Nolan N104 : Review by webBikeWorld

Summary

The Nolan N-104 is another brand-new flip-up helmet for the 2012 model year.

It's a definite upgrade from the Nolan N-90 (review) and previous N-series flip-up helmets.

It's also a competitor to the new Shoei Neotec (review), yet the two helmets are quite different in many ways.

All of the moving parts on the N-104 have a very precise and high-quality feel, giving the helmet a solid countenance.

The N04 also has excellent ventilation and outstanding forward visibility out of the huge front eye port and face shield.

The fit and internal shape differs from the Shoei, making a choice between the two somewhat easier.

The price of the N-104 is also more reasonable than the Shoei, and that may also be a deciding factor for some.

Background

The new Nolan N-104 was first previewed in this "N-104 First Look" exclusive report from the 2011 EICMA show in Milan in November of 2011, where the helmet was introduced to the world.

The N-104 is now ready to go, on sale in both Europe and the U.S.A. It will be introduced to U.S. dealers at the upcoming Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana on February 18-19, 2012.

As mentioned in the First Look report, the Nolan N-100 series of flip-up helmets -- starting with the original N-100 from 1998 and continued with the Nolan N-102 (review) and the Nolan N-103 (review) -- have been very popular with motorcyclists all over the world for many years.

So the N-104 is the latest of a long and storied line of high-quality flip-ups, and it's ready to take the top spot in the Nolan helmet lineup.

Nolan has produced several other flip-up helmet designs, including the Nolan N-90 (review), which has been one of our favorites ever since it was introduced. But even with the many different helmets of different brands released in 2011 and continuing in 2012, the N-90 holds its own -- although the N-104 pretty much beats it in every way!

It was mentioned in the Shoei Neotec review that the Neotec was something of a paradox. Coincidentally, the N-104 is also because it's both similar to, yet very different from the N-90 and the Shoei Neotec in several ways.

Actually, it's amazing that two high-end flip-up motorcycle helmets can be so similar...yet so different!

The Nolan N-104: Paint, Graphics and Overall Quality

One of the first noticeable differences between the N-104 and the Neotec is the "feel" of the clear coat. While both helmets have a thick- and protective-feeling clear coat, the Nolan clear coat is unique because it has a "hard" feel -- almost like a sheet of glass is covering the helmet.

The Shoei clear coat also appears thick, but it has a completely different "feel" under the fingertips. It's "softer", if that makes sense. Both clear coats will probably do a great job, but it is curious at how different they feel.

We have mentioned the characteristic Nolan clear coat "feel" before, in the N-90 review and elsewhere. It's not clear, if you'll pardon the pun, how Nolan formulates their paint to make this happen.

But one thing's for sure: all of the manufacturing is completed at the Nolan manufacturing facility in Italy, including the painting of the helmets, applying the unique water-based clear coating process -- even the face shields, sun visors and other helmet parts are all made in-house by Nolan.

The entire helmet making process was described (and includes a video showing the paint process) in the webBikeWorld article "Making a Nolan Motorcycle Helmet", which takes you on a tour through the Nolan manufacturing facilities in Italy.

In fact, the "hard" Nolan clear coat feel illustrates the overall ambience of the N-104, which is one of precision. The helmet has a very precise feel overall and the moving parts have a "click-smooth" operation. The N-104 can be compared to a BMW car, as compared to the Shoei's "softer" Lexus-like ambience.
Of course, this is totally subjective, but we're trying to put into words on your computer screen what our fingers and brain are telling us!

The N-104 is available in a much wider range of colors than the Neotec -- and it even includes some graphics -- quite radical for a flip-up helmet!

Along with the standard flip-up colors of black, white, gray and silver, the N-104 lineup is fortified by "Cab Yellow" and "Wine Cherry".

Our "Platinum Silver" version perfectly matches the N-90 we have on hand, and it's equally impressive, with perfectly applied color and zero "orange peel" with a very smooth and good-looking finish.

The Nolan "Action" graphics are available in white or gray and there's even a "Voyage" graphic in yellow, anthracite and blue/white. All of the graphics are designed to match the overall shape of the helmet.
The spring-loaded rotating flip-up visor also adds to the precise feel of the N-104, as do all of the moving parts. And, of course, everything works as designed, which is always a plus!

