Nolan N100 Review Last year I bought the Nolan Classic flip-up to wear on the 4Corners ride which I did on a GoldWing 1500 and covered 10,302 miles in 18 days. I met Hurricane Barry while in Key West and it did rain! The helmet did not leak. It was comfortable but only the cheek pads are removable for cleaning. After a while it can get funky. I almost bought the HJC Symax but the MCN issue arrived with a test of several flip-ups and the Nolan was rated a best buy.The HJC also has plastic to plastic latches whereas the Nolan's are steel to steel.In the March,'02 issue of BMWON on page 76 is a new product announcement from Nolan which now offers removable interior lining and a new chinbar opening system. The new system allows the rider to use both hands or just the left hand to open the chinbar.If it comes in yellow I may have to up-grade for the rally in Trenton. === also === I bought 2 Nolans (1 for me, the other for the pillion, usually my son or SWMBO Marlene) just after I bought the FYK in late 1999. I liked the idea of the flip front but at the time, did not want to pay more than double for the BMW Concept or almost double for the Shoei. I got the large and it is a snug fit. I think the next size up may have been a better choice for me as my chin touches the chin bar. Also, the helmet was a bit tight on the cheeks but this has eased a little. Noise level was MUCH better than the 20 yo Bell Motostar it replaced. I have also vastly improved the noise level by lowering the "Wind Thingy" on the RS fairing to it's lowest position and I now wear earplugs on any longish trips. I have not ridden much in the rain, but the few times I had to, the helmet seemed to be reasonably watertight. For cleaning, the complete liner and foam is relatively easy to remove by unscrewing the retainer at the base of the helmet; you just need Torx screwdriver bits to do so. The ventilation is quite good; you can feel the breeze on the top of your head. Downside with this is that I often end up with "cowlick" on the top of my head when I take the helmet off. When Marlene decided to buy her own helmet when she started riding herself, she looked at various models available but ultimately bought another Nolan. Things I don't like? The two catch release mechanism is a bit of a pain; I think the single catch system on the Concept helmet is much better. I find I cannot wear polarising sunglasses under the lexen (sp?) visor as I find the resulting colour bands too distracting. Would I buy another one? For the price, I think the helmet is good value. However, I think next time I will have a more serious look at the Concept. The main reasons would be the single release catch and having the chin bar away from my chin. I feel I would be able to justify the higher price by now. HTH Regards, Norbert Adelaide, South Oz === also === I've got about 110,000 miles in two Nolan N-100's. I recently replaced the second one with a Schuberth Concept, which I now have about 2,000 miles in. I should have bought another Nolan. The Nolan doesn't leak, it washes rather well in the dishwasher, it isn't all that difficult to open with one hand, and it...well, it just works well. You can actually wear it as a 3/4 helmet and eat/drink/smoke/change glasses while you're going down the road, which is a really big plus on those LD rides. The Schuberth Concept is a neat idea. I bought it because I liked the idea of having my sunglasses built in and having a one-hand open option. The flip down sun visor gets stuck and requires additional fiddling to get it to retract, and the chin-bar acts as a sail should you ever have to ride with it up (of course, the manufacturer tells you to never do this, but the ability to eat/drink/smoke while riding was one of the main reasons for a flip-face in the first place). Also, the anti fog treatment on the inside of the shield turns opaque when ridden in colder (35-60F) weather. In it's defense, it does fit my head better, the liner removes for washing, the general fit and finish are better, it's quieter, and it vents better (the visor pops OUT as well as rotating up...makes for some serious ventilation. If you've got 2x the $$ to spend and actually think that the Schuberth will do a better job protecting your head, get the Schuberth. Otherwise, get the N-100 and put a strip of black tape at the top of the visor. The Schuberth simply wasn't the upgrade I expected it to be. I've never had an opportunity to test the impact protection of either helmet personally, and have no desire to do so. However, I do know people who have done first hand testing on the Nolan's crash protection and turned around and bought another one. YMMV. -- Brian Burdette