Please note: sale to France is prohibited.

Matt black is the version that argues with its own styling, and that is the reason to buy it. Everything about the Glamster06's shape says 1975; a flat modern finish says otherwise, and the result is a helmet that stops reading as a costume.

Five SHARP stars — and which Glamster earned them

SHARP buys helmets at retail and destroys them in a laboratory: thirty-two impacts across seven sites at three speeds, plus an assessment of how reliably the retention system holds. It is not a manufacturer's figure and Shoei has no involvement in it.

The Glamster06's result, from the May 2025 test, is five stars out of five — the maximum.

About the matt black finish

There is a real risk with retro helmets of ending up in fancy dress, and the matt finish is the most effective defence against it. Strip the shine off the shell and the classic silhouette becomes a shape you have chosen rather than a period you are re-enacting — particularly on a modern naked bike, where a gloss retro helmet can look borrowed. The finish also suits the helmet's construction story. This is a shell that looks fifty years old and holds a SHARP five-star rating from May 2025; matt makes that contradiction feel deliberate. Living with it is straightforward with one rule: matt clear coat is washed, never polished. There is no gloss layer to buff a mark out of, and it holds dust and dried water spots more visibly than any shiny finish.

AIM, three shells, double-D and EQRS

EQRS is the detail most riders never think about and occasionally need. In an emergency, a first responder pulls two red tabs and the cheek pads come out, so the helmet can be lifted off without forcing it past the jaw — which means far less movement of the head and neck at exactly the moment that matters most.

The rest is conventional Shoei: AIM composite shell, multi-density EPS liner, double-D ring.

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

A round visor aperture is harder to engineer than a modern rectangular one, because the seal has to work along a continuous curve. Shoei redesigned the mechanism for the 06, and the result opens and closes with noticeably less effort than the previous generation.

The CPB-1V ships clear with a Pinlock EVO lens already in the box. 🔵 Replacement lenses are ordered as Pinlock EVO DKS056 — the lens for the CPB-1V, not the DKS301 used across Shoei's touring range.

One intake, aluminium mesh, no sliders

🔵 Set expectations correctly. This is not a touring helmet's ventilation system and was never meant to be — one forehead intake, two fixed chin intakes, one neck exhaust. MCN's long-term test rated the airflow 4 out of 5, which is a fair description: good, not exceptional.

The reason is visible from the outside. Every additional vent would be another piece of hardware interrupting the shell.

Interior, fit and glasses

The helmet is glasses-friendly, which is not a given on a compact full-face. The padding is channelled so spectacle arms slide in rather than being forced against your temples, and MCN confirmed it over a long-term test.

The rest of the interior follows Shoei's usual pattern: fully removable, washable, and available in several pad thicknesses for fine-tuning.

How loud it actually is

The chin curtain in the box is not a token accessory. It blocks the low-pressure path up from under the chin bar, which is where most of the noise a rider actually hears comes from — fit it, and the difference is immediate.

With it fitted, MCN's long-term test rated noise 4 out of 5. Without it, expect noticeably more.

Around 1300 grams, and the rest of the honest list

The complete list of what this helmet does not have, in one place. No drop-down sun visor. No communication interface or speaker recesses. Limited, non-adjustable chin ventilation. And a noise rating of 4/5 rather than 5.

In exchange: SHARP 5/5, ECE 22.06, around 1300 g, a Pinlock lens in the box and EQRS emergency release.

Where it sits in Shoei's range

Where this sits in the range: it is the second least expensive Shoei and the only classically styled full-face. Everything above it solves a modern problem — sport-touring, flip-up convenience, racing — and carries the hardware that requires.

🔵 Its closest relative in feel is the J•O2, which applies the same period design language to an open-face shell.

When something wears out

The parts most people need first are the anti-fog lens and the cheek pads. Pinlock lenses cloud after a few seasons and are consumable by design; cheek pads compress, usually within the first year.

Order the lens as Pinlock EVO DKS056 for the CPB-1V visor. Cheek and centre pads come in several thicknesses, so replacing them is also a chance to correct the fit.

In the box

• Shoei Glamster06 helmet — Matt Black
• 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 — 11.19.011.2
• Colour — Matt Black — Matt black
• 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