets, and analysing the data, we’d expect the EXO-2000 Evo Air to score a similar rating (which we’ve shown in our star ratings at the bottom). Of course, if SHARP do test it, we’ll update this report as soon as they do.
It has been tested by Snell in the USA however and was awarded their M2010 rating which is a good sign.
There are of course other elements, apart from the helmet shell materials, that add to safety of course. The Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air is manufactured in 3 shell sizes and has dual density EPS shock absorbing lining, all of which is good news. It features Scorpion’s AirFit system, allowing you to ensure the helmet fits nice and tightly at all times (good helmet fit is one of the most important features of an effective helmet in an accident) and the visor is lockable meaning, all being well, it’ll stay closed and locked in an accident.
Finally, it features a double-d chin strap locking mechanism, which are old-style but very effective at keeping your helmet tightly locked and on your head during an accident. The great thing about a double-d strap is that you can tighten it up exactly right every time, keeping the helmet nice and secure on every trip.
Helmet Noise
The Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air is a racing/sportsbike helmet and, as we’ve found out before, because helmet noise is not so much of a priority for racers – or designing a racing helmet – they can be pretty noisy.
And true to form, the Scorpion only manages about average for quietness.
It’s fair to say that a few owners so say it’s a quiet helmet, but more say it’s noisy – and overall, the opinion of owners and pro reviewers that we’ve seen point to the Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air being about average for noise suppression. As always, it’s very much dependent on the bike you ride and what helmet you’ve had before.
Ventilation
Ventilation is resoundingly a massive strong point for the EXO-2000 Evo Air.
Scorpion reckon it has six inlet vents on the front of the helmet and ten exhausts on the rear. I reckon they’re counting some twice; but even so, EXO-2000 users say the vents gulp up loads of air and keep you feeling cool and comfortable when you need it.
There’s a 2 position chin vent – position 1 pushes air up onto the visor, position 2 brings it round the chin guard.
Then there’s a forehead vent and a vent either side at the top of the helmet – all are closeable and all pull air through the channels in the polystyrene, around the scalp and out of the back of the helmet – through one of an array of always-open exhaust vents.
The two main vents – the chin and forehead – are both easy to find and open/close in gloves, though the other two top vents are less easy. But overall, the ventilation system is bang on and pulls in heaps of air into the helmet – especially when you’re in a sportsbike tuck position where the vents are more in the airflow. Bang on. If good ventilation is your priority, then the EXO-2000 Evo Air is worth a serious look.
Visor
The main visor on the Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air features what Scorpion calls its Ellip-Tec system. The main features of this system is a quick-release visor and a combo of rubber gasket around the eyeport and visor mechanism that pulls the visor into towards it to form a nice tight seal against air and wind.
The quick release mechanism is very good – like many helmets including HJC, you have to open the visor, push a small lever near the pivot and the visor pulls out. To reinstall, just click the visor back in to the pivot – really quick and easy.
It’s got a good action too, with a nice, positive five position ratchet mechanism and reports are that the Ellip-Tech sealing system works well too.
There’s also a small lever beneath the visor pivot on the left. In the back position, this locks the visor closed. Push it forwards, and it keeps the visor in a ‘cracked open’ position and stops it from closing. That’s a nice feature and is easy to use.
Being a sportsbike-focused helmet, it’s useful to have a good wide visor aperture and a number of owners said the field of vision is good and noticeably wider than their previous helmets.
*Note. In the UK/EU the Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air usually comes with a smoked Pinlock MaxVision antifog insert free in the box, whereas in the US it comes with a replacement smoked visor. But check with the retailer before you buy as this can vary slightly from retailer to retailer (eg at the time of writing FC-Moto includes both a Pinlock and smoked replacement visor).
Comfort & Sizing
The Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air is available in XS-XXL sizes. Quite a few users reckon it sizes on the small side though, so if you’re between sizes you should probably buy a size larger – and you may even find you need to go a size larger regardless.
As to comfort, the lining features Scorpion’s KwikWick II material which is antibacterial and wicks sweat away from the head. Owners reckon it’s a comfortable lining and seems to do its job well, with a couple of owners saying they’ve worn the helmet all day and found it to be really comfortable.
There’s a few other features worth noting about the internals. It is of course removable and washable – only the cheapest helmets aren’t these days – and has a glasses groove down each side so your glasses’ stems can sit in there without pressing into your head.
