Jump to content

Bell Vs. Scorpion


DreamNofR1

Recommended Posts

So, I'm up for a new helmet and completely torn. I've narrowed it down to the Bell RS-1 and the Scorpion EXO 500. Here's the pro's and con's:

Bell pro's - I only want to get this helmet due to the photochromic sheild. I get caught up in riding in day and night and that shield would definitely eliminate the hassle of choosing which shield or carrying an extra. Also, I went to the Pony and tried one on and wow, what a fit. It felt like my head was surrounded by a cloud. So comfy and light. Any other helmet I tried on didn't even compare and I could see wearing that thing for hours on end and not have any comfort issues. Downsides: very pricey and their graphic schemes suck. I can't stand any of the schemes so I thought about having someone airbrush something on a matte black helmet until I found out how much airbrushing costs. Don't need to buy a $400 helmet, buy the shield for $120 and then sink another couple hundred into a paint scheme.

The Scorpion Exo 500 fit pretty well too but didn't have as much padding in the crown as the Bell. I definitely like the Ardent as that graphic is appealing to me. Cost is A LOT less and it comes with a flip down sun visor. Downsides is that it's not as comfy and that flip down visor isn't all that dark so I'm not sure how it'll hold up in direct sunlight (eyes are very sensitive to sun). Plus, they don't have the photochromic shield like Bell does.

Any opinions on which brand to go with? Any personal experience with either of these? Wind noise, ventilation, etc. Thanks for any help you may give!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bell > Scorpion

I thought there was a nice thread about this recently. There really is no comparison. I went from Exo-400 to Exo-1000, thought it was a nice upgrade, and my Star blows the others out of the water... The Exo-1000 was hurting my neck so badly I was having trouble working.

As far as the color scheme... Who cares. Get a sheet of shiny adhesive-backed stickery stuff and cut something cool out of it. Stick it on and voila.

imo, buy based on functionality.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I looked for some reviews and only found something about Bell. I know I shouldn't buy based on graphics but stuff like that does appeal to me. Plus, it's not like the Scorpion didn't fit well. It felt great compared to my Shoei. My Shoei is about 4-5 years old, pads are broken down and it's always been a heavy helmet imo. Kinda ready to give it up since it's so uncomfortable on long rides. That Bell definitely was a nice helmet but $400 compared to the $220 that the Scorpion was is definitely a huge factor as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, comfort is number one. Number two is a removable set of interior pads.

It is for me anyway, it's nice to be able to change or adjust or even wash the guts.

Good photo-chromatic shields were made for a few years, but the factory shut down and moved/sold/whatever.

They haven't re-started production yet, but Scorpion was one they sold for.

And yes, I like Bell, Scorpion and Nolan. But it's really all about how it fits your head, not mine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

have you tried a new Shoei? My Rf-1000 is tons lighter than my Scorpion! I have no experience with Bell though to compare to a Scorpion. The only thing my Scorpion did better than my Shoei is wind noise, however I'm not entirely certain that doesn't have more to do with my riding position on the VFR. My Shoei seemed quiter when I was on my 636 but only had the shoei for 2 short rides on the 636 before it sold

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I did try the Shoei (the Sever II is a badass helmet) today and I just don't have any comfort in those things. I have a smaller, oval shaped, narrow head and the Shoei seems to have a larger crown on the inside and doesn't have near the comfort of the padding inside that the Bell and Scorpion does. The Bell absolutely fit perfectly and the Scorpion was a very close second. But $200 in difference is basically the only thing holding me back. I've read countless reviews on both and both seem like great helmets. The only thing I've noticed that people complain about with the Scorpion is wind noise but I use a bluetooth system and play music at all times. I've gotta say, after reading for the past few hours on both of these helmets, I am inching more towards the Scorpion. Plus I also thought about how banged up visors get with bugs or if cars/trucks fling up rocks. My current shield isn't too bad but I really don't want to drop $120 on one of those photochromatic shields and have it destroyed at some point and risk having to buy another. The Scorpion looks as though it might have a slight edge to it.

Edited by DreamNofR1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a bell vortex and exo700 right now. I love them both but think the bell is more comfortable. I have tried on the exo400 and they didn't feel as good as the 700s. If you get a chance and you really want a scorpion check out the 750, all the features that are in the 500 but should feel better on the head.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got an EXO-1000 a while back on sale for $100 shipped and I love it. I will admit that the wind noise is a little bad, especially with certain combinations of vents open, however, I play music or wear earplugs anyway so I generally don't have an issue with it. I have a smaller head and the small + inflatable cheekpads make a perfect fit every time which I love. It is a little heavier than I would like but it has never made my neck hurt. I certainly wouldn't be able to get a better helmet for the price, and when it comes time to step up I will probably get one that is 2x or 3x the price. With that said, I have heard great things about the Bell Star and how good it is for the value.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ive heard people who have narrow heads have the same complaints about shoei - but found great comfort in bell and arai....have you tried on an arai?

honestly it comes down to preference - but $200 really isnt that much if you look at what youre getting....the helmet is something you will wear every day for the next few years (riding days i mean, obviously not every day)....$200 over that many days will end up being like, what, 25 cents per day you ride? think about that when youre riding and not comfortable and thinking "damn..for a quarter more i could be comfortable"

thats why i always buy based on quality and not price when it comes to thing you will put countless hours in....such as helmets, boots, etc...buy what feels the best, dont get caught up in trying to save a few bucks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it's the weight that killed me.

