Helmet Review: Scorpion EXO R1 Air

I’m on my 3rd one of these, and there are reasons I keep buying them.

The first helmet I raced in was an Arai Vector all the way back in ‘10-‘12. I got it on closeout from Sportbike Track Gear for something like $400. I’d always wanted an Arai helmet. Like pairs of Daytona boots and liveries depicting cigarette company logos and colors, Arai is about as iconic as it gets for aficionados of old skool paddock pics. I wanted to wear an Arai helmet because my heroes wore them. 

Second helmet I raced in was an Arai Corsair X, the Japanese company’s top flight race helmet, widely considered the best in the world, a near ubiquitous sight at the Isle of Man TT.

I bought it in early ‘19, thinking I would use it when I took my old GSXR to the track. Then I met a girl, and spending time with her was more important to me than going to the track. I told myself the track wasn’t going anywhere, that it would be there for me when I was ready. I was wrong. COVID made me wrong. COVID recalibrated my expectations with respect to what can, could, and will happen if and when things go sideways with society writ large. I realized life is short, and, if there’s something I want to do, I better go do it.

I earned my novice race license in 2022 and raced 3 rounds before my Arai turned 5 years old. 

Then I needed a new helmet for the 2023 season, and Scorpion seemed like the most bang for my racing buck. On paper it looked great and at $400 for solid colors, it was probably the least expensive “top flight racin’ lid’ on the market. 

How does the least expensive option compare to a handmade feat of Japanese craftsmanship and engineering? About like any reasonable rider would expect, which is a good thing. Compared to an Arai Corsair X with respect to price, the Scorpion EXO R1 Air delivered on the value I expected from it, so I keep buying them. 

In my opinion the R1 Air holds its own with respect to comfort, safety, and performance but falls short on build quality and finishing details. This is absolutely to be expected when comparing a $400-$550 helmet to one that costs $1000+ and was handmade in Japan. So you have to ask yourself how much you’re willing to pay to rock really nice stuff and potentially destroy that stuff at the race track. In my opinion nobody should race with anything they’d be less than thrilled to throw in the dumpster at the end of the day, be it a helmet or a whole bike. 

For me, having to bin a $400 helmet I get on closeout for ~$250, or even pay the full ride for at $400-$550 + tax/shipping, feels a lot better than flushing $1000+. And it’s going to happen; I’ve thrown 2 of these things away because I get excited, see red, and push too hard sometimes when I’m racing. It doesn’t exactly help that I have absolutely no fear of crashing, but that’s a different discussion entirely. Maybe one for a sports therapist.

I kept the white one together for almost the entirety of the ’23 season. The Bautista edition died on its 3rd day during the second lap of the first race of the ’24 season and had to be replaced after I sent myself and my bike to the moon, highsiding in turn 13 at HPR.

Both times I fell down and hit my head, the Scorpion EXO R1 Air did its job. My only complaint is the paint/graphics on the red, white, and blue Bautista version were garbage. The white one was classic privateer white, and it looked the business. For my latest, I sprung for the carbon version in blue with a ‘ruby iridium’ shield, paying full price for all of it.

Even at close to ~$700 all in with tax and the new shield, even though it’s not any lighter than the fiberglass version on my shipping scale, I still think it’s good value for money for a helmet based on the finish alone. I like cool looking stuff, and this helmet looks slicker than a dolphin with a gold tooth. I’m going to try my hardest not to let this one hit the ground with my head in it anytime soon! 

In case you’re curious, the Scorpion gear is about a full half pound lighter than the Arai, 3.2# vs 3.6# on my shipping scale, likely owing to the fact it conforms to ECE testing specs instead of SNELL. I’m not doing a deep dive into why here, but I tend to trust the European standard for helmets more than I do the USA’s. In short, Europeans put more miles on bikes per capita every year than we do here in the USA, and SNELL was designed to protect auto racers, not motorcycle riders whereas ECE is motorcycle specific.

I’ve bought almost all of my gear, including my past few helmets, from Sportbike Track Gear. I would buy my stuff from local retailers, but the people who work at those places either ignore me or act like I’m bothering them whenever I need something, don’t have exactly what I’m looking for, and can’t get it in store any faster than STG can have it on my porch. Local retailers have signaled loud and clear to me that I am not their ideal customer, and I need to go somewhere else. STG is that somewhere else for me; I recommend them highly and without equivocation.

As far as the typical things street riders like to cry about like noise or whether or not their comms systems fit inside perfectly or whatever, I have no idea about any of that. I wear ear plugs when I ride and race. I have no interest in chatting with another person or group while I’m riding on the street. So consider this a “race helmet review” from a person who likes to race motorcycles. If you’re looking for something to use on the street, there may be better options out there for you! Your best bet if you’re looking for your first helmet is to go down to your local motorcycle store and let someone there help you find a helmet that fits your head, that you like to look at, that fits your budget.