I'm thinking about a new Nolan 104 helmet-good or bad idea?

[Mark Mayo]

I have an Arai full face and love it. I tried a scorpion modular and almost had a forehead brain aneurism and had to sell it. Nolan says the 104 has the n90 shape.

 

I loved the ease of a modular with sunglasses. The scorpion was quiet enough and i like quiet when i ride Also I intend to buy a Sena unit for Bluetooth use with the new helmet. Thanks for comments in advance.

[mackerman]

Wish I could tell you that the N104 is the best helmet ever, but I haven't worn out my third Nolan helmets yet . My experience over the last 10 years or so with Nolans has been nothing short of fantastic, they simply get better with each new model. Well made, smooth paint job, quality liner. Nolan also has great visors - my last one has almost 20K miles on it with hardly a scratch anywhere. I use Glass Plus to clean it and a microfiber to wipe it off.

 

You'll be happy with the Nolan and Sena. It took me all of 10 minutes to install the Sena in the Nolan. The cheekpieces snap out, the speakers fit nicely in the pockets, and the wiring tucks neatly around the trim at the base of the helmet.

 

BTW, if your new helmet ends up causing a pressure point, simply peel back the headliner and remove a bit of the styrofoam liner at the point of pain. Easy to do, immediate relief!

 

Ride safe!

[elkroeger]

The main thing in my book, is whether it fits.

[RAMBLIN RED]

I have an N90 and I like everything about it except the micro lock fastener. It doesn't agree with my adams apple. I'm going to try mackerman's suggestion about the styrofoam liner, if it will lower the helmet slightly it may end the problem.

[RockBottom]

I'll be the odd one out. My first helmet was a Nolan and while I still wear it now and then, I was very disappointed and moved over to Arais which I consider far superior in fit and finish, clarity of the visor, and general quality. One thing that bothers me in particular is that if it's hot and I'm sweating, the lining pulls loose when I take it off. The shell seems to be sort of flimsy plastic.

[BIWOZ]

I've had two of the earlier N102s, with the tinted screen on the outside of the main visor. And therein lies the ONLY problem I've had with them; the dark visor tends to get a lot of bug splatter on it, sitting up on top of the helmet. When you DO need it (riding into the sun for example), the screen tends to make the glare worse rather than better. My b-i-l has the N104 and I found that a much better design concept -- he doesn't even bother with sunglasses on his.

 

Other than that, no problems at all. I've been very impressed with them. I only replaced the first one after four years of hard usage because my perspiration made the styrofoam harden and shrink somewhat, and I was worried it might not protect me as well.

[Kathy R]

Well, since folks are giving non N104 opinions, I'll join in

 

I have had 3 N102 with the sunshade on the exterior. I love that design. In tight twisty turns, with intermittent tree shade, I love how I can keep it ratcheted up to block the sun and allow me full clear view of the shaded turn. I like how many clicks I get, leading to more options for placement. I noticed that the N103 didn't have as many *clicks* and so I've avoided that helmet.

 

I have not noticed any issue with bugs on the shade screen, but I'm one of those who cleans the visor daily+. I don't ride much at night, so that might be why I don't notice the bugs so much.

 

I've gone so far as to avoid the 103, with the interior visor, by buying old stock on the 102. The build date is shown on the tag on the strap. The inventory is thinning and those still on the shelf are a bit long in the tooth now. I can attest to the quality of the Nolan in a crash. Great protection. I think the modular Nolan is noisy, but I wear good earplugs at all times.

 

As was mentioned, the most important consideration is fit. Call me overly cautious, but I would be very reluctant to shave away any interior foam for the sake of fit.

 

As for the communication systems, I can't vouch for that. I've never used them. I prefer the voices in my head.

 

I'm moving on, choosing a new helmet with the interior visor. I haven't pulled the trigger on which brand just yet. The helmet with the most options for setting the sunshade visor position is going to be a strong contender.

[johnlt]

I've had both the Nolan N-103 and now the Schuberth C3. In both cases, I love the internal shield. I place a strip of black tape across the very top of the inner shield so when riding into a rising or setting sun, it acts as a "visor" and can cut the sun out of the field of view.

[Penforhire]

I'm still on my N102 and I highly recommend it so I'll be looking hard at the latest Nolan, maybe a year from now.

 

I had bad luck with two Arai Quantums (minor quality issues, like losing side pods, lol). Had great results with a KBC Force RR but I wanted a modular.

 

I like the latest Schuberth but I'm not paying THAT much for a helmet unless it sprouts a propeller and lifts me away from an accident.