and the shell shape, going back. the scorpion has a jay leno chin that seems to catch in the wind. i never noticed it until after riding with the bell and practically forgetting it's on my head. to me, scorpion is mass manufactured for looks and fancy features, but they didn't really take the time like bell did to engineer a comfortable, aerodynamic helmet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never felt my scorpion or bell were less comfortable than my arai. I went from the arai to scorpion and never thought one was way better. I guess it never bothered me and I just couldn't see spending the extra $200-300.

my comment about comfort wasnt arguing for arai or against bell or scorpion...just suggested he try on arai also, ive never owned an arai so i dont have any experience with them

the bulk of my comment was just "in general"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The bells are nice but I still prefer the Scorpion EXO-700(have two now) as I feel they are by far the best bang for your buck.. I can easily justify buying a nice new $150 helmet every other year and keeping the older ones as backups is a no brainer...but when you're looking at spending $300-600 that makes it a much harder decision IMHO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The bells are nice but I still prefer the Scorpion EXO-700(have two now) as I feel they are by far the best bang for your buck.. I can easily justify buying a nice new $150 helmet every other year and keeping the older ones as backups is a no brainer...but when you're looking at spending $300-600 that makes it a much harder decision IMHO.

after the horrible experience with HJC - i wont even look at helmets under $250

i know, i know....$ does not equal quality, etc....but my HJC sucked! i thought it was nice until i tried something else and realize "oh man...my neck doesnt hurt, my head doesnt get beat up by the wind, and wow not every helmet has such little padding"

i believe you get what you pay for with helmets for the most part...a high end bell, shoei, arai, etc is all i will look at in the future....scorpion, icon, kbc all have some nice designs, and a lot of people love them - but i dont see myself ever owning one (of the three, i only ever owned a dirt KBC - it was some fancy expernsive one, i wore it like 4 times and switched back to my $80 bell helmet and sold the KBC)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it's the weight that killed me.

and the shell shape, going back. the scorpion has a jay leno chin that seems to catch in the wind. i never noticed it until after riding with the bell and practically forgetting it's on my head. to me, scorpion is mass manufactured for looks and fancy features, but they didn't really take the time like bell did to engineer a comfortable, aerodynamic helmet.

That's is more along the lines of what I'm looking to know. I honestly didn't notice the chin. If it catches in the wind, does it make the helmet bounce all over the place? That could really deter me from getting that helmet. Maybe I should go try on the Scorpion 700/750. Iron Pony kind of has the Scorpion models scattered all over the place so I don't remember seeing those specific lines but I'll go back and look. As far as Arai - honestly, because of price, I'm not even looking in that direction. Maybe one day I'll own one, but now isn't the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it's the weight that killed me.

and the shell shape, going back. the scorpion has a jay leno chin that seems to catch in the wind. i never noticed it until after riding with the bell and practically forgetting it's on my head. to me, scorpion is mass manufactured for looks and fancy features, but they didn't really take the time like bell did to engineer a comfortable, aerodynamic helmet.

i second this on the Scorpion, my head seemed to bounce around a lot more than my Shoei

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the exo 400, 700 did not fit my head the same, and it has been a very good helmet. The only thing I dont like about it is it pushes up like its going to fly off at high speeds. Granted this could be because Im tall and above the "bubble" but it happens so Im relaying. Im looking for a new helmet over winter and really open to anything....so watching the thread :) post any good deals if you guys know of any

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i second this on the Scorpion, my head seemed to bounce around a lot more than my Shoei

this was my biggest complaint with my HJC...a helmet bouncing around will make your neck very sore at the end of a long ride...mine got so bad on a 300 mile ride i almost took it off for the ride home...never had that problem with my shoei at all

you cant group bell with scorpion IMO...i put scorpion, icon, hjc, kbc, etc all in the low end category, and bell, shoei, arai, nolan etc in the high end ....and to me there is a noticeable difference...only bought the HJC since it was cheap and i needed it for drag racing my car - tried using it on the bike and that only lasted a couple months

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the exo 400, 700 did not fit my head the same, and it has been a very good helmet. The only thing I dont like about it is it pushes up like its going to fly off at high speeds. Granted this could be because Im tall and above the "bubble" but it happens so Im relaying. Im looking for a new helmet over winter and really open to anything....so watching the thread :) post any good deals if you guys know of any

go buy a Shark helmet and tell me how you like it lol...i might look at those when i pick up a new bike (graduating in 2012 finally)

the s900 looks nice

http://www.amazon.com/Shark-ELIPSE-BLK_SIL-MOTORCYCLE-HELMETS/dp/B004PC0NHO

but i dont like that graphic - i would try to find one of these

http://www.dirtbikebitz.com/images/products/helmets/011_Shark/Shark-S900-Inmate-Motorcycle-Helmet-White.jpg

http://www.garlandsmotorcycles.com/ekmps/shops/garlands/images/shark-s900-antix-2651-p.jpg

Edited by Steve Butters
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh terrific. I consider my Shoei to bounce around a lot but I always thought it only did that because it was too big for my head and it didn't fit right. That Scorpion fit a lot better than my Shoei so I didn't think I would get that bounciness. Crap.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh terrific. I consider my Shoei to bounce around a lot but I always thought it only did that because it was too big for my head and it didn't fit right. That Scorpion fit a lot better than my Shoei so I didn't think I would get that bounciness. Crap.

Are you saying the helmet moves around on your head or your head moves from the turbulence?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...