Shoei Hornet ADV06 helmet review

As most people know, a few years ago a new helmet safety standard was introduced. It was, and is, known as ECE 22-06, and it replaced a standard that had been around since the mid-seventies. That standard was ECE 22-05.

Helmet manufacturers are no longer allowed to produce helmets to the old, lower standard. Or rather they are are not allowed to sell such helmets in the EU.

When the new standard came in, Shoei was quick to update all its current models to the new, higher level. With the exception of the Hornet.

And that kind of surprised everybody because with the dominance of adventure bikes all across Europe, it meant that Shoei had no offering in this important market sector. There were rumours that Shoei was developing a totally new adventure helmet; one perhaps with a drop-down sun visor.

But those rumours turned out not be true; or, if they were true, it would seem that Shoei abandoned the project.

There was, of course, a lot of pressure from retailers, particularly here in the UK, for Shoei to come up with an adventure offering; and so Shoei has done what arguably they should have done in the first place. They have basically re-released the Hornet, but as a 22-06 helmet.

And so that’s what we have here; a helmet that is almost identical to the old Hornet, but that meets the new standard.

So that's what the Hornet ADV 06 is. Let's however go through all the details to remind people about the helmet because the Hornet has not been available for a number of years. Conceivably, some people may never have heard of the Hornet. Others might just have forgotten what it is.

The Shoei hornet ADV 06 in detail

The first thing to note, and we don't really know why this is the case, is that the Hornet has a stronger shell than every other Shoei helmet with the exception of the X-SPR Pro race helmet.

Most Shoeis have what is known as an AIM shell. That stands for Advanced Integrated Matrix; and it's Shoei's name for their composite shell; a composite shell being one where glass fibres are combined with strands of Kevlar or carbon fibre. Composite shells are generally considered to be the best, representing the optimum blend of strength to prevent cracking of the shell in heavy and repeated impacts, and 'softness' to absorb or dissipate the energy of such impacts. But the Hornet's shell is an AIM+ one; and that means that there's an added sixth layer to its composition.

Presumably, Shoei has done this because they believe that when riding off road the dangers of your head hitting a hard or sharp object are greater. But anyway, the Hornet has a shell that is shared only by their top-of-the-range, FIM-approved Moto GP helmet. And I suppose that's reassuring.

As with the old helmet, the EPS liner, which bears the brunt of absorbing energy in an impact, is what is known as multi-density. And what that means is that the density of the EPS will be different in different areas of the helmet. So the EPS will be softer closer to the outer shell to better absorb the lower impact of a fall in the car park. But it might be denser closer to the skull to better protect against harder impacts. The densities may also differ in other areas of the EPS; say at the sides, at the front or at the back. None of this, by the way, forms part of 22-06. A multi-density EPS is just something you tend to find on higher-end brands like Arai and Shoei.

Now airflow is important on an adventure helmet because it's the kind of helmet you might find yourself wearing if you're working hard off road or if you're riding somewhere exotically hot. So you get a two-position vent on the chin and a slide adjuster to allow you to regulate the volume of incoming air on the brow. There's also a vent on the top of the shell beneath the peak mechanism. This one too operates on the basis of a slider. You also get permanently open outlets at the back of the helmet to allow warm air to escape.

Of course, one of the distinguishing features of an adventure helmet like the Hornet ADV is its extended chin piece. This has a number of benefits. It prevents the uncomfortable build-up of hot air next to your face if you're working hard off road. It also allows more air to enter the helmet; again to aid cooling. Lastly, it puts more distance between your chin and the helmet's if it all goes a bit wrong.

Many of our customers will know that, whilst considered somewhat 'de rigeur' on an adventure helmet, a peak can be more of a distraction than a benefit. And that's because a peak can cause buffeting. It can increase wind noise, and in a side wind a peak can put a lot of strain on your neck.

People talk about how a peak gives you the ability to block out the glare of the low-lying sun with just a nod of the head. But in truth you can achieve exactly the same effect with a piece of PVC tape measuring about three inches by one inch positioned top dead centre of the visor.

But hey, what's the fun in that? You've got an adventure bike. You've bought yourself a jacket with lots of pockets, and a pair of boots with buckles. You want a helmet with a peak. And of course we understand that.

