Full Review of Scorpion’s thermoplastic full face helmet with sun visor

• Polycarbonate shell
• SHARP 4 star safety rated (ECE helmet)
• Drop down sun visor
• 5 year warranty
• Three shell sizes
• EQRS
• Scorpion’s innovative air pump system
• Sizes XXS-XXXL
• Prices from $229

Looking to buy a Scorpion Exo T510?

The T510’s now been discontinued, but the last time we checked it was still available on Amazon. Please click below to drop onto their Scorpion T510 helmet page, and if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

The Scorpion Exo T510 looks to pack quite a bit of punch for the money (though check out our alternatives at the bottom of the page).

It’s Scorpion’s attempt at an all-rounder. An evolution from their well regarded Exo-500 helmet, it’s a thermoplastic-shelled full face helmet that comes in at a very reasonable price – especially considering the spec.

But for that low price (just sneaking into our budget helmets category) you’d expect a few corners to be cut, wouldn’t you? Well read on for a bit of a surprise…

Safety

Even though it’s a polycarb helmet, don’t let that put you off – some of the safest helmets these days are polycarbonate. And this one comes in three shell sizes – always a good sign that a manufacturer’s intent on making a helmet that fits as well as possible and looks in the correct proportion for your body size.

Scorpion helmets have scored an average of 3.5 stars out of 5 when tested by SHARP for safety (they’re not Snell tested) so we expected the T510 to score around about that mark too. The T510’s predecessor, the 500, was also a polycarbonate helmet and scored four stars out of five which was very good.

We were pleasantly surprised that when SHARP tested the 510 Air (what the T510’s called in Europe) at the end of 2021, it scored equally well with an excellent four stars out of five.

Which means that although the 510 is a lower price helmet made from lower tech materials, it could still give very decent levels of protection on the road. I say ‘could’ because those results are for the ECE spec helmet and we’ve no idea of knowing if it’s exactly the same helmet as the DOT certified T510 sold over here.

Helmet Noise

According to Scorpion, the Exo-T510 has been wind tunnel designed. Well, that may be the case, but it seems they didn’t think to put a microphone in the helmet when it was in the wind tunnel, because most folks seem to think it’s pretty noisy.

As always, there’s a variety of opinions, usually dependent on how noisy peoples’ previous helmets were or type of motorcycle they ride. But overall, the comments we found (and we look very hard!) ranged from between a bit noisy to very noisy.

Weighing up the range of comments, we’re gonna plump for saying the T510 is seen as below average for noise levels – so if you’re after a quiet helmet, you better check out our quietest helmets section instead.

Ventilation

Ventilation looks pretty generous on the Exo T510. It has the usual single chin vent in the chin bar but that’s supplemented with the three top vents, which should pull in plenty of air.

And sure enough, word is that the T510 vents plenty of air into the helmet. As you’d expect with three vents, the scalp ventilation is widely seen as particularly good, though the chin/visor ventilation isn’t bad at all either.

Of course, you also need the sliders and switches that cover the vents to be easy to use – especially in gloves. There’s no point having all those vents but not being able to open or close them when you’re riding along.

But the Exo T510 seems to do well here too as a few owners rated the switches highly, saying they’re easy to find and operate in gloves.

So if you go for an Exo T510, you should be pretty well sorted for decent ventilation all round.

Shield

Which is not to say your visor won’t still fog up, because it will if the weather’s cold or humid. Let’s face it, you’ve got a sheet of polycarbonate scant few millimetres from your mouth and nose so in those sorts of conditions – and if you’re not moving fast enough to generate a ton of ventilation – then it’s going to fog up.

Looking at the visors – the Exo T510 comes with a built-in drop down sun visor that’s anti-fog treated, and the main shield is both quick-release and comes with Scorpion’s own EverClear antifog treatment as standard too (though word is that’s not very good).

In Europe, the T510 is sold as the Scorpion Exo 510 Air and comes with a Pinlock Antifog insert included in the box. So if you suffer from fogging, there is a Pinlock available for the T510 – though it’s a bit annoying we don’t get one included too!

The shield on the Exo T510 features Scorpion’s Ellip-Tec system. That means it’s got a quick-release shield that’s spring-loaded to pull the shield more tightly shut against the weather-proof rubber gasket.

It all works well according to owners – though it does mean there’s no conventional ‘cracked open’ position for defogging. Instead you’ve got to use the shield lock mechanism at the bottom left of the shield.

One way locks the shield in place to stop it popping open if you don’t want it to – the other way cracks the shield open a bit (although one owner said it doesn’t work very well. Only one, mind)

Sun Visor

The Scorpion Exo T510 comes with a build-in drop down sun visor too. If you’ve not had a helmet with one before, they’re great and highly recommended.

