MXN PRODUCT REVIEW: SCORPION VX-34 VICTORY HELMET

Posted on May 30, 2012, 2:21 pm
By MXN Staff

MXN PRODUCT REVIEW: SCORPION VX-34 VICTORY HELMET

When we first heard about Scorpion, they were a new player in the off-road market – but they impressed us with their mid-level helmet, which at the time was the VX-24 Vortech, see our mention here.

Fast forward to 2012 and Scorpion has raised the bar with their new VX-34. The Victory designation applies to the colorway selected, and there are five basic VX-34 models; Victory, Oil, Scream, Spike and Solid, and are offered in different base colorways in most models.

The VX-34 is aimed squarely at what we consider to be the mid-range helmet segment (between $120 and $220) and it’s a solid performer among it peers in this range. Let’s take a look at what we found.

We wore the helmet over a race weekend at the famous Southwick Moto-X338 circuit which is a National caliber track and the temperatures were well into the 80’s and even reached the 90’s one of the days. This gave us a great venue for testing and our thanks go out to Ralph and Diane of Moto-X 338 for the accommodations.

The first thing we noticed was the light weight of the helmet and this is a key feature in avoiding neck fatigue as well as what we consider to be one of the most important features that your money can buy when looking at off-road lids. The more we rode with it the more we appreciated the light weight and you will too.

Next up was the interior…it’s plush! Soft and absorbent, the interior is like a comfy place for your head, we found the fit almost perfect and we used the Air Pump feature to fill in any last minute fitting issues.

The Scorpion Air Pump feature is worth noting. Many testers didn’t notice it at first as it isn’t intrusive or obvious. That’s why we left the Air Pump sticker on the side. The Air Pump is a simple idea and execution – after you put on the helmet, you use the Air Pump feature to pump up the remaining space left in the helmet for a custom fit. Brilliant idea and it works too! It’s not a huge difference and it won’t make up for a helmet that’s too large on a riders head, but it does help, but beware…if you pump it up too much you can produce the dreaded chipmunk look in your cheeks.

We liked the interior venting, like many helmets we only notice when there isn’t adequate venting, and the VX-34 kept us cool better than many helmets in this segment. We found the eye port to be just big enough for most goggles, except for a really tight fit when using our Scott OTG units. Our Dragon MDX and Smith Fuel goggles seemed to fit fine…snug but fine.

The VX-34 features removable cheekpads and a “KwickWick2” removable liner that is washable and absorbs sweat like a sponge… The mouthpiece has a sponge filter and it can be cleaned as well.

We rode with the Alpinestars BNS neck brace and the A-10 chest protector and didn’t find any interference issues as some helmets present. Of course the A-10 CP is built for the BNS neck brace so that probably helped quite a bit. We didn’t try the VX-34 with a Leatt Brace so we can’t comment on any issues there.

As for protection and certification, the VX-34 offers both DOT and ECER22.05 certifications and is legal to wear while racing AMA events.

In conclusion, we felt Scorpion hit the nail on the head with the VX-34. It’s well known we are big fans of both the Fly Formula Clash and the Bell Moto-9 but they aren’t available at this price point. When we look at helmets in this mid-level segment, we find the Scorpion VX-34 to be strong contender and possible the new leader for helmets at this price, we recommend the VX-34 for any rider looking for lightweight, good-looking protection.

The Scorpion VX-34 is available from all major motocross retailers and has a MSRP of $169.00 but we’ve seen it lower so hunt around for the best price.

For more information of the VX-34 and the other Scorpion off-road products, please visit www.ScorpionUSA.com