[REVIEW] Scorpion EXO-GT930 Transformer Modular Helmet + EXO-COM® Review

I’ve been looking for a modular helmet for quite some time now. Over the years, I’ve often leaned towards a full-faced sports helmet but circumstances have changed since adding a Triumph Tiger 1200 to my stable, and I found myself wanting something a little more touring-focused. As luck would have it, the good folks at Scorpion were looking for someone to test out their latest EXO-GT930 Transformer Modular Helmet, and I jumped at the chance.

I’ve known about Scorpion for a while, but mostly only familiar with their apparel side of products. Like many others, it was not until Fabio Quartararo won the 2021 MotoGP that their helmets came on my radar. Previously, I’ve stuck with the tried and true Arai Corsair-X helmets for the canyon/track days, and the more affordable HJC RPHA 11 Pro lids for the daily grind. So, when Scorpion sent me the matte black EXO-GT930 during the winter months of California, I knew I could really put the helmet through its paces with my daily two-hour-plus commute and help provide an honest review.

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About Scorpion Helmets

Scorpion USA is an American company based out of Santa Fe Springs, CA. They are a subsidiary of Kido Sports, which is a Korea-based motorcycle helmet developer that has been in the helmet business since 2001. While they are owned by Kido Sports as a subsidiary, they are allowed full control over their own research, development, and production. With worldwide offices and research centers, this allows Scorpion to work with some of the best engineers, designers, and certification labs in the industry.

As a result, Scorpion’s helmets are tested on at least two continents before it is released for sale, with the most common certification being DOT certification for USA, ECE certification for Europe, and for their full-face helmets, they voluntarily certify to Snell Labs testing, as per Scorpions internal mandate to make the best gear at an affordable price.

If you want to know more about Scorpion EXO, I highly recommend taking a look at the sub-brands page on the Kido Sports website.

About WebBikeWorld’s Review Policy

This product was supplied by Scorpion USA at a significant discount for me to buy for review purposes. Note that we do not allow brands to influence review scores or content. Please see our review policies for more information.

We here at webBikeWorld believe that you can’t just try something out once and give an honest opinion of it. Any product we test is actually used by our testers, and for most of December and January, clocking in a little over 2,000 miles, I wore this helmet.

Scorpion EXO-GT930 Design and Colorway

The Scorpion EXO-GT930 comes in a total of 6 colorways at the time of this review. There are 3 Solid versions: Gloss Black, Gloss White, and Matte Black for $249.95 and 3 Graphic versions to choose from: Black, White, Hi-Viz Yellow for $269.95. Unfortunately, Scorpion is only offering the complete Bluetooth EXO-COM set in Matte Black ($424.95). If you want other colors or graphics with their EXO-COM unit, you will have to complete the installation yourself. More on that later.

I’ve received the Matte Black version and the appearance, finish, and materials look and feel nice. There are no blemishes or manufacturing imperfections. The matte coating is excellent. It is resistant to bug splatters, scratches, and fingerprints. Just a bit over 800 miles, I’ve noticed a small white scuff mark on the side. The helmet was never dropped so that might have been from road debris picked up by the truck tires in front. I took a microfiber towel to it and the scratch buffed right out. Great to see the same matte coating as their EXO-R1 Air Carbon helmet.

The design reminds me of the popular Simpson Mod Bandit. Scorpion’s design team nailed it when it came to the design lines. From the front vents that reminiscence of the auto world’s front grill to the lines that flow nicely towards the back spoiler. This style definitely helps the EXO-GT930 carry over to other categories besides cruisers.

Scorpion EXO-GT930 Features

To me, this is a bargain compared to the other modular’s in the higher end of the spectrum. Straight out of the box, you are presented with tons of accessories. It has pretty much all the bells and whistles found in most of the expensive modular helmets from other manufacturers. Just look at the different options you can ride with as you please!

The modular chin bar operates smoothly and has a satisfying, secure audible click when closed. To open the chin bar, there’s a single button located under the center bar which unlocks the metal locking mechanism. The locking mechanism is made of aluminum to provide metal on metal strength when it comes to impact attenuation. Scorpion designed the system for one-handed opening and it works well even at speed. The only issue I had and still getting used to is pressing the Aero skirt chin curtain instead of the button, they feel very alike with gloves on.

