Choosing a helmet can sometimes be difficult. What jives with one rider may not for another. Moreover, if you ride both on and off-road, in true dual-sport fashion, you know that you need a helmet that makes you feel safe and comfortable in both riding situations.

Many adventure riders prefer the convenience and comfort of a flip-up style modular helmet like the Scorpion EXO-AT950. If you need to walk into a store or ask a pedestrian for directions, you can communicate without the need to take your helmet off. It also makes it a lot easier to get cool air on your face when you are making a quick stop and saves time not having to remove and put back on your helmet.

After long-term testing this popular modular flip-up helmet for a few thousand dual sport miles, here are our thoughts:

What It Is

The Scorpion EXO-AT950 is a modular, flip-up style ADV helmet introduced in 2016 for less than $300, a significant bargain then as it is today. This feature-packed ADV touring helmet can be configured into one of three modes depending on the type of riding that you do: Off-Road mode (face-shield removed to accommodate goggles), Adventure mode (peak visor and face shield installed), and Touring mode (peak visor removed, side plates installed).

How It Works

We mainly ran ours in Adventure Mode for this test. Conversion between modes is quick and easy by removing only two robust aluminum mounting screws with either a screwdriver or a coin. Opening up the helmet is accomplished by pulling on a chin tab and pushing the chin bar up until it locks in place. With the chin bar up, it makes it a lot easier to put your helmet on but you can still slide the helmet on with the chin bar closed.

Sliding the lever forward retracts the drop-down tinted visor like a switchblade.

A pull on a thumb tab easily opens up the chin bar when you want to get a little fresh air on your face.

The head shell shape of the EXO-AT950 is described as Intermediate Oval Head – your individual head shape is something that you should be aware of before making a helmet purchase. Donning the Scorpion EXO-AT950 feels snug and secure, which gets a little more snug around the cheeks once you close the chin bar. One of our testers typically wears a small sized helmet, but the shell shape of the AT-950 forced him to go up a size so as not to be too tight when the chin bar was closed.

The internal drop-down sun visor is neat if you like to ride without your sunglasses and makes you look like a fighter pilot, but the release slide mechanism operates opposite of what you’d expect – slide back to lower the tinted visor, forward to raise it. We didn’t use it as much off-road because the dust reduced visibility through the drop-down lens. On one occasion the slide mechanism got sticky with dust, but this was easily remedied with a quick washing of the helmet and a few strategic sprays of dry lithium lubricant. Another thing we noticed when riding off-road is that only smaller goggles will fit in the eyeport. We were able to use a set of Oakley O-Frame goggles but when trying to use the Klim Viper goggles, we couldn’t get a tight seal around the face.

On the highway, the Scorpion’s diminutive peak visor does a great job of reducing the effects and fatigue of wind buffeting but we found it too small to sufficiently block out a low-hanging sun, requiring the rider to tilt their head downward more than usual to reduce the glare.

This well-ventilated helmet has two large, easily-operated vents; one on the forehead and one on the chin. The forehead vent channels air up and over the rider’s head within the helmet shell to exhaust ports, providing a pleasant and noticeable, but quiet current of air. Scorpion designs their helmet ventilation quite well to provide air flow without being too loud. Speaker cut out also make installing a headset easier, while reducing pressure on your ears.

The antimicrobial, moisture-wicking inner liner material stays fresh and comfortable on your skin during long rides.

The KwikWick II antimicrobial, moisture-wicking inner liner material does a good job of keeping sweat and odor at bay, and the quick-release cheek pads make removal and washing easy when it does. Be mindful where you set the helmet down though, the lining material along the bottom of the helmet seems to attract poking thistle and sticks quite easily. Only later discovered when you riding down the road trying to figure out what’s scratching you

Who It Is For

The extra functionality of the modular flip-up design makes these helmets a little heavier than your standard adventure helmet. There are lighter helmet options than the the EXO-AT950 out there for someone who primarily rides dirt. This helmet is perfect for the rider who spends a fair amount of time on the pavement, but also ventures off-road from time to time. Most people that prefer a modular, flip-up style helmet won’t mind paying a small weight penalty (roughly 4-6oz more than a traditional mono shell helmet) to get the improved versatility.

Our Verdict

The Scorpion AT-950 is a lot of helmet for the money. The ability to quickly flip up the chin to take a drink, or wipe your face, or speak (smile) to someone can actually make your riding experience much more enjoyable. Like most things in life, nothing’s perfect but the Scorpion EXO-AT950 is a feature-packed, attractive, and versatile Adventure Touring helmet that is worthy of daily use and doesn’t sacrifice build quality for the price.

Scorpion EXO-AT950 Specs

Shopping Options

Photos by Stephen Gregory, Enrico Pavia and Rob Dabney

Author: Sharif Massoud

Sharif has been a 911 paramedic since 2001 and has worked for both Ventura and Los Angeles counties. As a paramedic, his duties have allowed him to work in an ambulance, SAR Helicopter and motorcycle detail. He is currently a sweep-rider and head paramedic for RawHyde Adventures, and is also a Clinical Instructor at the University of California, Los Angeles.