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Scorpion Exo GT930 review: great value flip-up helmet offering real 3/4 and integrated bluetooth riding.
Note: if you’re interested in the UK/Eu Scorpion Exo-930, please visit the review on our UK site as it’s a slightly different spec of helmet to the US version.
The Scorpion Exo GT930 is the replacement of the GT920 – a well liked polycarbonate flip-front helmet with a sporty edge.
The GT930 though takes things to a whole new level. Yep, it’s a cheaper priced modular helmet with a sun visor just like the old 920. But the GT930 has been renamed a transformer helmet because now it has a fully removeable chin bar for a true 3/4 helmet riding experience.
And if you like your bluetooth units fully integrated, there’s also an Exo Com version that comes preloaded with Scorpion’s (Uclear-developed) Exo-Com bluetooth headset that’s more or less ready to rock.
So now not only does the GT930 promise to give you most of the regular features you want from a modular, but if you really like to ride in a fully open face 3/4 helmet or you’re looking for a helmet that comes bluetooth ready out of the box, then it offers that too.
But promise is one thing, reality can be another. So we scoured the web to find out the truth behind the claims – to see if the Scorpion Exo GT930 does what it says and whether it’s worth the money.
- Polycarbonate Modular Helmet
- Best for cruising, commuting or touring
- Dual homologated with removable chin bar
- Drop down sun visor
- Medium oval fitment
- DOT and ECE 22.05 certified
- Sun peak included
- Double-D ring fastener
- Integrated bluetooth version available
- Sizes XS-XXXL
- Expect to pay
- $270 regular
- $425 with integrated bluetooth
Looking to buy a Scorpion Exo-GT930?
Please click below to visit the Scorpion Exo-GT930 pages at our recommended stores – all checked for great online ratings. And if you buy from any store, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Overall/Summary
There’s no doubt about it, not only is the Scorpion Exo GT-930 great value for money but it offers something very different.
OK there’s a few helmets now that come with integrated bluetooth comms – though that’s a big selling point for many. But one of the biggest selling points for the GT930 is that you can pull off that chin bar entirely, slot on an (included) peak and ride it as a 3/4 helmet. That’s a great feature.
So, not only do you have the usual flexibility you find with a flip-front helmet, but now it’s even more flexible and convenient – a real two-in-one helmet.
In full face mode it’s a good helmet too. Excellent double shield system – both a clear and smoked visor and both being Everclear antifog treated. And with the chin bar down, according to owners it’s an all day comfortable helmet and reasonably quiet too (for a modular) – with the only real downside being that it’s a bit on the heavy side – heavier than your typical modular.
But if you don’t mind a bit of weight (and apparently you do get used to it) then the icing on the cake is that it’s a lower priced modular making it excellent value for money too. Overall then, other than the weight, it’s really hard to fault the Scorpion GT930 and well worth a look if you’re in the market for a new budget modular helmet.
Safety
(more about helmet safety)
According to the Scorpion Exo website, the GT930 is both DOT and ECE certified – which is fantastic because not many helmets are dual certified like that. Dual certification means it’s undergone thorough testing in Europe to pass ECE certification as well as promising to pass the US’ DOT standards.
And because the GT930’s ECE certified, the chin bar is dual homologated too. That’s an ECE standard meaning the helmet’s been separately tested to offer protection with the chin bar in both raised and lowered positions and so it’s legal to ride with the chin bar up.
Happy days. And if you do ride with the chin bar up, there’s a small lock on there to push into place to make sure it stays raised while riding. The last thing you need is it slamming down while you’re in the middle of a bend!
Of course one of the cool features with the GT930 is that you can fully remove the chin bar so I’m guessing it was tested and approved with the chin bar removed too. There are other modulars you can remove the chin bar with (such as the Nolan N40-5 mentioned in the recommended alternatives section below) and if you love riding in an open face helmet, that’s a great feature.
OK it’s always great to see all those safety certifications and they do mean the GT930 should give you a decent level of protection. But beyond those there’s no independent Snell or SHARP rating too so we can’t see how well the GT930 will perform in relation to other helmets – nor can we see how secure that chin bar is (SHARP releases figures on how often chin bars become unlocked during testing).
Looking at past SHARP data for Scorpion modular helmets shows their chin bars have stayed locked and closed in 90% of impact tests. And looking at their most recent tested polycarbonate shelled helmets (like the GT930) they scored either 3 or 4 stars overall out of a maximum 5. Whether that’s indicative of how the GT930 would score if it was to be tested by SHARP remains to be seen but we’d expect it to be around that figure.
Take a look at our Best Motorcycle Helmet Top 10s to find your next helmet…
Still, beyond cold hard stats, the Scorpion GT930 has plenty going for it on the safety stakes.