There is a chin bar lock that allows for safe riding while wide open. This gives the EXO-GT930 an ECE P/J certification and means that it meets both ECE’s full-face and open-face standards. When the chin bar is in its fully-up position, slide the red tab forward to the locking position and you are set to ride open-face certified especially in places like Europe.

An ADV-style peak is included but it can only be installed when the chin bar is removed. Chin bar removal and installation require no tools, which is a great feature! To remove the chin bar, pull down the release lever, then grasp and pull the chin bar away from the main shell. Super easy. To reinstall, just align the guides on both side and simply slide in place. The secure “click” lets you know it is locked in.

The Everclear SpeedView internal, drop-down sun visor actuates with the slider on the bottom left side. The operation is extremely smooth and easy. Even if you end up sliding the sun visor up by accident, just redo the slider and it will pop back out. I’ve had helmets in this price range where I would have to pull the visor out by hand to get it back down before the slider would work again.

The sun visor is optically correct with no distortion or dizziness. It also drops down far enough to provide great coverage of the eyes from the sun and wind. This especially helps when you are riding in the Jet (open-faced) position. The Everclear no-fog works well in California’s winter with an extreme low of 37°F (2.8°C). Sorry my Canadian mates, it’s beautiful here.

Scorpion EXO-GT930 Fit & Comfort

The sizing of the EXO-GT930 is spot on. Scorpion states this helmet falls in the intermediate oval head shape category. I’ve got an intermediate oval head with a circumference of about 60.5 cm and the size XL fits well. The fit on the EXO-GT930 felt snug and secure, with the cheek pads in the right places. The sizing coincides with the Arai and HJC I own.

The shell is polycarbonate with multi-density EPS inside. It’s no carbon fiber but helps keep the price affordable if you are on a budget. That’s not a problem because polycarbonate is strong and durable; However, one of the drawbacks is its weight. My kitchen scale came in at 4 pounds 16 ounces (1890 grams) for the XL size helmet. It is heavy and you will feel it if you are coming from lighter helmets. My neck was a bit sore but give it a couple of days and your neck will adapt. We didn’t get into motorcycling for comfort, did we?

It is available in XS to 3XL spread across three shell sizes (XS/S, M/L, XL/XXL/XXXL). With XXXL, yes 3 X’s in the last range. For most manufacturers that provide 3 shell sizes, most offer one specific shell size for every two sizes with 3XL having its own shell.

Even before my first ride, I’ve noticed how much larger the overall size of the EXO-GT930 is compared to my other helmets. To accommodate a larger size range, Scorpion used one shell for XL, 2XL, and 3XL. Being on the smaller end of the scale with my XL, the shell does feel a bit big and cumbersome. The added weight from the 3XL size and the modular design doesn’t help either. You can feel its presence on your head.

Even with its size, spending time with it on the road at speed with the EXO-GT930 in the full-face configuration, I found it neutral at all speeds with no lift, buffeting, or whistling in any position. There was also no issue with the above riding a cruiser style bike such as the Yamaha Bolt I rented for a weekend. The spoiler on the back creates a negative pressure that helps in this regard.

Scorpion EXO-GT930 Liner

On the inside, the EXO-GT930 comes equipped with a removable and washable liner that you’d expect from a modern helmet. The liner is very comfortable against the skin and has a premium touch and feel to it. This one uses KwickWick C fabric which is held in place with a series of magnets and snaps. That’s not something you see in this segment too often. The magnets provide easy removal and installation, so quit giving excuses on why you can’t wash your liners.

The cheek pads are 3D contoured, easily removable, and also lined with the aforementioned KwickWick C material. The neck roll is built into the cheek pads and is comfortable and well-designed that keeps excess noise to a minimum and stops unwanted breeze from creeping in. The cheek pads also have a hidden internal pocket to keep the USB cable from creating pressure points when wearing. Great attention to detail!

The EXO-GT930 is also equipped with KwikFit which allows for easy on and off for glasses. There are channels that run where the arms of the glasses would go. I don’t wear glasses myself but was able to fit my sunglasses in for a perfect fit. There is also enough clearance for the drop-down sun visor to work.