It’s also got emergency removal tabs at the bottom – the idea being it helps the emergency services remove the helmet more easily by pulling on the tabs and the cheek pads pulling out of the bottom of the helmet. Nice touch – as long as the emergency services know to look for them!
There’s also the AirFit system as mentioned above. There’s a couple of small air bladders behind each cheek pad – you can inflate them by pressing the air bulb bottom centre inside the chin guard, which has the effect of pushing the cheek pads out into the cheeks and keeping the helmet fit nice and firm.
It’s a useful feature, especially for folks with narrower chins. But it’s also helpful for keeping the helmet tightly fixed in place, helping reducing any movement caused by buffeting and should increase safety; a nice snug-fitting helmet is one of the most important factors in ensuring a helmet can do its job during an accident.
Looks & Graphics
The Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air has a modern, slightly aggressive and sporty look which is, at the time of writing, supplemented by 8 different designs including the Fortis, Track and Bautista, as well as the usual solid matt/gloss blacks and a white versions. We’ve tried to include as many as we can around the page but check out our recommended retailer links that’ll drop you straight onto their Scorpion helmet pages where you can check out the latest graphics and prices. To find out more about why you should try our recommended retailers and for a quick glance at their delivery costs, check here.
Best places to buy a Scorpion Exo 2000?
It’s been replaced, but the last time we checked it was still available at FC-Moto. And if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Video
Here’s Scorpion’s promo video of the EXO-2000 Evo Air.
Other stuff – fasteners, buffeting, build quality, chin curtain.
As we mentioned before, the Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air comes with a double-d ring fastener. What we didn’t mention is that it’s a titanium double-d ring fastener! We’re not sure why it’s made out of titanium but it’s the first time we’ve seen it on a motorcycle helmet and we like it (who doesn’t like titanium stuff?!)
A few owners have said that the EXO-2000 Evo Air feels very stable and slippery and doesn’t buffet around half as badly as their previous helmets. Making a helmet that’s slippery as possible and that’s doesn’t pull on the rider when you’re looking around was one of Scorpion’s aims when designing the helmet so it sounds like they’ve done a good job.
The Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air comes with a removable chin curtain and neck roll fitted, both of which are there to reduce noise and creating a tighter fit around the neck.
Finally, many owners – several who own helmets from the likes of Arai and Shoei – commented that the Scorpion’s got great build quality and finish; especially at this price.
Crash Helmet Buying Guides & Top 10s
For (hopefully!) other useful information to help you when buying your next helmet, check our various Motorcycle Helmet Buying Guides - or have a look at our Top 10 best helmet lists where we've got the top 10 best rated helmets overall along with Top 10 Best Budget/Top 10 Safest/Top 10 Best Full Face/Top 10 Best Modular/Flip-up/ Top 10 Best Sportsbike/Track helmets.
Alternatives to the Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air
Most of the sportsbike helmet competition tends to be more expensive than the Scorpion – which is one of the Scorp’s main selling points of course. If you’re willing to spend a bit more and need an out-and-out sports helmet, then there’s lots to choose from.
There’s the SHARP 5 star rated AGV Corsa – that’s AGVs 2nd most exclusive sports helmet that’s got great ventilation and an optically-correct visor. For something a little less mainstream, how about Schuberth’s carbon-compostite SR1, a track-focused SHARP 4 star lid. Or there’s the Shoei X-Spirit III – you’ll see a smattering of those across pretty well every motorcycle grid at the moment so they must work well (and of course, at the time of writing, there’s deals to be had on the outgoing X-Spirit II). Finally, if we’re talking about track helmets, we have to include an Arai. If you’ve the money to cover it, take a look at the Arai RX-7V, their range-topping race-bred helmet.
Definitely want a Scorpion?
Here you'll find all our Scorpion crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.
Overall/Summary
The Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air is a great helmet that owners seem to love. It’s got great build quality, comfort and outstanding ventilation all at a really competitive price – especially for a sportsbike, racetrack-developed helmet. It’s unfortunate that it hasn’t been SHARP tested, so we don’t really know how well it’ll perform in relation to its competition (though it has been Snell certified in the US which is good). But if you need a new helmet, especially if you ride a sportsbike and don’t want to spend big bucks, then the Scorpion EXO-2000 Evo Air is well worth looking at. From what we can see, you’ll get a great helmet with some really useful features and get lots of helmet for your money.
Best places to buy a Scorpion Exo 2000?
It’s been replaced, but the last time we checked it was still available at FC-Moto. And if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