Score: We give the Nolan N-104 an "Outstanding" rating for paint and build quality. See the Summary Table at the bottom of the page for a description of our rating system.

Nolan N-104 Helmet Fit, Internal Shape and Liner

Another difference between the N-104 and the Neotec is the internal shape. We tried the N-90 also as a comparison with the N-104 and found that both the N-90 and Neotec have a very similar internal shape and fit ("neutral" to "slightly round"), while the N-104 is neutral to "slightly narrow".

The N-104 has more of an X-Lite fit (X-Lite is a Nolan brand not sold in the U.S.). It's what we call "slightly narrow", more like an Arai Signet-Q (review) type of fit. The N-104 fits slightly narrow on the sides and it has a slightly tapered fit towards the top, with more forehead room than either the N-90 or Neotec.

This is neither good nor bad -- just different -- and, in fact, great news for potential owners with a head shape that matches the fit. In a way, the fit differences may make the helmet buying decision much easier for some motorcyclists, because if your head shape matches one (or the other), then your decision has pretty much been made for you.

Note that we're talking subtleties here -- each helmet falls just slightly to one or the other side of "neutral", as illustrated in the graphic on the webBikeWorld Motorcycle Helmet Shapes page.

The size large N-104 is also slightly short in the front-to-back dimensions. During our evaluations, both of us found that our chins just touch the inside of the chin bar when the helmet is on and the rotating flip-up visor is closed. The N-90 actually has a touch more chin room, perhaps due to a difference in shell shape.

N-104 Shell Size Range, Padding and Liner

The N-104 is made in two shell sizes, compared to three for the Neotec. Again, this has its pros and cons -- the pros in this case are a much lower list price for the N-104, which is probably at least partly a result of the reduced development costs for making two, rather than three shell sizes.

However, since the N-104 is listed as having a wider size range, from XXS to XXXL, there may be some proportional differences at the extremes of each shell size (XXS to L in small shell; XL to XXXL in large shell).

For example, the size large shown here is the largest head size in the smaller shell, which seems to have reduced the thickness of the padding slightly. The size large N-104 is not as plush and thickly padded as the size large N-90, which has a noticeably different internal shape.

Nor is it as plush as the very thickly padded Neotec. Again, this means that matching your head shape to either helmet is an important factor.

However, even the Editor's notoriously round 60.5 cm head can fit (albeit snugly) inside the size large N-104, with some pressure but not too much on the sides. So there is a bit of leeway here in the fit, although a round head in a slightly narrow helmet does cause some eyeglass fitment issues in the N-104, depending on the frame type (and despite the design of the N-104, claimed to accommodate eyeglasses).

The N-104 liner is removable and washable, and the liner material is made from the "Clima-Comfort" fabric, which is claimed to be moisture-wicking, breathable and "treated with natural silver salt to be antibacterial and antifungal".

Also, the neck roll is removable "for summer use", according to Nolan, although we're not sure why you'd want to remove it, because noise levels are increased (we tried it).

The ear pockets are generously sized and the EPS is molded to fit speakers. The N-104 is made to fit the Nolan N-Com system, with a special pocket in the EPS in the rear of the helmet to hold the sending unit, a blank on the left-hand side for the button assembly and built-in microphone and speaker placement.

webBikeWorld Internal Shape Estimator: Nolan N-104
Narrow	Med. Narrow	Slight Narrow	Neutral	Slight Round	Med. Round	Round

Score:  We'll give the Nolan N-104 an "Excellent" rating for fit and comfort and internal shape, although the padding in the size large feels slightly thin.

The Nolan N-104 liner is relatively comfortable if a bit thin in the size large.

Nolan N-104 Face Shield, Eye Port and Visibility

Yet another big -- and we mean that literally -- difference between the N-104, the Neotec and the N-90 is the design of the eye port and face shield.

Simply put, the eye port and the face shield on the N-104 are huge, which provides outstanding forward visibility -- among the best of any flip-up helmet we can recall.

In fact, the visibility is more like one of those "modular" helmets with a removable chin bar, such as the Nolan N-43 (review) or the Caberg HyperX (review). The amount of visibility provided by the N-104 makes a big difference and is also a safety factor. The chin bar on the N-90 is noticeably thicker/taller and the visibility, while good (average), is also noticeably less than with the N-104.