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Scorpion EXO-GT930 Face Shield

For the EXO-GT930, the face shield closes using Scorpion’s Ellip-Tec Ratchet System which pulls the face shield against the rubber eye port seal for a tight fit. Changing visors is an easy task and takes about a minute or less with this system.

The Ellip-Tec works well, as there was no wind seepage during any of the rides, nor did any light rain we had here in California. Opening and closing the shield is pretty straightforward thanks to a series of detents at different positions. When closing the shield, there is a proper click which makes for a confident seal. Scorpion has put a couple of opening tabs on the bottom of the shield – one left, one right – which is great to see and makes it much easier to open your shield when stationery with your clutch hand pulled in.

The shield is Pinlock ready, although I don’t see any mentions on the website. Maybe because the Everclear works well enough you don’t really need a Pinlock for the anti-fog protection. As for the actual view, the shields were crystal clear and blemish-free, didn’t fog up even in 37°F, while the port offers a wide aperture that gives a really wide field of view.

The face shield has a lock stop at the first lock upon opening to help airflow in low speed, however, I found that it directs airflow to high up and directly to the eyes. It’s a minor gripe since I have sensitive eyes so your mileage may vary.

Scorpion EXO-GT930 Ventilation

The EXO-GT930 ventilation is 50/50. The airflow is powered by two main vents: one located on the top of the helmet, and one monstrous vent in the chin bar. The chin bar has a two stage open and close system via the opening. It does a great job taking air inside towards the mouth and up onto the back of the shield to help with the antifog feature. The slider, although looks a bit small, is easy to find and use with gloves on.

Up top, there’s a single crown vent. Again, the slider is easy to find with gloves and allows air to enter the helmet where it can circulate through generous venting channels that cover the crown of the head.

Looking at the venting channel design, however, I was expecting much more airflow through the crown of my head, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The venting up top felt mediocre. I sweat a lot, even in colder temperatures. So take that with a grain of salt, since I am putting the GT930 against my Arai Corsair X that has eyebrow vent ports on the face shield which leads directly to the crown venting system for additional venting power.

Overall, the airflow is acceptable, with a decent amount of air circulating in front with the chin bar vent and some airflow up top. You do need to be traveling faster than 40 mph to really get it going. However, for lower speeds, you’ll be better off with your visor open anyway.

Scorpion EXO-GT930 Noise Management

Modular helmets are usually noisier than regular full face helmets. But you can see Scorpion done some work to improve that with the GT930. The internals are very plush and they’ve added a nifty curtain to the bottom of the neck roll to help with cutting out wind and noise from the bottom – alongside the usual chin curtain on the chin bar. It doesn’t get in the way and is relatively quiet with no whistling or flapping inside the helmet. It is about average for helmet noise, though that’s not bad considering how moisy some modular’s can be.

Like most helmets though, the noise is not an issue if you put on a good pair of ear plugs when you ride, which should be every ride.

Scorpion EXO-GT930 Safety

Although the GT930 is a polycarbonate helmet, it does not shy away from surpassing the certifications thrown at it. When you buy a modular helmet, you are hoping that it’s going to work as a full-face helmet. But not all are designed alike or approved to work as a full face.

The GT930 acquired an ECE P/J certification and means that it meets both ECE’s J (open face) and P (full-face) standards. Which is also called dual homologation.

To achieve both P and J, the chin bar had to surpass ECE’s impact criteria, while the helmet in the open configuration needs to surpass the roll-off criteria. For the impact attenuation, the chin bar needs to be well constructed to be secure so it’s good to see that Scorpion using a metal locking mechanism here. The aluminum part between the cheek pad and shell.

For the roll-off requirements, Scorpion developed a unique chinstrap system, which has two anchor points on each side in a Y formation. As opposed to one anchor point per side on typical full-face helmets. We are not able to see the other anchor when the liner is off, but you can see the other anchor point from the exterior. Riding with the chin bar fully up, the helmet did not roll off and stayed in place. Which was impressive really, given how top-heavy it felt.

For impact attenuation to the head itself, the GT930 has a multi-density EPS shock-absorbing lining inside, designed to absorb higher and lower speed impact forces. It is kept on your head by a good old-fashioned double-D ring fastener. These are as old as civilization itself, but they’re a simple tech and most of us find them easy to use.

