The Nolan N100 “classic,” now replaced by the N100E, is an injection molded Lexan-shelled helmet with an outer clear coat. This means two things—toughness and lightness. It is a modular (flip-up style) helmet, which makes it perfect for long rides with frequent stops, as a hard a task (with a helmet) such as drinking is made easy simply by lifting the front part of the unit.
N100s come with scratch resistant visors, again made out of General Electric’s wonder material—Lexan. The opening of the chin guard on an N100 is made easy by Nolan’s Smart Lift system, where one needs to press a single lever on the left side. The pads are washable and removable, made of sanitized hypoallergenic material. It is also standard with Nolan’s anti-fog technology.
A closer look
The N100 is avaible on a wide variety of sizes ranging from XS up to XXXL. The catch mechanism is two sided, but closes and releases very easily. The chin vents can easily be operated with gloves on; it has this sort of scoop system with very big internal vents. Ventilation was, dare I say it, a breeze.
The face shield is removable without any tools; it has very good visibility and clearness. The chin bar pivots are neatly done and tucked, and moved around a sort of elliptical pivot which automatically closes the shield when the opened.
Inside, only the cheek pads are removable for cleaning. It does not leak in mild to heavy rain but the liners can still get dingy after a while.
The only problem with Lexan-based shields is if you’re wearing sunglasses underneath, you get a sort of rainbow effect on the colors of your natural view. Other than that, at around $120-$180 nowadays, the N100 is still of excellent value.
The AGV A5047 is a full face modular helmet that was sold in late 2006. Its retail price was at $130; DOT and SNELL approved and came in matte black, black with stripes and silver with blue graphics among others. It is said that the ventilation on this model was quite adequate.
Note
We are still on the lookout for more information and/or pictures of this helmet. If you know of any (links, information, etc.), please hit the comments below. Thank you.
The Nolan N42 is what others consider a 3/4 helmet. It’s an open-face that has a full-face visor. Such helmets are often used for touring and/or on big scooters. Primarily, Nolan designed this series for use with its N-Com communication system. It is made out of polycarbonate and has a small spoiler at the back for improved stability.
The Vision Protection System has a small tinted shell on top of the main visor, which you can retract depending on your shade preference. Interior pads are fully removable and washable (shall we expect anything less?), and comes with an extra neck roll for noise reduction.
So, how’s it?
The N42 has one vent on top—not that ventilation is as important on a 3/4, but we found the vent easily accessible (open/close) even with gloves. One more thing you’d notice different from a full-face is how much wider your peripheral vision becomes—quite important for longer trips and/or older riders.
At speed, the N42 seems very stable even if plenty of air came under the face shield. The visor is really clear, and can open up to full, just make sure you have some form of eye protection like sunglasses when you do this. The smaller sunshield can only be lowered if the main visor is closed all the way.
The clasp is not the standard latch we see on helmets, it is this sort of grooved tongue that slides and clicks as you tighten it—quite innovative and easy to use we should add.
We recommend you use this helmet only if the weather is too hot for a full-face to bear, other than that a full-face should be the only way to go. By the way, we haven’t tested the communication system on it, we know, bummer, but we haven’t gotten our hands on the additional N-Com system.
The Schuberth S1 is far from being the “ultimate helmet.” Don’t get us wrong, it is very well-made, technologically advanced and all, but not all the features make sense. For starters, the S1 is quite bulky and heavy. Also, the noise levels are quite high for a helmet of this caliber. For a helmet priced as such, we did not expect to run into problems as basic as we did. Some helmets, well, let’s just say we’ve had the same qualms, but they’re priced hundreds less. It is a very gorgeous and sleek looking helmet though.
The Shoei RF-1000, although now replaced by the RF-1100, is still one of the most advanced and best-looking motorcycle helmets on the market. At less than $400 retail, it becomes relatively cheap, especially when compared to other manufacturers’ top offerings.
It features Shoei’s proprietary Quick Release Base Plate System, dual EPS ventilation system and 3D comfort liner system. It has an upper and lower air intake for maximum cooling, and a face shield defogging vent—all of which exits out the neck outlet vent. It has an aerodynamic wing spoiler, and uses a CX-1V shield. The RF-1000, naturally, complies with DOT and Snell standards.
The RF-1000 is offered in 8 sizes—XXS through XXXL.
Shown below is the gorgeous Miguel Duhamel Replica designed by Troy Lee Designs.
The Schuberth S1 Pro is a step up from Schuberth’s S1. It has zero-lift aerodynamics and an 85 dB noise rating at 100 km/h. It features Schuberth’s The Pinlock visor technology which has finger tabs for easy visor movement, removal and installation, and is guaranteed condensation-free. The helmet’s shell is made of a special glass fiber called S.T.R.O.N.G. Fiber, made of reinforced Duroplast matrix. For ventilation, it has 3 head ventilation ducts, 1 in/out chin ventilation system, and 2 ventilation output ducts at the neck area which also serves as protection. It also features Schuberth’s A.R.O.S. (Anti-roll-off-system) which guarantees that the helmet cannot pivot off the head from behind.
Shark helmets incorporate the latest in helmet building technology and sleek flowing design with field research done by top riders around the world. Shark has produced just that and more for MotoGP rider, Randy de Puniet. The end product—a Shark helmet that is strong, lightweight, comfortable, that will make you look fast and feel like Randy even if you just an average weekend rider. It sports Randy’s racing #14 and the LCR Honda team’s colors.
Below are the complete specifications for the Shark RSI Randy de Puniet.
Aggressive design with all the comfort and features found on helmets that cost much more Ultra-lightweight; bag-molded Structurally Enhanced Composite (S.E.C.) fiber weave helmet shell Two shell sizes for optimal fit; helmet weighs just 1250g Dynamically Variable Resistance Crumple zones and Advanced Channel EPS provide amazing air flow and impact energy absorption Sound-absorbing polymers offer a quiet ride Reversible upper “antennae“ intake/exhaust ports on the front and dual “aero spike“ exhaust ports on the back for the ultimate in ventilation Removable and washable 3D comfort liner and cheek pads; liner is hypo-allergenic; anti-bacterial and is made of special anti-nap fabric that will not fray Clear; high optics; anti-scratch; anti-fog shield; no side cover for easy removal and replacement with shield fully open Oversized sponge cervical neck roll Breath deflector Photo`s are for reference only. Please read item title carefully.
19 vents for “state of the art venting.” 9 intake vents and 10 large exhaust vents to get the hot air out. Max air flow is achieved thru shell/styro comfort liner vents Plush, removable, washable Coolmax interior Interior designed for noise reduction with noise reduction cheek pads,vented chin curtain and rear neck roll Anti-scratch optically corrected shield with easy tool-less removal. Comes with a free platinum tint shield and a deluxe helmet bag with shield pocket. The GM68 also features GMAX’s Patented L.E.D. light on the rear of the helmet, which is incorporated into rear vent and has different easy to use light settings.
Meets or exceeds Snell & DOT standards. Removable liner/cheek pads. Relaxed round-oval fit. Dry-Cool liner material, with a rich color and perforated satin feel, utilizes water cells to improve moisture and heat transfer from your head into the airflow around Arai’s unique space frame liner. Leaves your head dryer and cooler at the end of a long or hot ride and allows the liner to dry much faster in between rides.
Product Description
