Nolan N103 Review

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New Nolan N103

I recently bought a new Nolan one to replace the HJC I bought last year and broke on my trip to Canada, one major ride with the HJC and the plastic latching mechanism broke - (cheaply made as I found out when I took it apart to repair it) I was able to repair the latch by drilling out the broken mount points and riveting in new studs I decided I wasn't going to use the helmet anymore for riding the vfr. So I looked into getting a second Nolan, I had a Nolan X-lite for 2 years and simply just wore it out, putting on at least 50k miles on it. That helmet did its duty and then some. I was always replacing the visors though, they are much cheaper to replace than most visors about 60% cheaper than my Aria visors where to replace so it was a trade off, mostly because the VPS system (Vision Protection System) first generation had a flip up sun screen on the outside of the helmet, which was a poor design since grime would get between the two visors and scratch both - the sun screen laid on top of the main visor. The N103 has the VPS visor on the Inside of the helmet and it retracts up and out of the way inside the visor.

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Anti Fog Pinlock System Pinlock inner visor anti fog insert

I have to say the best part I liked about my old Nolan was the ratcheting "microlock" chin strap, I could take off my helmet and put it on without having to take off my gloves, then I could strap it to the bike - hang it from the side just as easy knowing it would not fall to the ground - I love the Microlock system.

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Ratcheting chin strap mechanism I love this thing I don't have to take off my gloves to use it best feature of the helmet

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flip down sun visor operated by a sliding lever on the left side

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Sun visor retracts up into the helmet

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Rear design is purely decorative

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Two front vents operated by pushing the center black button upward

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two button visor removal one on each side - it took me a while to figure out the correct position of the visor to remove it properly it must be in the up position so that it cannot come undone while riding with the visor down. I am glad they put the VPS sun visor on the inside this time, they have instructions on how to remove it in the manual if it needs to be replaced.

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Two top vents opened by sliding the top black button backward

As usual Nolan fits a bit tight on my round head, I have a round face and so the cheeks are bit tight, tight enough to cause numbness in my jaws some times. I pulled out the removable cheek pads and removed the perforated plastic backing on the left side which relieved the pressure on my jaw and now its just tight and comfy. Helmets should be snug and not move around but pain is a different story so I made alterations, if your head is long and narrow the Nolan will be a perfect fit. One thing I noticed about both my Nolans is the lack of air coming up from under the chin - It makes for a comfy ride in the cold but it also fogs up easy so they include a pin lock anti fog visor that snaps onto the inside of the main visor and it works really well, but it tends to make riding at night a bit strange since street lamp light gets diffused by the pinlock visor and its spreads out in a wide pattern obscuring a clear view of the road. If your riding at night you might consider removing it. The pinlock anti fog visor is delicate and can be scratched easily so you must be careful, wiping it clean presents problems too, do not use any cleaning agents or polish as it could remove the anti fog film, plain water is best.

There is a snap in chin skirt that fits in to the slots easily and keeps wind from penetrating from the bottom reducing noise as well, I like a little bit of air from the vents but I don't like a huge draft - which tends to make my eyes water up.

The flip up has a elliptical lift mechanism which adds a bit of weight to the helmet but it works smooth and shuts with a positive snap, as opposed to my old Nolan what had the same ecliptic lift but with two separate snaps sometimes they would not shut all the way and the helmet would whistle. This one shuts more evenly I have yet to find out if it has the same whistling as the old one (something that annoyed me a bit) other than that quick pop with my glove to the chin would stop it on my old helmet = time will tell on this one.

The N103 has provisions for its proprietary N-com system, a blue tooth accessory for communications, I opted out of that but found the ports and holes made installing my Autocom headset much easier to do since there were routes laid out already for wires and speakers inside the helmet. There are removable liners made with a proprietary anti bacterial textile thats called Clima Comfort, it is removable and washable the side Styrofoam can also be removed to fit speakers and to wash as well. They include extra ear foam if you don't use speakers - presumably to dampen wind noise and to make a closer fit. It was already too tight for me as mentioned before since I have a big fat head. Overall I like the new N103 over my old one, same great features I liked about the x-lite but with improvements, it is heavy though much heavier than the HJC I replaced but its solid and well I know it can take the usual punishment I dole out for my motorcycle helmets.

I bought the helmet from Extreme Supply this is the third time I have used this vendor - they keep a good supply of replacement parts, shipped very quickly and are very competitive with price - I would recommend them for any purchase.

http://www.extremesu...ts/n103ncom.htm

thanks.

