Marketed in the direction of the ‘severe journey rider,’ and aptly named the Trailhead, Scorpion was fairly direct in regards to the objective of this lid, however what makes an journey helmet an journey helmet? The checklist is exhaustive, however in brief, an excellent ADV helmet is sort of a multi-tool—it wants to have the ability to perform a little little bit of every part—and it must be comfy sufficient to do it for hours on finish. Filled with versatile options and constructed from a real carbon shell, Scorpion’s EXO XT9000 Carbon Trailhead makes a compelling case to your greenback.
Light-weight, comfy, aerodynamic and rocking switchable airflow vents, it’s clear Scorpion put its effort in the appropriate locations with the XT9000 Carbon Trailhead. Proper out of the field, you’ll be able to inform this helmet walks the road between devoted road helmets and goggle-clad off-roaders. In case your driving habits lean completely to the grime, you’ll discover the XT9000 to be scorching and huge. In case you stick with the pavement, you’ll discover the chinbar and peaked visor cramp your type in a tuck. But when a super day for you features a little bit of each, you might discover it’s excellent.
The XT9000 begins with a real carbon shell, not a carbon-look overlay. That’s a core cause the helmet doesn’t really feel heavy, even with its peak, defend and CAD-designed aerodynamic sculpting. Weighing in at 3.48 kilos, it’s not the lightest lid on the block, however falls under the typical for feature-packed ADV rigs. Scorpion’s aerodynamics are thoughtfully thought of, too—the height is sculpted to attenuate raise and buffeting, and the engineered footprint delivers respectable stability on freeway runs. You may take away the height shortly in order for you a extra streamlined silhouette for long-haul days, and that flexibility is welcome.
Straight away, the match is notable. I’m on the low finish of an XL, and the helmet wraps my head with out stress factors—this factor is critically plush. Because it breaks in, it might be scosh on the massive aspect, however not uncomfortably so, and the helmet is supplied with Scorpion’s Airfit system—a small pump within the chin bar that inflates bladders within the cheek pads—which helps to take up a few of the further house. In case you’re in a scenario like mine, this may scale back refined motion and truly assist tame wind noise and buffeting at pace.
For my functions, the XT9000 might be the ‘largest feeling’ helmet in my inventory, however there’s good cause. Scorpion builds these out in three totally different shell sizes, and my XL might be the smallest dimension of the most important shell. Then there’s the form. The vast eye port is genuinely expansive, giving glorious downward and peripheral sight traces that riders with goggles or glasses will respect, however that comes at a worth if you’re incorporating it right into a lid with some road manners.
Visually and functionally, the XT9000 is well-equipped. You get a transparent defend, a darkish smoke defend and a Pinlock anti-fog insert within the field. The tool-less defend system is among the smoother designs on this class, and altering shields is completed by loosening the visor and giving the defend a pull. The shields are outfitted with ambidextrous tabs and one thing like six detent positions. Whereas the defend has a satisfying click on within the full-open and full-shut positions, the center detents are somewhat obscure. Putting in the Pinlock insert is a prerequisite in something aside from perfect situations, and with out it, the visor will fog in my expertise.
The chin strap makes use of conventional double-D rings. The strap itself is thick sufficient to seize simply with gloves on, which is one thing you respect on chilly mornings. That mentioned, at this worth level, it’s honest to surprise if a magnetic or quick-release system would have felt extra trendy. The D-rings work, they’re confirmed and so they’re safe. And these are constructed from titanium, in order that they’ll by no means rust, even in case you’re rocking this lid lengthy past its supposed lifespan.
For air flow, the XT9000 has a chinbar vent and two small vents on high that may be toggled, along with two exhaust vents on the rear. In case your miles embody a number of maneuvering at gradual speeds, it’s going to really feel scorching, because the consumption vents are fairly a bit smaller than devoted grime lids, but it surely’s solely enough for extra ‘textbook’ ADV driving.
The Kwikwick III liner actually shines for my part, and XT9000 most likely has the nicest inside of any helmet I’ve owned. The liner wicks humidity and is absolutely detachable and washable. There are devoted speaker pockets constructed into the shell (sized 50 mm x 50 mm x 6mm), so including a comms system doesn’t imply modifying padding or working round awkward foam. An emergency launch system lets first responders extract cheek pads simply if wanted—a sensible element generally neglected.
It’s a wholly subjective matter, however this evaluate could be pointless with no dialogue about street noise. Carbon shells are likely to transmit sound in a different way than different supplies, and the XT9000 isn’t any exception, however I’d be mendacity if I mentioned it was something out of the norm. Facet gusts can have a noticeable affect on stability at larger speeds; the height helps on some traces, however the helmet’s bigger profile means you are feeling the airflow greater than on narrower shells.
The XT9000 makes the grade when it comes to security. It carries each DOT certification and the newer ECE 22.06 approval, which is the extra telling badge. ECE 22.06 testing is broader and extra demanding than the previous requirements most of us grew up with, evaluating a number of affect factors and extra assorted crash situations. Translation: this isn’t only a helmet that clears a minimal bar for U.S. legality—it’s constructed to move some of the present and complete road requirements in circulation.
What was as soon as a distinct segment phase has develop into a booming trade, and there’s increasingly more competitors for ADV gear. Contemplating its MSRP and spec sheet, I’d place the Scorpion EXO XT9000 Carbon Trailhead within the upper-middle echelon. You’ll discover loads of cheaper polycarbonate choices with ADV shields that value half the worth or much less, and in addition critically techy choices that value twice as a lot. However I believe you’re getting what you pay for with the XT9000.
Aside from a pair niggles, it appears to be like and appears like a premium providing, versus a dust lid with a defend grafted on it. The spec sheet is well-designed for a broad spectrum of ADV riders—stretching from the Honda XR650 to the BMW R 1300 GS—and it has the standard and flexibility for on a regular basis, each trip, usability. As a light-weight journey rider myself, it makes the grade, and also you’re prone to see me rocking it for the foreseeable future.
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