The N-104 face shield has a nice centrally-located lift tab, which "clips" on to a small detent on the center of the chin bar. Lift the shield just slightly and a small dimple on the bottom of the shield will rest on the top of the detent, which yields a nice, small opening for defogging. When the face shield is closed, a light push will click the dimple against the detent to hold the face shield tight.

But the N-104 also comes with a large Pinlock anti-fog insert (review) installed, so you may not need the first small opening for defogging anyway! Nevertheless, it's there for some fresh air if you want it. The Pinlock insert has a very large design and it remains mostly out of the rider's view in all directions.
The eye port gasket on the N-104 completely seals against the large face shield, providing excellent protection from the rain.

Water is shunted along the top of the gasket to the sides of the face shield, where it quickly drains behind the face shield rotating mechanism and out the bottom, along the front of the helmet. The face shield seals tightly and completely against the full-surround eye port gasket.

The face shield release mechanism on the N-104 appears to be identical to the system used on the N-90. It's a low-profile affair; raise the face shield and then push up on the spring-loaded tab to release the shield and it pops right off.

The face shield removal mechanism is easy to use and similar to the system found on the N-90.

Internal Sun Visor

The N-104 has an internal rotating sun visor -- de rigueur on flip-up motorcycle helmets these days. Unfortunately, the sun visor on the N-104 is of the spring-loaded type and it's either "on" or "off" with no in-between setting, like the Neotec.

So in this case, it was almost like the designers re-invented a wheel that didn't need re-inventing, because because we prefer the internal sun visor on the N-90, which is (more or less) a friction-based system and it has a smaller nose cutout besides.

The slider for the sun visor on the N-104 is located on the lower left-hand side of the helmet. Push the black button forward and the sun visor drops into position. To release it, press the red release button and the spring retracts the visor. We'd rather have a simpler friction system that would allow height adjustments of the sun visor.

Also, although the sun visor rotates down far enough to remain out of the rider's line of sight in theory, it has a large cutout for the nose, which is distracting. Three different evaluators rode with the helmet and each of them mentioned this as an issue -- something that should be an easy fix for Nolan by simply reducing the size of the cutout.

One more thing about the sun visor on the N-104 -- the slider is located just about where you might want to install a clip-on intercom system. I'm sure Nolan wants you to buy an N-Com system to fit the N-104, but if you already own another type of intercom, you may have problems fitting it to the N-104.

Your intercom system would need to have a microphone with a wire long enough to reach back to the module, which would have to be located farter back along the helmet than is standard.

Rotating Flip-up Visor

The rotating flip-up visor on the N-104 works very smoothly and precisely and it has a quality feel. The release system is similar to the N-90; pull out the bottom red button on the chin bar, then squeeze it along with the upper red button that pops out. This releases the visor, which then rotates smoothly up to the raised position.

It's spring-loaded and the tension raises the visor and provides enough resistance to keep it raised. The mechanism also has a detent and a sort of cam at the uppermost position to keep the rotating visor open (but note that the N-104 is not dual-homologated, so you shouldn't ride with the visor raised).

webBikeWorld Eye Port Visibility Estimator: Nolan N-104
Visibility	Poor	Below Average	Average	Above Average	Outstanding
Top to Bottom					■
Side to Side					■

Score:  We'll give the Nolan N-104 an "Outstanding" rating in this category for the face shield and eye port. The internal sun visor gets a "Very Good".

Top vent and brow vent in the open position; both provide plenty of air.

The large chin vent operates with an easy-to-find tab but doesn't quite provide the ventilation we expected.

The brow vent is a new addition to the N-104 compared to previous Nolan N-series flip-up helmets.

Nolan N-104 Ventilation and Air Flow

The ventilation system designed for the N-104 is quite different from the system used on the N-90. The chin bar and the top vent have a rectangular slider with heavy "V" shaped serrations, making it easy to find and use when wearing gloves.

Slide the chin bar button up and the wing-shaped front vent opens. The vent seems large, but there are no direct vent channels through the chin bar.

The path that the air takes up to the top of the chin bar and through the vent port on the N-104 appears to be a bit convoluted, because although the chin vent is adequate, it's not quite as efficient as the chin vent on the Neotec, or even the dual flip-open chin vents of the N-90. Air can be felt coming through, but the effect isn't as dramatic as it is in those other helmets.

