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| GEAR: - NOLAN N43 HELMET; Gear Info: - by "Burn" (Text) and Rick K. for webBikeWorld.com | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sunday, 21. June 2009, 04:36 (310 Views) | |
| Post #1 Sunday, 21. June 2009, 04:36 |
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:OLD: Nolan N43 Nolan N43 "Air" Motorcycle Helmet Review by "Burn" (Text) and Rick K. for webBikeWorld.com :HHHEREITIS: Spoiler: click to toggle We've had our ups and downs with Nolan helmets -- more downs than ups probably, but the new Nolan N43 is a definite winner. Nolan is a curious company. My feeling is that their helmet designs are a bit conservative and have a noticeably long product cycle, especially compared to a company like HJC, whose new product releases are positively corybantic in comparison. But then, all of a sudden, here's the N43, loaded with innovative features. At least they used that lead time constructively! For example, the N43 has a new type of flow-through ventilation system that works really well. It features a new top vent and exhaust arrangement that pulls air up and through the helmet better than probably any other helmet we've reviewed. The visor is very large and reaches down to the bottom of the chin bar and it offers excellent forward vision and it includes posts for installing a Pinlock anti-fog insert. The N43 also has an internal sun visor, rubberized sliders for operating the vents and the visor and it's ready for the Nolan N-Com intercom system. And on top of all that, the chin bar is easily removable, allowing the N43 to be converted to an open-face "Jet" style helmet in 6 different configurations! Just don't try to find any information about the N43 on the Nolan website; as of the date of publication, there's not a word. How do you release a brand new helmet as innovative as the N43 without at least posting some information on your website? I don't know -- maybe this is some type of new marketing strategy that I'm just not getting... And if I were in charge, I'd be shouting off the rooftops about this one, because the N43 is a winner. Many webBikeWorld visitors from around the world have been asking for suggestions on a good hot-weather helmet, and this is it. Nolan N43 Paint, Graphics and Overall Quality Bad news first: a "Cherry" color is as wild as it gets, because the N43 is only available in a very subdued color palette that also includes Black, Matte Black, Silver and White. C'mon guys -- what is this, a funeral?? Cheer up a bit -- how about some nice Creamsicle orange metalflake or yellow or Ducati red or lime green or something?? At least the finish is nicely done. The silver metallic shown here features Nolan's "Hi-Brite Protective Hard Coating". I'm not sure what that really is, and again, there's basically zip-o on the Nolan website. The special finish is some type of hard clear coat -- it feels "slippery" and initial impressions are that it should help keep the helmet looking good for a long time. The Hi-Brite finish seems to make it easier to clean off the bugs too. Overall build quality is also excellent, with the exception of some unnerving flexibility in the shell. You'd think that the designers of a modular helmet (i.e., with a removable chin bar) would go out of their way to make it feel sturdy, but the N43 has more flex in the shell and the chin bar than we'd like. It does meet the ECE 22.05 safety standard (only) though, so we'll have to assume it will protect as it should. The removable chin bar, which is made from some type of semi-hard rather than hard material, doesn't help, and the helmet has creaking and groaning sounds when you put it on and move it around -- a bit disconcerting. So depending on your definition of the word "quality", the flexy shell may add or subtract from your overall score. But other than that, the build and the metal bits and the operation of the visors and the switchgear are all first-rate and they feel much better than the fitments on some of those really cheap helmets. Score: I'll give the Nolan N43 an "Excellent" rating for overall quality, surface finish and clear coat and excellent overall fit and finish. See the ratings descriptions in the summary table at the end of this page. Nolan N43 Helmet Fit. Comfort and Internal Shape The N43 has what I think may be a new and different fit for a Nolan helmet -- a good thing, in my opinion. I've tried some of the other Nolans we've had floating around here and they all seemed to have a peculiar internal shape, at least for me. They seem to tend towards the long oval; slightly more oval and tighter on the sides than what I'd consider a "neutral" fit. But the N43 feels generous and tends towards the round side of neutral. Due to many requests from webBikeWorld readers and some confusion regarding the original description of the way motorcycle helmets fit on the webBikeWorld Motorcycle Helmet FAQ page, we've been playing with a better way to describe the internal shapes found in motorcycle helmets. Seven categories pretty much covers it; any more would be confusing. Five might not do it, because we feel that there are also some "Medium Round" and "Medium Narrow" shaped helmets that are almost-but-not-quite fully round or fully narrow. Most helmets seem to be either neutral or slightly to the right or left, or they are fully narrow or fully round. The bottom row includes links