Well the good news is that the peak on the Hornet is a somewhat superior one. It's more substantial than the peak on many adventure helmets, so it won't move about as much. But the peak is also well ducted so air can move through it more easily to both reduce buffeting and to channel air into the shell. The peak, of course, is removable. And it's a job easily done without the need for tools.

There's not that much more to say about the Hornet 06.

You get a Class 1 optical quality outer visor. You can, obviously, take the visor off, and ride with goggles. The helmet comes supplied with the equivalent of a Pinlock 120 anti-fogging insert. The chin strap fastens by means of D-rings, which some still people prefer. The cheekpads are equipped with what are known as EQRS straps that allow the emergency services to remove them more easily.

Fitting the Hornet 06

Shoei is so far ahead of the other helmet manufacturers when it comes to custom fitting that it almost beggars belief. If I was Arai, Schuberth, Shark, Nexx or HJC I would feel positively embarassed about how great the gulf was in this particular respect.

The first thing to be said is that the Hornet comes in four different shell sizes. Now most Shoei helmets only come in three, but in essence the greater the number of shells the better the fit will tend to be. Bear in mind that the likes of Schuberth, Shark and many other mid-market brands only offer two shell sizes. And two shells is certainly sub optimal.

In terms of adjusting the fit, every shell size will come with three different comfort headliners of varying thicknesses to enable the fit around the crown to be relaxed or tightened. There will also be three different thicknesses of cheekpad that that can be brought to bear to improve the fit around the face.

And what this gives an experienced helmet fitter is a range of off-the-shelf tools that can be easily employed to improve the fit.

The only helmet maker that comes close to offering anything similar is Schuberth. But their system only works on three out of the six helmet sizes and, in truth, their pads have nowhere near the impact in terms of adjusting the fit that Shoei's do.

But, of course, despite the fact that Shoei was already way ahead of the market in this regard they have now introduced their computerised Shoei 'Personal Fitting System'.

In essence, we measure your head in a number of ways. We input the measurements into the Shoei App.. This then creates a 3D digital image of your head. The system then marries this to the internal architecture of the Shoei helmet in question. Where there are voids between the liner and the skull it stipulates what pads to fit where in the crown liner to get a uniform, 'just-touching-your-skull' fit.

PFS, as it is known, is simply brilliant. It works incredibly well, as it can see what's going on inside the helmet in the way that even the most experienced helmet fitter of old never could. The result is often that elusive 'perfect' fit. But there are some things you should know.

First, it only works on Shoei helmets. Second, only a handful of Shoei dealers offer the service. And thirdly, Motolegends is by far the most experienced PFS retailer in the world. With some 2000 fits to his name over the last two years our man Joe has done more fits than almost anybody in the world. There's just one guy in Japan who has done more; but he's been doing PFS fits for ten years more than Joe!

Finally, a couple of other pointers.

The new Hornet doesn't come with a drop-down sun visor, but then again neither did the old one. But the good news is that Shoei will be offering a Transitions visor that automatically darkens in bright sunlight, although at £175 it's not inexpensive and does potentially take the helmet into another price bracket. This visor is currently scheduled to become available in September.

It is, to us, disappointing that the '06 helmet has no facility for integrated comms., and that's kind of surprising because recently this has become a bit of a Shoei trademark. Obviously, the helmet will take a comms. unit, and we can offer Mesh systems that employ both Cardo and Sena software; but they will be ones that stick on or clamp to the side of the helmet.

Finally, just one point; albeit an important one. To comply with 22-06 the new Hornet ADV required a brand new shell for the largest XL and XXL sizes. That's not available yet. It's due in the last quarter of 2026. That's disappointing, and just a tad unimpressive! It just doesn't feel very Shoei!

Some retailers may not care, but we are going to find it deeply embarrassing when somebody comes in for a PFS fit on the Hornet only to discover that they need an Extra Large rather than a Large. It is true that only about 20% of motorcyclists will need an XL or XXL, but we cannot help but feel that it's not how we would have expected Shoei to go about the launching of a brand new helmet. On one level it might have been better to wait,but ours is not to question why!

For more information and to view online, click Shoei Hornet ADV06 helmet.