philbytx Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Received my new Nolan N103 N-Com helmet Friday in Metal White (great colour for Texas!). I was currently using an N100E in an XL and noticed my head was somewhat "rattling around" in it. Checked the date and it was an 04 build...the padding surely was giving out which contributed to the bad fit! My doesn't time fly when you get past 21 So, I needed a new helmet! I measured my head again and, with my short "do", discovered (according to the Nolan site) that I am a Large NOT an X-Large! With some trepidation, I tried on the N103 and it fitted nice and snug without pressure points. I truly do have a "Nolan head".. Checked out the new chinbar release and face shield system (both very neat and much easier to use than the old system) and then fitted the optional cheek "silencing pads" and the inner DeFog shield, removed the chin wind protector and went for a 130 mile ride ! I must say that the new helmet fits better, is quieter and I do love the new ventilation system (especially the improved chin/face airflow) and also tested the integrated VPS visor as the sun was in our faces for an hour or so - very good tinting! I ended up wearing it for just over 3hrs with no pressure problems at all. I really like Nolan and this helmet is light years ahead of the N100E. Great fit and finish . Link to comment
E30TECH Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Thats how I felt going from my 100E to the N102. Much better fit, less buffeting, and quieter. When the time comes, I'll go with the 103 as I like the internal sunshade. Link to comment
T__ Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 Phil, I rode for years with a Nolan 100E then went to the 102.. I have been seriously looking at the 103 (even tried one on & rode a couple of miles with it on my noggin).. To me the 103 seems so much heavier than my older 100/102.. Have you noticed any weight difference while wearing the new 103? Twisty Link to comment
philbytx Posted July 26, 2009 Author Share Posted July 26, 2009 Twisty, The N103 Large is around 9 ounces heavier than my N100E X-Large (4lbs 3oz vs just over 3lbs 10ozs) but I really didn't notice it during the ride. I believe the weight increase is lower down so I didn't feel it "leveraging" my neck at all. We did ride the RT today and, with my windshield down (it was hot!), the helmet was firmly in the air stream and I really didn't feel a thing - no buffeting at all. The shape of the helmet at the front is also more streamlined in shape. I'll be wearing the helmet on the R1100R (no windshield) with my ride group tomorrow and will do a post ride critique on it. One thing to note : I've been "taking it in the neck" for so many years now that I suppose I don't notice anything related to that particular body part! LOL Link to comment
jjg3 Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 I find the 103 to be much noisier than my 100. The 100 is an XL and the 103 a L. I thought it was a bit too snug so ordered XL cheekpads from Whitehorse as they are almost inexpensive. But the 'usually ships in 2 weeks' has been almost 2 months. In that time the large cheekpads have bedded in and are more comfortable than I expected. The one handed chinbar unlock is a super improvement (my old is the first gen 100 'classic'). The 103 also accepts the Chatterbox headset more readily than the 100. Putting the smoke lens on the inside finally got me to buy a new Nolan. I really didn't understand the engineering genius in putting the short smoke lens on the outside of the 102 (did anyone else do that?). But what really sells me on Nolan is the chinstrap latch. Link to comment
philbytx Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 Well, wore it with my naked R1100R today....NICE ! Definitely more ventilation than my N100E, especially noticeable in the face area. The helmet noise was "different"! Maybe not quieter in the pure noise sense but a less noticeable tone is how I would describe it. All in all, love it! And the VPS visor color is perfect for me. Cuts the glare down very well and way easy to use. Link to comment
rx35285 Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 and then fitted the optional cheek "silencing pads" and the inner DeFog shield, removed the chin wind protector and went for a 130 mile ride ! Phil - were did you get the optional silencing pads and where on the helmet do they go? I have a brand new N103 that is so noisy in my situation that I am thinking about selling it. One thing I noticed is the noise goes way down when I cover the chinbar pivot point with my hand. The noise also goes down when I stand up and put the helmet in clean air. TIA, Dave Link to comment
philbytx Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 Dave, They came in a separate pouch in the box! They fit in the blank space where the optional speakers are inserted. If you look at the side of the helmet, there are two holes where your ears fit....the silencing pads fit in there if you don't have the speakers! Your helmet noise sounds as if it is coming from your windshield air turbulence. Have you tried running the screen up and down to see where the "sweet spot" is?? Also, you can go to CIMA International for a pair of the pads if your helmet didn't come with them. I found them to be very responsive in the past when I had seal issues with my N100E. All the best Link to comment
rx35285 Posted August 1, 2009 Share Posted August 1, 2009 Phil - thanks for the reply and the help. I agree with you about about CIMA support. I sent my helmet in because the VPS wouldn't stay up all the way and the visor didn't shut snugly - it came back promptly with both repairs made. I think I already have the "silencers" installed. They were put in by the dealer, Leo's South, twin cities area of Minnesota. The service from Leo's was good, too. Regards, Dave Link to comment
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