Its shell is made in 3 sizes which is great for optimising the look, the amount of EPS shock absorbing liner and the fit to the rider’s head. That EPS is dual density too to help it better manage energy from an impact.
The only downside here is that the GT930 is a bit of a hefty lump weighing in anywhere between 4-5lbs depending on which size helmet you weigh, and more weight means more mass to control during an impact.
Moving on… it has a wide faceshield for good peripheral vision which comes pre-coated in Everclear antifog to stop it steaming up.
And of course there’s a sun visor to stop you getting dazzled while riding.
Finally, the helmet’s secured using a double d-ring fastener which are old school and fiddly but are secure as long as they’re done up well every trip.
All in all, we’d expect the Scorpion Exo GT930 to be pretty good for safety. It has a good range of safety features and it’s good to know that it’s dual certified so has passed both sets of safety standards.
Helmet Noise
(more about helmet noise)
The Scorpion Exo-GT930 comes with a reasonably plush interior with 3d cheek pads, a chin curtain and generous neck roll as standard. It’s also reasonably aerodynamically tuned – and all these things can help make a helmet that’s a bit quieter than average.
Having said that, it’s a modular helmet and modulars do tend to be noisier than full faces.
So, assuming you’re gonna be riding in your GT930 with the chin bar down, how noisy or quiet is it?
Well, according to owners’ opinions we came across it’s not bad. Overall it’s probably not as quiet as most full face helmets but it seems it’s about par for a modular with a few owners reckoning it’s pretty loud above highway speeds but others saying they found it quieter than expected.
As usual it’s very subjective depending on your motorcycle, speed, hearing, how noisy your last helmet was etc. etc. And as usual, push in a good pair of ear plugs and you should be just fine on the noise front with the EXO-GT930.
Ventilation
(more about helmet ventilation)
Venting on the GT930 is a standard sort of configuration.
That means a single vent in the chin bar and a single vent pushed high up top, beyond the retracted sun visor that sits inside the helmet shell.
The chin vent is quite large but the button ain’t and can be a bit fiddly to use until you get the hang of its location.
The top vent is much better – a larger slider right on the top of your head.
A couple of useful links…
– All our Scorpion Exo helmet reviews –
– Medium oval helmets –
Word is that the chin bar vent’s better than the head vent.
The chin bar vent is pretty good. And while the top vent looks like a big scoop that should take a good amount of air into the helmet, the overall effect seems to be a bit muted. It’s not bad, just that it’s not that good either.
Still, with a modular you can always flip-up of the chin bar – or in this case remove it fully – in which case you’ll get about as much ventilation as you’re ever going to need!
Face Shield
(more about shields)
The face shield is great though. It’s nice and wide for great perhipheral vision; it’s Everclear antifog coated which owners reckon does a decent job; and it’s quick change if you need to pull it off for cleaning.
It works on a ratchet mechanism and there’s a ‘cracked open’ city position to let a bit of air in. And it’s got a couple of visor opening tabs too – one left, one right – so you can easily open it with either hand. That’s something far too few helmets seem to offer.
All good on the shield front then.
Sun Visor
(more about sun visors)
Same goes for the sun visor.
One problem lots of people seem to find with sun visors is that they sometimes don’t drop down low enough. Not so with the sun visor on the Scorpion Exo-GT930 because several owners said how great it was to have one that covers all their view.
It’s also Everclear antifog coated too, just like the main visor. Great touch that because most sun visors aren’t antifog.
It’s operated with a slider on the bottom left edge of the helmet and the action is apparently nice and easy. So no problems here.
Chin Guard
(more about chin guards)
In its normal operation, the chin bar on the Scorpion Exo-GT930 is a pretty standard sort of affair for a flip-front helmet.
There’s a single button to press underneath the bar to release the lock and you then push it upwards until it comes to a firm stop somewhere above your forehead. That means it’s not a ‘flip-over’ modular as the chin bar sits over your forehead – and it can feel a little unbalanced if you’re riding with it in this position as the weight’s towards the front.
It’s not really an issue in the US – but because it’s been ECE dual homologated (i.e. tested and certified with the chin bar both up and down) that means it can be ridden with the chin bar raised in ECE territories – and it means it’s got a small red locking button to keep the chin guard locked open. So far, so standard.
The big feature on the GT930 is that you can fully remove the chin bar to convert it into a proper 3/4 helmet. And it’s a pretty simple and toolless job too according to owners (like many things – it’s easy once you’ve done it a few times!). Just open up the chin bar fully, pull down on a couple of sliders then slide the chin bar off towards the front.