to helmets that currently serve as the benchmark for the particular fit, and the red "X" indicates the helmet that is the subject of the review; in this case, the Nolan N43. If this works out, we will change the shape ratings on the Motorcycle Helmet Weights page to match. Remember, this is only an opinion. Note that it usually isn't possible to compare multiple helmets (or other products) for a variety of reasons that are detailed on this section of the Site Info page. Feel free to send your comments to editor@webbikeworld.com. Nolan N43 Internal Shape Estimator Narrow Med. Narrow Slight Narrow Neutral Slight Round Med. Round Round X The N43 feels very comfortable, and the size XL feels just about right. I'd say it should fit about a 61.0 to 62.0 cm head, which is exactly the size range indicated on the helmet. I do think the N43 probably fits closest to the Shoei RF-1000 (review). The chin bar does rest closer to my chin than I'd like -- it doesn't touch my chin but if I push my chin out just a bit, it reaches the back of the chin bar. The helmet also has a slightly shorter vertical length than normal, and the bottom of my jaw sticks out slightly below the bottom of the helmet. The Nolan "Clima-Comfort" liner feels comfortable and the padding is adequate, but not generous. The materials is certainly not as plush as an Arai, for example, but it's better than many others. The EPS foam portion of the liner is visible in several places, and it has special air channels to help with the ventilation. Some sections of the liner are thin where they cover the foam, but these thinner sections must be strategically placed, because I don't really feel any hot spots. The liner is removable and washable. The foam has cutouts at the ears for what I assume are the Nolan speakers that come with the N-Com system. This helmet has the N-Com location on the outside left side of the helmet and the microphone cutout at the bottom of the liner, but no N-Com is installed, so apparently the N-Com system is an option to be added by the customer at this time. I can fit my thin-framed sunglasses inside the N43, but the helmet shape does press on the tips of the sunglass hooks located in back of my ear. This is probably a quirk due to my head shape, but I thought I'd mention it. As always, make sure you try the helmet on before buying, and try a variety of sizes. The smallest size that fits comfortably is usually the safest. For more information on choosing and fitting a motorcycle helmet, please see the wBW Motorcycle Helmet FAQ page, which also includes a discussion on head shapes. Score: I'll give the Nolan N43 an "Excellent" rating for conformance to fit and liner comfort. Innovative top intake vent plus exhaust system on the Nolan N43. Posted Image Rear exhaust vents match the louvered style of the front intake. Posted Image Nolan N43 Ventilation Real innovation in motorcycle helmet design is apparently rather difficult, probably due to the constraints of having to meet worldwide safety standards. Although we have seen more innovation recently than in any other time in the past, with helmets like the Shark Evoline (review) and the Givi X.01 (review) as examples. In addition to the N43's overall shell shape, which is different, with a sort of tapered and folded "boat tail" rear that looks great and perfectly accents the design, the most obvious innovation on the N43 has to be the ventilation system. The top vent assembly has a front intake, which operates independently and sits behind a louvered vent opening. But see those translucent covers on either side of the black vent assembly? They slide horizontally into the center of the helmet, opening two huge exhaust ports. This system really works -- as soon as I get up to about 20 MPH, I can feel the system working, almost like someone turned on a fan at the top, sucking the air out. The air flows up through the helmet and out the top. Very nice -- especially since it's been about 85 degrees F lately! I wonder if Nolan has applied for some international patents on this design -- I sure would if it was my invention! The beauty of this system -- besides performance -- is that it's so simple, and everything is contained in the top assembly. Although the rest of the helmet design is an integral part of the ventilation system also. The helmet has two additional exhaust ports out the back, also covered by a dual set of louvers that match the look at the front of the helmet. By the way, the N43 fits our definition of a true "modular", with its removable chin bar. This is compared to the traditional "flip-up". Overall, the Nolan N43 has now taken over the top spot for warm-weather helmets from the Givi X.01 (review) and the Schuberth J1 (review). The only thing that's really missing is a vent in the removable chin bar, but Score: I'll give the Nolan N43 an "Outstanding" rating for excellent ventilation, especially at the top. Helmet Weight This Nolan N43 in size XL weighs 1579 grams (3 lbs., 7-3/4 oz.). This puts it in about the bottom 1/3 of helmet weights of the motorcycle helmets reviewed on webBikeWorld. For comparison purposes, some of its current neighbors on the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Weights page include: Fulmer D4 Evil Spell XL 1576 3 lbs. 7-5/8 oz. Zox Azuma R XL 1578 3 lbs. 7-5/8 oz. Nolan N43 (Modular) XL 1579 3 lbs. 7-3/4 oz. AGV Ti-Tech Rossi XXL* 1582 3 lbs. 7-3/4 oz. Arai Vector