I wear a N102
http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm313/timmythecop/july08012.jpg
and I was thinking about the N103. Seems like with Nolans, if you wait 6 or 8 months, the price starts to drop. cool...........

[image: View Post]HispanicSlammer, on Feb 25 2009, 12:53 AM, said:

As usual Nolan fits a bit tight on my round head, I have a round face and so the cheeks are bit tight, tight enough to cause numbness in my jaws some times. I pulled out the removable cheek pads and removed the perforated plastic backing on the left side which relieved the pressure on my jaw and now its just tight and comfy. Helmets should be snug and not move around but pain is a different story so I made alterations, if your head is long and narrow the Nolan will be a perfect fit.

I know about the chipmunk cheek syndrome with Nolan and X-lite helmets. I have a X-Lite Checa replica helmet (made by Nolan) and also experience the squeezy feeling of the narrowish shell. It seems like most Italian made helmets do have narrow shells that fits better on long, narrow headed riders. They should really design for more head shapes as the Asian helmet makers do.
Excuse me for having a such a big brain case, Italian helmet makers! ;p

Beck
95 VFR

[image: View Post]Beck, on Feb 24 2009, 07:42 PM, said:

[image: View Post]HispanicSlammer, on Feb 25 2009, 12:53 AM, said:

As usual Nolan fits a bit tight on my round head, I have a round face and so the cheeks are bit tight, tight enough to cause numbness in my jaws some times. I pulled out the removable cheek pads and removed the perforated plastic backing on the left side which relieved the pressure on my jaw and now its just tight and comfy. Helmets should be snug and not move around but pain is a different story so I made alterations, if your head is long and narrow the Nolan will be a perfect fit.

I know about the chipmunk cheek syndrome with Nolan and X-lite helmets. I have a X-Lite Checa replica helmet (made by Nolan) and also experience the squeezy feeling of the narrowish shell. It seems like most Italian made helmets do have narrow shells that fits better on long, narrow headed riders. They should really design for more head shapes as the Asian helmet makers do.
Excuse me for having a such a big brain case, Italian helmet makers! ;p

Beck
95 VFR

"look at the big brain on beck" - said in my best Samuel L Jacksin voice

[image: View Post]timmythecop, on Feb 25 2009, 01:52 AM, said:

[image: View Post]Beck, on Feb 24 2009, 07:42 PM, said:

[image: View Post]HispanicSlammer, on Feb 25 2009, 12:53 AM, said:

As usual Nolan fits a bit tight on my round head, I have a round face and so the cheeks are bit tight, tight enough to cause numbness in my jaws some times. I pulled out the removable cheek pads and removed the perforated plastic backing on the left side which relieved the pressure on my jaw and now its just tight and comfy. Helmets should be snug and not move around but pain is a different story so I made alterations, if your head is long and narrow the Nolan will be a perfect fit.

I know about the chipmunk cheek syndrome with Nolan and X-lite helmets. I have a X-Lite Checa replica helmet (made by Nolan) and also experience the squeezy feeling of the narrowish shell. It seems like most Italian made helmets do have narrow shells that fits better on long, narrow headed riders. They should really design for more head shapes as the Asian helmet makers do.
Excuse me for having a such a big brain case, Italian helmet makers! ;p

Beck
95 VFR

"look at the big brain on beck" - said in my best Samuel L Jacksin voice

I guess I'm better big headed than pin headed anyway.....at least I'll never be picked on by O'Reilly. :laugh:

I too have a gigantic bucket head. I used to wear xl Arai and i am sort of in between sizes on a Nolan. I have an XL, but it prolly should be just slightly more snug. The large was a no-go because my chin hit the inside of the chin-peice. For some reason, I cant get a large Xlite on my head at all.

[image: View Post]timmythecop, on Feb 24 2009, 07:42 PM, said:

I too have a gigantic bucket head. I used to wear xl Arai and i am sort of in between sizes on a Nolan. I have an XL, but it prolly should be just slightly more snug. The large was a no-go because my chin hit the inside of the chin-peice. For some reason, I cant get a large Xlite on my head at all.

Monster round fathead here. I have a banana yellow 2XL N102, and it's a snug fit, though comfortable. I really like the helmet, especially the clasp. Some of the reviews say they're notably heavier and noisier than other brands, but it's been my only helmet so I have no basis for comparison. What say you guys?

I guess the mechanism makes it heavier, but it has never bothered me. I hated the strap at first, now i couldnt live without it. I love how it goes to your "pre-set" every time.