However, we do prefer the single switch on the N-104 chin vent and top vent over the dual chin vents and two top vents on the N-90.

The top vent on the N-104 is excellent in both operation and performance. Push the slider back one click and the top vent opens; push it a second time and a brow vent opens. This is a unique system and it both operates very well and it provides strong air flow in large volumes.

The flow of air can be immediately felt through the brow and top vents and the air streams directly on to the rider's head in a more focused path than it does in the Neotec. The Neotec's system makes the air feel like it's coming in on a "sheet" of air, while the N-104's top vent feels like the air is coming in through a "tube", more directly on to the rider's head.

In any event, both the Neotec and N-104 top vent systems are outstanding, and it's actually kind of interesting that there are two completely different approaches to providing upper ventilation -- and both work. Once more, it just doesn't seem all that difficult to design a venting system that works, which really makes us wonder why so many other helmet manufacturers keep getting it wrong!

The N-104 includes a large chin curtain firmly attached underneath the chin bar. It's a better design than Nolan employed on the N-90, because the N-104 chin curtain feels sturdier.

The helmet also has excellent aerodynamics, with little lift or buffeting and the ventilation system seems to make good use of the exhausts, which are nicely integrated into the styling of the helmet in the rear.

webBikeWorld Opinionator: Nolan N-104 Ventilation
Location	Poor	Below Average	Average	Above Average	Outstanding
Top/Upper					■
Chin/Face			■

Score:  The Nolan N-104 ventilation system gets an "Excellent" rating.

The rear exhaust vents are nicely integrated into the overall styling of the helmet.

Nolan N-104 Sound Levels

The slightly thinner-feeling padding in the size large, as noted above, may contribute to some slightly elevated noise levels in the N-104. It's not as quiet as the Shoei Neotec, which has extraordinarily thick and plush padding and a thick neck roll, which helps mask the noise.

Riding back-to-back with the N-104 and Neotec brought out the distinctions and differences. The Schuberth C3 (review) and perhaps the new Schuberth SR1 (review) are still probably the champs when it comes to noise control for a flip-up and full-face helmet (respectively).

The Neotec is right up there and the N-104 controls noise slightly better than average and probably much better than average when compared to other flip-up helmets.

The wind noise levels along the sides of the N-104 are well controlled, but we do notice slightly more engine and motorcycle noise, which doesn't seem as well damped, another indicator that the padding isn't quite as thick.

The ear pockets in the N-104 are generous and nicely padded, with additional liner covering the EPS. The ear pockets are molded to fit speakers and the Nolan N-Com Bluetooth system will fit right in.

webBikeWorld Opinionator: Nolan N-104 Noise Levels
Location	Very Quiet	Quieter	Average	Louder	Very Loud
Upper			■
Lower		■

Note that our helmet evaluations are normally a combined effort of several riders over time, on different types of motorcycles with and without windscreens. Evaluators wear correctly fitted, high quality earplugs (even when evaluating motorcycle intercom systems) and (usually) a helmet liner. It is strongly recommended that hearing protection is used when riding a motorcycle.  See the wBW Earplugs and Hearing Protection page for more information on choosing and wearing earplugs.

Note also that perceived noise levels will vary, depending on the individual. Noise can be caused by many factors, including helmet fit; the type of motorcycle and windscreen; wind speed and direction and even the type of clothing that is being worn. For more information on helmet noise, visit the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Noise page.

Score:  We'll give the Nolan N-104 an "Excellent" rating for lower than average overall noise levels.

wBW Video: Nolan N-104 Helmet

Helmet Weight

This Nolan N-104 in size large weighs in at a reasonable 1741 grams (3 lbs., 13-1/2 oz.). This puts it near the middle of the range of the flip-up helmets we've reviewed to date on the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Weights page.

Our Nolan N-103 (review) was a size XL, so the comparison is somewhat irrelevant, but just for the record, the XL N-103 weighed 1891 grams, while the Nolan N-102 (review), also in size XL, weighed 1850 grams.