XL 1583 3 lbs. 7-7/8 oz. Akuma V-1 Ghost Rider L 1591 3 lbs. 8-1/8 oz. Givi X.01 Flip-up XL 1592 3 lbs. 8-1/8 oz. The N43 feels well balanced when riding with no unusual tendencies towards lifting or buffeting. See the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Weights page for a matrix and chart comparing the weights of all of the open-face, full-face and flip-up helmets we've reviewed. Score: The Nolan N43 gets a "Very Good" rating for reasonable weight, along with good balance. The Nolan N43 chin bar is easily removable and the helmet can be worn in any one of 6 configurations. Posted Image The N43 is ready for the Nolan N-Com intercom system. Rubber slider for the sun visor can be seen also. Visor The N43 has an unusual face shield. It's very large and covers most of the chin bar, with only a small spoiler protruding underneath. The spoiler is molded to and forms the lower part of the chin bar. The face shield has very good optical qualities and provides excellent visibility in all dimensions, but especially out the front, which has to count for something in terms of a safety factor. The face shield includes Pinlock studs, so a Pinlock anti-fog system (review) insert can be installed. The owner's manual, which is printed in 9 languages, has some photos of this in the back. The N43 has an internal sun visor, which operates via a slider on the left-hand side of the helmet. The slider has a rubber insert in the surface, which makes it easy to use. The internal sun visor can be placed at any position in its full rotation, but like many other visors of this type, it could stand a bit more travel so that it would remain out of the rider's line of sight. It also has a cutout for the nose, and again like most of these visors, it would be better if it were cut straight across, which would minimize the distraction at the lower edge and also allow the visor to work as a sun shade when lowered to just above the eyes. Score: I'll rate the visor clarity, operation and visibility of the N43 as "Very Good". Nolan N43 helmet liner. N43 Chin Bar The N43 is what we call a true modular helmet, because the chin bar is removable. Push in two levers along the sides of the helmet shell (see video) and the chin bar is easily removable. It snaps right back in. The package includes plastic inserts for covering the slots in the shell when the chin bar is removed, and also a separate opaque peak that can be installed on the helmet if the clear face shield is removed. So the Nolan N43 Air actually is 6 helmets in one: shell only with no chin bar, no clear face shield or peak; open face helmet with no chin bar but with face shield or peak; no face shield but with chin bar installed (internal sun visor becomes face shield); chin bar installed, no face shield (use sun visor) and peak installed; no chin bar and no peak but with clear face shield installed; and finally, with chin bar and clear face shield installed as shown in most of our photos. Why they don't sell the N43 in the U.S.A. and Canada is a mystery, because I think this helmet would be hugely popular with many riders and especially for touring. The chin bar is made from some type of semi-hard rubbery-feeling plastic. I wonder if the helmet shell would have more integrity and less flex if the chin bar was made from a hard polycarbonate or other material, but hopefully the softer material will absorb impact in case of a crash. Noise Levels All things considered, the N43 is surprisingly quiet for this type of helmet or for a helmet with this amount of air flow. Some wind rushing noise can be heard, but it's not too bothersome and the lower frequency "booming" noises at the bottom of the helmet that can be caused by windscreen turbulence are also fairly well controlled. Note that we always wear correctly fitted, high quality earplugs and an extra helmet liner when riding, and we strongly recommend that you always wear hearing protection also. See the wBW Earplugs and Hearing Protection page for more information on choosing and wearing earplugs. Note also that your experience with this helmet's noise levels may be different, depending upon many factors, including your head shape and the way the helmet fits; motorcycle configuration; prevailing winds and even the type of clothing that is being worn. For more information on helmet noise, visit the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Noise page. Score: I'll give the Nolan N43 a "Very Good" rating for noise control. The N43 is a European helmet and meets ECE safety standards only. The owner's manual has an insert with a specific list of countries where the N43 is sold; 46 countries are listed, but not the U.S.A. or Canada. Nolan gives a very good 5 year warranty on the helmet. The helmet uses a European-style "Microlok" chin strap retention system. This one seems on the thick side and is slightly uncomfortable under my chin. Conclusion The Nolan N43 is an innovative new helmet with many very nice features that make it a favorite warm-weather helmet, although it should work well in 3 seasons. The ventilation and the way the air is "sucked" out the top of the helmet makes it very comfortable for hot-weather riding, and the versatility with the easily removable chin bar also adds a lot of functionality to the helmet. The price is also fairly reasonable, making the N43 a definite buy. HAPPY |
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