The Scorpion Exo-GT SP Air is a very easy helmet to like.
It’s a lightweight sports-touring helmet with a full carbon-fibre shell, premium interior, strong ventilation and a visor that gives a clear, wide view of the road.
After spending time with one on the road, it quickly became a helmet I wanted to keep going back to. It feels like a genuine all-rounder: light, stable at speed, well-ventilated in warm conditions and practical for everyday use.
It also represents strong value for a carbon-fibre helmet with a sun visor, D-ring fastening and an extra tinted visor included in the box.
Fit & comfort
The Exo-GT SP Air’s carbon-fibre shell helps keep weight down, and the size medium I wore weighs 1445g on our scales. That’s light for a helmet with an internal sun visor and the latest ECE 22.06 safety approval.
More importantly, it feels light on the road. Some carbon helmets look good on the scales but it's hard to detect the difference in use; this one genuinely gives the impression of a lightweight lid when worn.
The interior is one of the helmet’s strongest points. The lining has a smooth, distinctive flecked finish and feels especially comfortable in warm weather. It gives the helmet a premium feel and is effective at helping keep things cool inside.
Photography: Helen Meeds
Scorpion’s Airfit system is also included. This uses inflatable cushions behind the cheekpads, allowing fine-tuning of the fit around the cheeks. It might sound like a gimmick, but it’s useful for getting the helmet fit just right. It could also help restore snugness if the cheekpad fit loosens over time.
Spectacle wearers are also considered. The foam stops before the top of the cheekpads to make room for glasses arms. It took a little fiddling to get my glasses in place, but once positioned they stayed where they needed to be.
Sizing runs from XS to 2XL, with three shell sizes. A medium fitted me as expected, and our returns data suggests sizing is intuitive, with 95% of customers keeping the first size they ordered.
Noise & aerodynamics
The Exo-GT SP Air performs well for stability. Over a few hundred miles of riding, there have been no issues with the helmet feeling unsettled or awkward in airflow.
Noise was also not a problem during testing, though this always comes with a caveat. I wear high-protection Auritech earplugs, and helmet noise is heavily influenced by the bike, screen, riding position and how airflow reaches the helmet.
So while the Exo-GT SP Air caused me no issues for noise, there's no guarantee it will behave the same way on every bike.
Vision & visor
The visor system is excellent.
The main visor has two intermediate positions on the way down before the lower edge rests on the seal. The second position worked for me as a useful cracked-open setting, and it stayed in place even at motorway speeds. That made it easy to introduce a little airflow without the visor dropping shut.
Once the visor lip reaches the seal, pushing it fully closed locks it into place. A button under the lifting tab releases it again.
The visor is Optical Class 1 and gives excellent clarity. It is also supplied with a Pinlock 120XLT insert, which covers virtually all of the visible area and preserves peripheral vision.
A second tinted visor is included in the box at the time of review. This is a mid-smoke tint: darker than a light smoke, but not as dark as a full race visor. In daylight, the tint level works very well. It cuts glare on bright days but remains more usable than a full dark visor when the weather turns cloudy.
There is also an internal sun visor, which is Optical Class 1. It has a good tint level and a decent amount of drop. If it sits too low, a limiter switch can reduce its travel, which may help riders whose nose touches the lower edge.
The sun visor operating switch takes a little learning. It does not slide straight down, but instead runs at a slight angle from the top of the left ear towards the nape of the neck. Once that movement becomes familiar, it works without issue.
Ventilation
Ventilation is one of the Exo-GT SP Air’s standout features.
The chin vent is especially effective and it's one of the most noticeable chin vents I have experienced.
The top vent is less dramatic but still useful. Rather than blasting cool air into the helmet, it works more as an extractor. Sliding it back allows warm air to rise into channels in the EPS impact liner and escape through the rear exhaust vents.
As with noise, ventilation can vary depending on the bike. Some screens and fairings will block air from reaching helmet vents properly. On bikes that allow airflow to reach the helmet, though, the Exo-GT SP Air’s vents work well.
Fastening & safety
The Exo-GT SP Air uses D-ring fastening, and the rings are made from titanium. The weight saving from that detail may be small, but it fits with the helmet’s premium, lightweight theme.
For safety approval, the helmet meets the ECE 22.06 standard for road use. It has also earned a four-star rating in the UK Government’s SHARP testing programme and is ACU Gold-approved for use on UK race circuits.
Some earlier helmets may not have the ACU sticker fitted. Riders who receive one of those and want to use the helmet on track should contact their dealer, who can arrange for the sticker to be applied.
Intercom compatibility
The Exo-GT SP Air is designed to accept the Scorpion Exo-Com Link 1 and Scorpion Exo-Com Link 1C intercom systems. These are relatively basic Bluetooth-only units for bike-to-bike communication.
Many riders are likely to prefer an aftermarket intercom, and the helmet makes that easy enough. The EPS speaker recesses have room for 45mm Cardo speakers, which are currently the largest mainstream speaker units.
There is also a decent surface on the shell for attaching a control module. A self-adhesive mount is likely to give a neater result than a clip mount, as there is an obstruction where the clip would normally slide between the shell and EPS.
Final thoughts
The Scorpion Exo-GT SP Air is a very impressive sports-touring helmet.
It is light, comfortable, stable, well-ventilated and has a quality interior that gives it a genuinely premium feel. The visor clarity is excellent, the Pinlock coverage is generous, and the included tinted visor adds real value.
There are a few small things to learn, such as the angled sun visor slider, and as always noise and ventilation will depend partly on the bike being ridden. But none of that takes away from how well-rounded this helmet feels.
Prices at the time of review start at £379.99 for plain colours, with graphics ranging from £419.99 to £439.99. For a carbon-fibre helmet with a sun visor, D-ring fastening, ECE 22.06 approval and an extra tinted visor in the box, that is a strong package.
Scorpion positions this as the first helmet in its Apex series, where the focus is on premium materials and improved optical clarity. On this evidence, that effort has paid off.
