Schuberth S3 helmet review

We are somewhat late to the party on this one, and we know it. In theory, the S3 has been available since the first quarter of 2024. And we did want to offer it at that time, but we were never satisfied with the consistency of supply. You could always get some colourways in some sizes, but it was only quite recently that we felt that we could reliably market the S3, knowing that we could get the colour we wanted in the size we wanted.

We don't, I have to say, blame the importer for this. It's more a Schuberth thing. Schuberth is a German company, and in the way that no self-respecting Deutschlander would willingly drive anything other than an Audi, BMW, Mercedes. Porsche or VW, your average Teuton would never want to be seen in anything other than a Schuberth.

And so the German market gets all the helmets it wants, and markets like the UK seem to get what's left over. I suppose I understand why, but it does make it harder for retailers like us in the UK, and I'm imagining in other markets, to really get behind the brand.

Anyway, that's why we're a bit late to the market. But we're here now. We have helmets in stock, so let's get on with telling you why you might, or might not, want an S3.

What kind of helmet is the S3?

The first thing to say is that the S3 is a sports-touring helmet. Sports-touring helmets are designed, as you would imagine, to be worn on touring bikes and bikes with perhaps somewhat of a sporting edge to them. So a bike where you might be leant forward on the bars a little. But sports-touring helmets are not designed to work on out-and-out sportsbikes where your tummy sits against the tank. You could also, obviously, wear a sports-touring helmet on an adventure bike; and indeed many people do. Unless, of course, you have managed to convince yourself that you couldn't possibly leave the house without a peak!

The S3 in detail

What I am going to do now is run through, quite briefly, all the key design details and features of the helmet. I may make the occasional observation. But at the end I will try and sum it all up, with a view as to where the S3 sits in the market.

The shell is a composite one. As every manufacturer does, Schuberth has a fancy acronym for the way they make theirs, but in essence a composite shell comprises a mix of glass and carbon fibres. In truth, all the best helmets on the market have composite shells.

This may confuse those who imagine that carbon shells are superior, but that's simply not the case. Carbon helmets are lighter on your head and heavier on your wallet. And that's the bottom line.

What the S3 has that Schuberth has never talked about before is a multi-density eps liner. And this is important because what you want is a softer, less dense layer towards the shell to absorb the energy of a slow-speed impact and a hard, denser eps closer to the head to absorb the energy of a more severe impact.

Schuberth's main weakness, and what stops the brand being considered as a truly premium one, is that all their helmets come in just two shell sizes. And that's the same as all the cheapest, entry-level and budget brands out there. To accommodate the very tiniest to the very largest heads with just two shell sizes will always involve compromises. You really need at least three shell sizes to do the job properly. This doesn't mean that the S3 won't fit a lot of people very well. It merely means that a number of people will not be able to wear one at all.

Schuberth does offer retailers a range of pads with a view to custom fitting the helmet. But their efforts in this regard are, it has to be said, a little half-hearted. The system only works in three out of the six sizes. The pads come packaged in sets that don't make a lot of sense. And, unlike with Shoei, Arai and Shark there's no exchange scheme, so you have to pay for the pads. And there are scenarios where to get all the headliner pads and cheekpads you need, you could be in for over a hundred and thirty quid.

But don't worry; come to see us in Guildford and we won't charge for any pads you need.

Schuberth seems quite excited about the fact that they now have emergency straps on the cheekpads to aid first responders. Well that's good, but other brands have been doing this for more than 10 years, so I am not sure it's something to get overly excited about.

The helmet should not be a problem for spectacle wearers, but that can be dependent on your frames, so it's always advisable to check this first before you take the plunge.

The main visor is Class 1 optical quality. That's long been a Schuberth thing, and that's good. The helmet also comes fitted with a Pinlock 120; that's the best one.

Now normally we would suggest that a Pinlock 120 would remove a helmet's fogging issues, but in order to make the S3 as quiet as it could be Schuberth has endowed the helmet with a tight, albeit elasticated, neck roll. This will undoubtedly have the desired effect of reducing the amount of noise-inducing air that can make its way into the helmet. But the downside is that the neck roll will also impede the expelling of air, and in cold or wet conditions this will bring about fogging or condensation.

To combat this, in addition to a good Pinlock you need effective venting, and so the S3 has a two-part, chin vent. The upper one directs cooler air over the visor to reduce the temperature differential. The lower vent directs air on to the face. Obviously in colder conditions, this will help too. In the kind of situations where fogging is likely to occur, the brow vent should also be fully open, as this will serve to pull warmer air away from the face to be expelled though the exhaust vent.

As we've suggested, the S3 comes with a tighter neck roll in order to reduce noise levels. Now Schuberth understands noise reduction as well as anybody. It's long been their thing. But when you put a tighter neck roll into a full-face helmet, as opposed to a flip-helmet, you run the risk of making it difficult to get in and out of. I remember this being a bit of an issue on one of the S2 variants some years ago. But there's a lot of stretch in the S3's neck roll, so I don't see it being a major problem for most people. And once your head is in, it shouldn't be too difficult getting it out again! Schuberth quotes an 85 dB noise level at 62 mph. That's the same as the C5; and if it's true, and it may well be, that's impressive.