The N-104 bears its weight well, with excellent balance. The weight compares to, for example, the Caberg Sintesi 2 in size large at 1772 grams; the HJC Sy-Max III reviewed recently at 1778 grams in size large; the NNolan N-90 at 1784 grams in size large; the Shoei Neotec in size large, heavier at 1812 grams; the Bell Revolver (L) at 1808 grams; the Vemar Attivo reviewed recently in size large at 1879 grams and the discontinued Caberg Konda (L) at 1755 grams.

As we noted in the Neotec review, some helmets feel lighter than they actually are, while others feel heavier. The Neotec feels slightly heavy, while the N-104 feels lighter than we expected.

Note also that all of the helmets reviewed on webBikeWorld have been weighed and the weights are available on the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Weights page, along with a chart that lists the helmets by weight and shape on the wBW Motorcycle Helmet Shapes page.

Score:  The Nolan N-104 gets an "Excellent" rating for reasonable weight with good balance.

The two-button internal sun visor lever. Also shown is the blanking plate for the Nolan B4 intercom buttons.

Lock to hold the rotating flip-up visor in the raised position.

The internal sun visor has a large cutout for the nose which is distracting.

Another view of the two-button system for the internal sun visor.

 

Miscellaneous

The N-104 uses a "microlock" chin strap retainer, which seems a bit thick. It works fine, however, and some riders prefer this type of retainer system. The system has a unique design that accommodates the extra length of chin strap after the microlock system is adjusted to the rider.
The chin strap padding on the N-104 is adequate but it could be longer. The strap has a plastic snap to secure the extra length of chin strap.

The helmet meets the U.S. DOT safety standard when sold in North America and the ECE 22.05 standard when sold in Europe. UPDATE: The N-104 is now dual homologated as both a P and J helmet, so it can be worn with the rotating flip-up visor in the raised and locked position (see N.A.'s comment in the Owner Comments section below).

Warranty

The Nolan N-104 has has a five-year warranty, which effectively covers the helmet for its usable life.

webBikeWorld Overall Opinionator: Nolan N-104
Picks...	...and Pans
Excellent build quality. Outstanding upper ventilation. A flip-up for slightly narrow head shapes. Excellent quality paint and graphics. Huge eye port and outstanding visibility. Reasonable cost for what you get.	Internal sun visor is spring loaded and slightly distracting. Padding is a bit thin on the size large. Not as quiet as we'd like. Chin venting could be better.

Conclusion

The Nolan N-90 was one of the favorite flip-ups in the webBikeWorld garage, but the N-104 bests it in almost every dimension and, in fact, the N-104 sort of makes the N-90 feel its age (although the N-90 will remain in production as a lower-priced alternative).

The N-104 has a very high-quality, precise and solid feel. The build quality on our example it outstanding and all of the features are carefully designed and have been evolved over more than a decade of Nolan N-series flip-up helmets.

The pricing structure of the N-104 is also very aggressive for a top-of-the-line flip-up helmet made in Italy. In fact, the N-104 is significantly lower priced than the Shoei Neotec -- and the street price difference is even more dramatic.

There are some differences, however, in these helmets that actually make choosing between them relatively easy. Besides the price difference, the Neotec and the N-90 have a similar internal shape -- neutral to round -- while the N-104 has more of an "ECE" or "X-Lite" or "European" style fit, which is neutral to slightly narrow.

If 2011 was "The Year of the Motorcycle Helmet", as proclaimed in the webBikeWorld Product of the Year awards, then 2012 is shaping up to the "The Year of the Flip-up", but it will be hard to beat the Nolan N-104 for its combination of quality, pricing and performance.

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 wBW Review: Nolan N-104 Helmet

Manufacturer: Nolan Helmets (Italy). Helmets distributed in the U.S. by Nolan Helmets (USA)	List Price: Solid Colors: $449.95 ($339.99 here!). Graphics: $499.95 ($379.99 here!)
Colors: Matte black, black, white or silver.	Made In: Italy
Sizes: XXS to XXXL. Shell Sizes: Two. XXS to L in small shell; XL to XXXL in large shell.	Star Rating:
Review Date: February 2012
Ratings Scale: For reference, our ratings scale is subjective and ranges from Unacceptable to Poor, Neutral, Very Good, Excellent and Outstanding.
Note: Item was provided by a retailer, distributor or manufacturer with these Terms and Conditions.