The GT930 is also DOT certified and gives a decent overall level of protection. I wouldn’t take this to the track, but for daily commuting and around-town excursions, this has more than enough protection.

Scorpion EXO-GT930 EXO-COM Bluetooth Unit

The Scorpion EXO-GT930 helmet has a dedicated spot to install their Bluetooth communicator called the EXO-COM Communicator. You can purchase the helmet with the factory-installed EXO-COM unit for $424.95, or add the EXO-COM unit as an optional extra for $189.95 to any solid or graphic version you like. There is a slight cost benefit if you purchase the complete set.

The implementation of the EXO-COM unit that is offered is a bit unusual. According to Scorpion, if the helmet is ordered with the EXO-COM unit, it will only come in Matte Black. (The one being reviewed here) The EXO-GT930 with the EXO-COM will come with the speakers and microphone installed in the helmet. The main unit and battery will be included in the helmet box. Then all you will have to do is plug in the main unit and battery yourself. Other colorways are available and compatible with the EXO-COM unit, but you’ll have to complete the full install yourself.

To make sure we provide you with a thorough review, I took the helmet apart to understand the installation process.

The install was actually quite simple and a breeze to do. Following Scorpion’s how-to video, I was able to complete the install within 10 minutes. Everything clicked into place with no surprises. Which is not always the case with other manufacturers. Great job here Scorpion!

The EXO-COM contains the powerful DynaMESH network, which provides an outstanding mesh network when you are riding in groups. I was not able to test out the DynaMESH intercom capabilities since most of my riding buddies have Cardo. We tried but were unable to properly connect them. This is also the case between Sena and Cardo most of the time, so we weren’t too surprised.

The pairing process was easy in both the mesh network (up to 4 units) and Bluetooth via your mobile phone. The system provides a visual cue via the LED on the unit and an audio cue from the headphones each step of the way. See how-to videos below:

Riding with the EXO-COM Bluetooth Communicator

Once everything is set up, using the EXO-COM via your phone is like any other Bluetooth speaker/headset. The buttons were easy to operate with gloves. The raised channels between the buttons help with distinguishing your finger position while riding. It is a lot more prominent than the others I have used. The system is very intuitive to use when making simple adjustments, such as raising or lowering the volume and taking calls. Most are one-touch gestures to do so. Check out the basic controls video Scorpion put out for your convenience.

The sound quality of both music/navigation and phone calls is adequate. Audio/calls in the city were clear, but once you get up to highway speed, the wind noise just drowns out the sound at 80mph+. Can’t dock too many points here however, it is as good as it can be for any in-helmet communication system. Modular helmets are known to be a bit noisier than their full-face counterparts, so the Scorpion EXO-T520 should have a better sound quality review. Check that review when you have a chance.

The microphone that is built into the speakers was surprisingly good considering that they were away from the mouth. The people I test called during city riding all said it was clear with a bit of noise. Highway, however, I’m having a screaming contest with the wind but that is also true of any in-helmet communication system. I won’t be WFB (Work From Bike) Zoom meetings anytime soon, but it’ll do.

The Verdict

The Scorpion EXO-GT930 Transformer helmet redefined value and versatility by taking the traditional modular to the next level and offering what no other brands do at this price point.

For my first experience with a Scorpion Helmet, the GT930 has really left me impressed. Besides a couple of caveats as discussed, the GT930 helmet has the fit and feel of a more expensive helmet from brand names that carry more weight. The R&D from developing their MotoGP helmets has trickled down to their mid-range helmets and you can see that here.

In seconds, and without tools, I was able to convert from a full-face helmet to an open-face helmet with an ADV-style peak to adapt to my riding conditions. There were also many small details on the GT930 helmet that displayed the overall attention to detail Scorpion’s design and development team devoted to. Things like the hidden pocket for the EXO-COM cables, the Everclear no-fog treatment, the self-sealing face shield, and the anti-roll off system; which are all included at $250. Call me impressed.

Is it the best modular motorcycle helmet on the market? No. Would I take it to the track? Probably not, but for what it was designed to do, it does it quite well.

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