Please note: sale to France is prohibited.

Abiding is the more restrained of the two graphic families on the Glamster06, and TC-1 is its red. Red on a classic full-face is not a neutral choice — it is the colour of every works racing helmet of the period the shell is drawn from.

Five SHARP stars — and which Glamster earned them

A note on generations, because it changes the number. Shoei's original Glamster was tested by SHARP in August 2021 against the ECE 22.05 standard and rated four stars. The Glamster06 is a separate helmet, separately tested in May 2025 against ECE 22.06, and rated five.

🔵 If a listing quotes four stars for an 06, it has read the wrong entry.

About the Abiding TC-1 graphic

Graphics on a retro helmet are a harder problem than they look, because the wrong drawing turns a period silhouette into a modern sports helmet wearing a costume. Abiding works by staying flat and geometric — areas of colour rather than sweeping shapes — which is how helmets were actually painted before large-format printing existed. In TC-1 the red is the dominant field, and it is the version that reads most clearly as heritage rather than as decoration. Conspicuity is good: red is a high-saturation colour that holds up against tarmac, though it fades faster than most under sustained UV. 🔵 The graphic premium is 100 € over a solid, and a decor cannot be touched in if it is chipped — both worth knowing before choosing.

AIM, three shells, double-D and EQRS

A double-D ring takes a moment longer than a ratchet and gives exactly the same tension every time. There is no mechanism, no plastic to wear and no adjustment that can drift out of position — which is why race regulations require it and why Shoei fitted it here rather than the micro-ratchet used on its touring helmets.

Around it: an AIM composite shell in three sizes, a multi-density EPS liner and the EQRS emergency system.

The CPB-1V visor — and the sun shield that is not there

Two things about the visor that are easy to miss. It sits lower on the face than a modern sports visor, which is what gives the Glamster its expression — and it gives a genuinely wide horizontal field of view despite the round shape.

🔵 What it does not have behind it is a sun visor. Shoei omitted one to keep the shell compact; tinted and photochromic CPB-1V visors are the alternative, and a Pinlock EVO lens is supplied with the helmet.

One intake, aluminium mesh, no sliders

The chin intakes matter more than the forehead one on this helmet, and not for cooling. Air directed up the inside of the visor is what keeps it clear at low speed and at a standstill — which on a helmet whose visor sits close to your face is the difference between seeing and not seeing at a junction in November.

They draw through aluminium mesh, with no sliders to close them; the exhaust is at the neck.

Interior, fit and glasses

Wash the interior more often than you think. Sweat breaks down foam over time, and a liner washed twice a season lasts appreciably longer than one that is never washed at all — on this helmet the whole lot comes out by hand, including the chin strap covers.

Replacement pads are available in several thicknesses, which makes a wash a convenient moment to correct a fit that has loosened.

How loud it actually is

The redesigned visor mechanism helps here as well as ergonomically. A visor that closes with a consistent, even seal along a curved aperture leaks less air than one that pulls tight only at the centre — and a leaking visor is louder than almost anything else on a helmet.

The result, in MCN's long-term test with the supplied chin curtain fitted, was 4 out of 5 for noise.

Around 1300 grams, and the rest of the honest list

🔵 Two omissions catch people out most often. The first is the sun visor: there is none, and a tinted or photochromic CPB-1V is the intended answer. The second is communication: no interface, no recesses, no compatibility confirmed by MCN over a long-term test.

Both are consequences of the same decision — keeping the shell small enough to look the way it does.

Where it sits in Shoei's range

Shoei's range divides into two families. The touring family — GT-Air3, Neotec 3, J-Cruise 3 — shares internal sun visors, Pinlock-ready visors and communication provision. The classic family — Glamster06 and J•O2 — shares a design era and deliberately does without most of it.

This helmet is firmly in the second, and the omissions are the product rather than a compromise.

When something wears out

Keep a clear visor if you run a tinted one. There is no internal sun shield on this helmet, so a dark CPB-1V commits you for the whole ride — and swapping back at the roadside is a one-minute job only if the clear one is in your luggage.

Tinted, clear and photochromic CPB-1V visors are all stocked, as are DKS056 Pinlock lenses.

In the box

• Shoei Glamster06 helmet — Abiding TC-1
• Clear CPB-1V visor, pre-fitted
• Pinlock® EVO anti-fog lens with matching spare pins
• Chin curtain
• Shoei helmet bag
• Glamster logo stickers
• Silicone oil for visor seal and mechanism care
• Instruction manual and the „Correct use of your helmet" booklet
• 🔵 No tinted visor — there is no sun shield, so a tinted or photochromic CPB-1V is a separate purchase

Size guide

Specification

• Model — Shoei Glamster06
• Part number — 11.19.103.2
• Colour — Abiding TC-1 — Graphic, TC-1 colour combination
• Homologation — ECE 22.06
• Safety rating — SHARP 5 of 5 stars (tested May 2025, ECE 22.06, measured at 1.3 kg) — entry „Shoei Glamster 06"; the earlier Glamster is a separate entry with 4 stars
• Helmet type — Full-face, neo-retro
• Shell — AIM (Advanced Integrated Matrix) fibreglass composite; three shell sizes (XS–M / L / XL–XXL)
• Weight — approx. 1300 g
• Sizes — XS to XXL (six sizes)
• Visor — CPB-1V, classic round shape, wide field of view, redesigned mechanism, tool-free change
• Anti-fog — Pinlock® EVO lens supplied with spare pins — replacements: DKS056
• 🔴 Sun visor — none — deliberate; use a tinted or photochromic CPB-1V instead
• Impact liner — multi-density EPS assembled from elements of differing absorption
• Retention — double-D ring
• Emergency release — EQRS — cheek pads removable by first responders
• Ventilation — one forehead intake (open/closed, no intermediate steps), two chin intakes behind aluminium mesh without sliders, exhaust at the neck
• Interior — fully removable and washable; cheek and centre pads in several thicknesses; suitable for glasses
• Head shape — intermediate oval
• 🔴 Communication — no COMLINK interface and no speaker recesses — no intercom compatibility
• Independent verdict — MOTORCYCLE NEWS long-term test — comfort 5/5, ventilation 4/5, noise 4/5
• Serviceability — visor, base plates, Pinlock lens, all padding, chin strap cover and chin curtain available separately

• 1x helmet
• 1x clear visor (pre-fitted)
• 1x Pinlock EVO anti-fog lens
• 1x set of spare pins
• 1x chin curtain
• 1x Shoei helmet bag