That’s a great feature and the reason why quite a few owners buy the GT930. And to top it off, Scorpion includes a nice peak in the box too that just slides on and clicks in place. You don’t have to use it but the helmet looks a little more finished if you do. And again according to some owners, if you fit the peak, the aero is still pretty good, so not too much buffetting or catching the air because of it.
Back to having the chin bar in place: Scorpion helmets have done quite well over the years. When ECE versions of their modular helmets have been tested, they score an average of 90% for the performance of the chin guards. That means during impact testing, the chin bar has remained fully locked and closed 90% of the time. For the remaining 10% that doesn’t mean the chin bars have sprung open or broken off, just that the lock’s become unlatched.
That 90% is actually a reasonable score if you look at all tested modulars – though it’s up to you whether it’s actually good enough for you of course!
Comfort and Sizing
(more about comfort and sizing)
Inside the GT930 is Scorpion’s Kwik Wick liner – that’s a fully removable and washable liner that’s antimicrobial treated and designed to offer good moisture wicking characteristics.
According to most owners the sizing’s about right and it’s a medium oval fit helmet which means it should work for the majority of us.
They also overwhelmingly reckon it’s a very comfortable helmet. The liner’s soft to the touch and well padded, and if you wear glasses it has glasses grooves in the cheek pads and we came across a few riders who said they work well.
And if you’re the big brained type, more good news is that the Scorpion GT930 is available in sizes up to XXXL. Hurray.
It’s got good aero properties too by all accounts – in full face mode it’s pretty neutral with little buffeting or whistling reported; and in open face mode with the peak fitted the peak doesn’t catch the wind or pull your head around too badly.
I guess the only real downside in terms of comfort with the GT930 is that it’s a weighty helmet. Yes most owners don’t seem phased by it and yes, if you turn it into a 3/4 helmet it’s actually pretty light weight. But there’s no getting away from the fact it’s on the heavier side of modular lids. So if you’re weak necked or worried about helmet weight, I’d probably look elsewhere.
Best places to buy a Scorpion Exo-GT930 helmet?
Please click below to visit the Scorpion Exo-GT930 pages at our recommended stores – all checked for great online ratings. And if you buy from any store, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Scorpion Exo-GT930 Video
11m video looking around a matte black GT930.
Other stuff – bluetooth, warranty
Integrated Bluetooth – Scorpion Exo-Com Helmet
The Scorpion Exo GT930 is available in two flavors – the regular dumb helmet and the Exo-Com which comes with a Uclear-based Scorpion Exo Com bluetooth headset pre-installed.
If you buy the regular helmet it has all the holes, pouches and pockets there to accept the Exo-Com if you decide you want to fit one later (takes about 10 mins to fit apparently). But the Exo-Com helmet has it all already installed – so that’s the battery in the pocket at the back of the helmet, speakers and wiring in there and the neat controller unit on the left hand side of the helmet.
And the Exo Com is a pretty good mesh bluetooth headset by all accounts. It’s a Bluetooth V5 Mesh system (called DynaMesh on the Exo Com), allows for connection with up to 4 riders, has a half mile (800m) range and should cost you about $190.
Given it’ll connect to four riders that should give it a theoretical range of up to a couple of miles if you’re all strung out equally along a road (mesh uses each bluetooth set to ping your chat between each rider) though I guess that’ll be quite a bit less in practice.
It should theoretically pair with other non-mesh bluetooth headsets too but that can be a bit hit and miss and the only real way to find out is to buy one and try it – headset makers don’t really do the testing with other kits unfortunately.
And of course if you’re looking to fit your own bluetooth kit in there, you should be able to use the existing speaker pockets and a sticky mount should do the trick on the side of the helmet (to avoid the sun visor slider and controller pocket).
Warranty
The Scorpion Exo-GT930 comes with a full 5 year warranty against manufacturing defects.
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Good Alternatives to the Scorpion Exo-GT930?
You might want to check out our Top 10 Best Flip-up Helmets page to find our latest recommended modulars. But here’s a few selected helmets we think you might like to take a look at if you’re in the market for a modular.
First off, the Nolan N40-5 is another versatile modular that you can remove the chin bar from. It has a sun visor too along with an easy to use micrometric fastener and it’s around the same price as the Scorpion.
Nolan’s N90-3 is a well rated modular – it’s prepared to accept Nolan’s N-Com bluetooth, has a sun visor, and the ECE version was rated SHARP 4 stars for safety.
For a bit more money you can buy a Shark Evo One 2 which has a ‘flip over’ chin bar for real open face riding, comes with a Pinlock antifog in the box and it’s lighter than the 930.
Looking to buy a Scorpion Exo-GT930?
Please click below to visit the Scorpion Exo-GT930 pages at our recommended stores – all checked for great online ratings. And if you buy from any store, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