It’s operated by a level to the rear of the left hand visor pivot which, even though it’s relatively uncommon positioning, is probably the easiest-to-use place for the sun visor lever.

Another plus point for the sun visor on the Exo T510 is that quite a few owners commented that it’s just about dark enough. That doesn’t sound a glowing endorsement, but most sun visors are fairly lightly tinted and quite a few riders – especially those who ride in brighter and sunnier places – tend to find them too light to be a true replacement for shades. But on the T510, that’s not the case.

There’s another feature with the sun visor on the T510 that’s unusual too.

In front of the sun visor lever, there’s a small screw. This can be rotated into three positions to adjust how far the sun visor actually drops down.

That’s a great idea because we’re all built differently and this means you can customize the sun visor drop to suit your face shape and preference.

All in all that’s 10/10 to Scorpion for the sun visor on the T510.

Comfort and Sizing

The Scorpion Exo-T510 is designed for folks with slightly longer, narrower heads – commonly called intermediate ovals.

But a few owners have said it’s wider in the cheek area too – so if you need a bit more space there, then you might be onto a winner with the T510.

Having said that, inside the Exo-T510, you’ll find Scorpion’s AirFit system, which is designed to tighten the fitment up a bit.

Essentially, there’s an air inflating pump in the chin guard. Squeeze it a few times and you’ll feel the cheek pads inflate, pressing the cheek pads inwards slightly to tighten the fit. And to loosen things up again, there’s a valve you can press to release the air.

Does it work?

Well, some folks find it really useful and use it on more or less every ride. Others, who either find the fit of their helmet just right without it or who don’t want the hassle; they just leave it alone.

Inside the lining of the helmet, Scorpion have used padding that’s anti-bacterial as well as designed to wick sweat away – what they call KwikWick 2 material. It’s also removable/washable too.

There’s also a glasses groove in there to stop the stems of glasses – or shades – pressing into the side of your head.

And we’ve not finished yet, because despite being (just about) a budget helmet, the Exo-T510 also has EQRS – that’s the quick removal system that allows you to pull a couple of red tags at the bottom of the helmet to quickly pull the cheek pads out of the bottom of the helmet to help with removing the helmet in an emergency.

That’s the first time we’ve seen EQRS on a motorcycle helmet in this price range, so great work Scorpion!

Best places to buy a Scorpion Exo T510?

The T510’s now been discontinued, but the last time we checked it was still available on Amazon. Please click below to drop onto their Scorpion T510 helmet page, and if you buy from them, 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-T510 Video

A short 3m video quickly showing you round the T510.

Other stuff: fastener, warranty, speakers, build quality, weight

Other stuff worth noting is that the Exo T510 comes with a micrometric fastener and has Scorpion’s excellent 5 year warranty – that should cover you for about the lifespan of the helmet.

Inside, there’s a decent amount of room (and cut outs) for speakers and owners report that the build quality of the helmet is good.

Finally, it weighs about 3.5lbs (1.6Kg) which is just about average weight for a polycarbonate helmet.

Overall/Summary

On the face of it, the Scorpion Exo-T510 looks like a great buy.

With its well thought out shield system, EQRS and excellent ventilation, it’s a helmet that should cover everything from your daily commute to your touring vacation.

And now it’s been SHARP 4 star safety rated (ECE helmet – see safety section), we’re happy to say that it’s a fantastic and great value for money helmet that should give good protection too.

Owners rate theirs highly – so if you don’t necessarily need a big brand lid to accompany your big brand ride, then the Scorpion Exo T510 might well be just the best value for money helmet on the market today.

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Alternatives to the Scorpion Exo T510?

If you’re looking for a full faced crash helmet with a sun visor for not very much money, then there’s some great options around.

There’s HJC’s FG-ST, that’s a SHARP 5 star rated fiberglass helmet with Pinlock antifog and available for about the same as the Exo-510 Air (maybe a little more).

Or there’s the Shark Skwal – a 4 star SHARP rated polycarbonate helmet with a Pinlock included and an interesting strip of LEDs along the rear for extra visibility too. Costs about the same as the Scorpion, if not a little less.

Or you might want to check out AGVs K3 SV. That’s a SHARP 4 star rated helmet with sun visor. It’s a bit pricier than the Scorpion but owners love em and it’s got that AGV name and quality included in the price!

Looking to buy a Scorpion Exo T510?

The T510’s now been discontinued, but the last time we checked it was still available on Amazon. Please click below to drop onto their Scorpion T510 helmet page, and if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).