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Scorpion EXO-1000 - Scorpion's New Approach to Melon Protection
I picked up a Scorpion EXO-1000 a couple weeks ago and thanks to Global Warming™ and a blown engine in the Jeep, I’ve gotten an unexpected amount of time with it on my head this early in the year.
My initial impression of the helmet is very favorable. Despite being a bit heavier than others I’ve worn, the weight is balanced very well so it’s almost unnoticeable while riding. The retractable sun visor makes riding from day to night or from sun drenched road into tree lined corners easier than ever before. No more stopping on the side of the road to swap visors (or having to carry extras) or hoping the pavement is smooth because your tinted visor won’t let you see detail at night or in the shade. Combined with an optically clear main visor that absolutely refuses to fog over and this helmet provides the best visual ability of any I’ve worn. Ever. I’ve only been able to fog the screen once but it was below freezing and my breath froze on the visor. Can’t fault Scorpion for that and apparently Global Warming™ isn't all it's cracked up to be. I was even fortunate enough to be able to test the helmet in a small snowstorm and it came through with flying colors.
The helmet is well ventilated with 6 forward facing vents, 2 rear facing exit vents and the standard low pressure rear vent sucking air from off the top of your head. The combination of these vents keeps air flowing through the helmet and visor area well enough to feel it at speed. The only problem I’ve found with the vents is that they’re a bit difficult to feel with gloves on. They operate just fine but it sometimes takes a second or two to locate them. As I’ve spent more time in the helmet, I’ve grown accustomed to the locations and it’s gotten easier but it’s something to be aware of especially if you spend a lot of time in denser traffic. Despite the amount of ventilation available, the EXO-1000 is also one of the quietest helmets I’ve worn even with all the vents open. Scorpion has done a lot to make sure this helmet fits well and stays comfortable. The entire liner system is removable, washable, and replaceable. It even has air pump adjustable cheek pads to allow a perfectly customized fit with just a few quick pumps just under the chin bar.
Visor up.
Sun visor.
Position under chin bar where cheek pad air pump is located. Also has note to emergency personnel to release air from cheek pads to allow easier removal of helmet. Good forward thinking 
To try to show the clarity of the visors, I took a pic from inside the helmet (1) with the visor up, (2) with the visor down and (3) with the both visors down.
  
Overall, this helmet has everything you could want in a helmet and it doesn’t require a second mortgage to get it. Scorpion has definitely done it's homework here to provide yet another top of the line helmet without the top of the line cost. Pending the results of my long term testing, Scorpion may have won another convert. Based on what I've seen and experienced so far, I don't think they'll have any issues. So, that said, what are my opinions of it’s +/-/couldgoeitherway?
- By far the clearest, distortion free visor I've ever had the pleasure to peer though.
- Main visor has not once fogged up, even on cool early morning rides to work in downtown traffic leaving the visor down the entire time.
- Retractable sun visor has made day out/night return rides easier and stress free.
- Adjustable cheek pads allow customization to my ginormous head.
- The main visor can't be cracked open and it appears that Scorpion got the detents backwards. First detent is half open; the next 3 are tiny increments up, then it’s full open. It's as if Scorpion got the visor mounts upside down. I've managed to get the visor to prop open but once I get above 40mph or so, the relative wind blows it closed.
- Vent controls are difficult to feel with gloves on. As I’ve gotten more acclimated to the helmet, I've gotten used to their locations but I still can’t feel them.
- With sun visor in up position, it bounces slightly over bumps.
- Sun visor does not block wind well enough to leave main visor up in faster moving traffic. May be an issue on hotter days.
- Sun visor has a slight visual imperfection at the side mounts. It only exists at the extreme periphery of vision but it’s noticeable.
Update (Long Term Impressions)
I still highly recommend this helmet. I've worn this helmet in a snowstorm (Alabama style, but it was still snowing relatively hard), freezing temps, rainstorms, Alabama summer heat and humidity, at the track and in every situation in between. The few issues I've run into were solved by a quick email conversation with a Scorpion representative:
- The EXO-1000 main visor has a small lever on the left hand side that is used to either lock the visor closed or to position it in a slightly open position. Because it locks in that position, it can't be blown closed no matter what "speed limit"  you might be traveling at.
- The main visor is fog-free, no matter how hard I tried. The sun visor however, began fogging up something fierce no matter how many times I cleaned it and no matter what window cleaner I used. The Scorpion rep told me to clean it with soap and water and it hasn't fogged since.
With those two issues resolved, how have my impressions changed?
- No change to my impressions with the helmet. No distortion, absolutely clear vision at all times. Can't beat it.
- Scorpion Customer Service. Quick, accurate response to my questions. Responded within 24 hours and you just don't see that much anymore.
- My muscle memory tells me where the vent controls are but I'd still like to be able to immediately feel them instead of still fumbling around in traffic. These big bear claws I was blessed with don't do well with small things (make your own jokes).
- Now that I have the visor detent figured out, it's made hot weather, downtown traffic a lot more bearable. However, when stopped, it would still be easier fully open the visor if it were a detent and not locked.
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