Turbulators along the top edge of the visor are meant to disrupt the airflow to reduce noise. Schuberth features them on all their helmets, so I can only assume that wind tunnel testing has shown that they work.

One really nice feature on the S3 is a proper 'crack' position. This is where you allow the visor to sit open just a tad, to allow a steady influx of cool air. Well the crack position on the S3 works really well. And again this will come in handy when fogging is an issue.

The main visor, by the way, then has a further four, pretty firm, detent positions that will hold the visor where you want it, unless you're riding at silly speeds.

You also get a drop-down, sun visor.

As with all Schuberth helmets, the S3 is equipped with their trademark AROS straps. Basically there are two straps that are riveted into the back of the helmet that are then atached to the chin strap on both sides. These straps make it almost impossible for a Schuberth helmet to come off in an accident because the chin strap is prevented from moving forward past the chin. We have always been in favour of this system; and are surprised that nobody else seems to have opted for it.

The strap is fastened by means of a micrometric adjuster rather than a set of 'D' rings.

Comms.

Nobody does integrated comms. better than Schuberth. And what I suppose that means is that they do them better than Shoei.

And they do. Their system is far more Plug&Play than Shoei's, although you do still need to connect a wire at the back. But whereas with Shoei you still have to install the earphones and microphone, with Schuberth you don't have to. They're pre-installed.

But where Schuberth creates even more clear blue water with Shoei is in the number of different systems they offer. Shoei has just the one Sena Bluetooth and Mesh system. Schuberth offers a very similar Sena system. But they also offer a cheaper, more basic, Bluetooth-only system. And for people who don't want to converse with an entire cricket team, it's the perfect option.

They also offer a Cardo system, which will please lots of Cardo loyalists. And with the way the integrated comms. work on a Schuberth, it really does set up the possibility that you can talk with your Sena group one day, and your Cardo pals the next.

Schuberth really has got comms. sussed.

The benchmark helmet in the sport-touring category is, as it has been for many years, the Shoei GT Air; currently in its third iteration.

In terms of features, the two helmets go head to head, and are indeed very similar.

They are both well made, have composite shells, the best-quality external visors, come with Pinlock 120s, drop-down sun visors and integrated comms..

But, in the margin, the S3 simply isn't a GT Air.

It's slightly intangible, but there's a solidity and a sense of precision with the Shoei that you don't get with the Schuberth. There's that VW Golf door 'clunk' feeling that you get with the Shoei that, ironically perhaps, isn't present on the German brand.

From a retailer's perspective, the clear blue water, however, comes down to fitting.

The Schuberth only comes in two shell sizes; and until they move to three, getting a good fit on the S3 will be a bit hit and miss. Indeed, these days, even people like Scorpion routinely offer three. There is, in particular, a problem with the Schuberth in the jump from the Large size to the Extra Large. The gap is simply too large. And so if the Large is a little tight on the forehead an Extra Large is often way too large. And there's not a lot that we, or anybody, can do about it.

From our perspective, there's always a better chance of getting a good fit with the GT Air. With every size of Shoei there is the option to fit thicker or thinner headliners and cheekpads. But of course with Shoei's, computer-aided Personal Fitting System we can pretty much guarantee getting a perfect fit on anybody. PFS is simply a game changer.

Obviously this doesn't mean that you cannot get a perfect fit with the S3. For some people the S3 will fit perfectly right out of the box. And for others some simple adjustments of the internal pads may well make it so. But with a GT Air, there's very, very rarely an issue.

But if the S3 does fit you then it will serve you well.

It will never be possible to be definitive on such matters because there are too many variables, but we can see that Schuberth has gone to great lengths with its tighter neck roll to make the S3 a quiet helmet. And so we can imagine that for some people it will be quieter than the GT Air, especially if Schuberth's wind tunnel figures are to be believed.

Where the Schuberth scores over the Shoei, though, is when the conversation turns to comms..

Schuberth has worked harder than Shoei on its comms. capabilities. There's a handy, cheaper version for those who only want to connect to the phone or satnav, or talk to a pillion. And there's a Cardo version for those who ride with a Cardo gang.

In terms of price, both are a priced as premium helmets. In white, the GT Air is currently £540. In white, the Schuberth is £470. And at this end of the market, given that most people will wear their helmets for five years, that £70 probably doesn't make much of a difference. Let's face it; that's just £15 a year. It's hardly a factor.

More pertinently, perhaps, something far more entry level like the Shark Spartan GT comes in at over £400. And in such company both the S3 and the GT Air still both look like great value.

You can buy the Schuberth S3 helmet with free next day UK delivery online, or visit our store in Guildford to try one on.