Ultimate Guide to Helmet Selection: Criteria, Fit, Support, and Comfort

Helmet Perfection: Style, Protection, Affordability, and Unparalleled Comfort

How Shoei’s PFS Delivers a Custom Helmet Fit

While aesthetics, protection, and price are crucial factors in helmet selection, everyday comfort remains paramount. Choosing the right size is essential, but individual head shapes and morphologies vary significantly. A helmet that fits one person perfectly may not suit another. Therefore, it’s not just about the official size but also the helmet’s shape, shell design, and overall fit. Often, a seemingly comfortable helmet becomes unbearable after just 20 minutes due to pressure points, particularly the infamous forehead ridge that takes ages to fade (and not just because of the red mark left after helmet removal).

To address helmet discomfort, various solutions have emerged, including replaceable foams from manufacturers like Nolan’s Liner Adjustable Fitting System, which adapts the lining to the head’s shape. Other options include Scorpion’s integrated inflatable cushion and Arai’s FCS system for adapting to different head shapes. Shoei, for its part, has innovated by offering personalized fitting assistance with its PFS (Personal Fitting System) to ensure a truly customized fit.

Shoei’s PFS (Personal Fitting System) is a revolutionary approach to achieving a personalized helmet fit. The process begins with meticulous measurements of the rider’s head, including width, length, height, and circumference. These measurements are then fed into a specialized PFS software developed by Shoei engineers to determine the ideal helmet size and potential adjustments. Based on the software’s recommendations, a PFS expert temporarily places pads behind the helmet’s liner, allowing the rider to try on the customized fit. This is followed by a series of adjustments and refinements until the perfect fit is achieved. Once the final fit is determined, the pads are permanently affixed to the liner, which remains fully removable and washable.

This chart is a general guideline and sizing can vary between manufacturers.