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The Shoei Company is the leading manufacturer of helmets in Japan that is renowned for its high-tech



Shoei helmets. Due to its versatility, the Shoei helmets have made a niche of their own in the market. The Shoei Company is known for its quality helmets that are durable and the Hornet-DS helmet from Shoei is a helmet with various options that can be put together by the rider and suits on-road or off-road riding.

Shoei helmets are noteworthy as objects of industrial design, that is, these helmets not only perform the functions of providing protection for the rider’s head while providing adequate ventilation, they are also strikingly beautiful. Once again, the Shoei helmet, the Hornet-DS, is noteworthy. There is something rakishly elegant about the aerodynamic design of this helmet. When looking at this particular Shoei helmet, one is tempted to think that it has been purpose-built for looks rather than function. It projects forward from the cranium and terminates in a nose-piece in a way that would seem to make it suitable to be a Star Wars prop. However, this Shoei helmet looks the way it looks because it is scientifically designed to: 1] maximize protection of the head; and 2] provide optimal air flow in the service of the functional purposes of keeping the face and head cool and dry.

A Shoei helmet is amazingly tough. The forerunners of the modern Shoei helmet were produced for the construction industry in Japan. The first motorcycle-specific Shoei helmet was produced in 1960. This Shoei helmet met official Japanese industrial standards for toughness and subsequent editions of the Shoei helmet have always had impact resistance and durability as the primary considerations governing their design. Many of the company’s helmets meet the requirements of the Snell Memorial Foundation’s M2005 rating. The Snell Memorial Foundation’s rating system has sometimes come under attack for being excessive in its safety standards. Those versions of the Shoei helmet that have received the Snell M2005 rating may therefore be justly considered to be among the safest motorcycle helmets in the world. It is to be noted that it was in a Shoei helmet, the GRV, that Kevlar and carbon fiber technology were first used in motorcycle helmets.

Various versions of the Shoei helmet have won numerous industrial design awards as well as safety awards. The Honda Motor Company linked the Shoei helmet to its motorcycle product line in 1965 and this helped to stimulate sales.

Surprisingly, this company, a company with a strong international presence-the Shoei helmet is very sought after in the United States-has a world-wide work force of only 500 people. Despite the popularity of the Shoei product in many regions of the world, and despite the fact that the Shoei helmet could be manufactured in places where costs would be much cheaper than in Japan, the company proudly proclaims that every Shoei helmet is produced in its state-of-art facility in Iwate, Japan. This small company produces a superior product that has delighted motorcycle enthusiasts throughout the world.