Well, after riding in a Nolan N-102 for the past 4 years I went in search of a replacement. Took a ride down to Rev-Zilla's store in Philly so I could have a wide range of helmets to see and try. The sales staff in the store was top notch, they were definitely more concerned about my fit and safety than trying to sell me something I didn't want or need.
My intentions were to get the new Shuberth C-3 (another modular). I liked my Nolan, the convenience of the modular function is/was a selling feature for me. I tried on about a dozen different helmets from all brands and price points. What I began to realize is that my Nolan was; Way too big for my head, Way too heavy, Way too noisy, and the ability to swap the Wind screen sucked! I also started to see the differences in quality between brands/price points and the design of the shells related to use - I.E. some were more SuperSport (head in a more tuck position), some were Touring (more upright) and some really just a general use type.
In the end I would up going with a Arai Rx-Q in Brilliant Black (matches my Raven XTZ perfectly). This helmet has terrific build quality you can feel. My Nolan was an XL, I fit into a M in the Arai but I decided to go with a L so I had a bit more room for cold weather riding (I use a balaclava that tucks into my jacket and keeps my neck warm), the L size also gave me good room to wear glasses.
I have been wearing the RX-Q for about 2 months now and have really come to grips with a full-face over the modular. The RX-Q is pretty light in weight, very quiet, extremely comfortable (no hot spots, no roll off), seems to fit my head shape really well. The quality of the finish is beautiful. This helmet also vents very well, my Nolan had virtually NO venting what-so-ever. I also bought the Pin-Lock screen which works pretty well. This is the only thing that the Nolan wins out hands down. The Pin-Lock on the Nolan is excellent, the lenses clarity and anti-fogging on the Nolan was perfect. The normal clear screen on the Arai is O.K., the Pin-Lock screen does a good job at anti-fogging, but the optics are really poor (IMO). I get a lot of glare at night and the clarity is off, if you look thru different spots of the screen you can see the wavy-ness of the Pin-Lock screen where the Nolan was so clean and clear you could hardly tell the screen was there at all.
The only thing I have to do now is figure out a communication system for the Arai. I have an Ed-Sets setup in my Nolan that is wire connected to my Garmin Zumo (don't like dealing with batteries). For now I bought a set of sports ear-buds for the Arai that are working out OK so far, but I would prefer a true headset with speakers, that way I can still wear ear plugs.
All in all, I am very happy with the Arai over my Nolan and my buying experience at Rev-Zilla was top notch!
My intentions were to get the new Shuberth C-3 (another modular). I liked my Nolan, the convenience of the modular function is/was a selling feature for me. I tried on about a dozen different helmets from all brands and price points. What I began to realize is that my Nolan was; Way too big for my head, Way too heavy, Way too noisy, and the ability to swap the Wind screen sucked! I also started to see the differences in quality between brands/price points and the design of the shells related to use - I.E. some were more SuperSport (head in a more tuck position), some were Touring (more upright) and some really just a general use type.
In the end I would up going with a Arai Rx-Q in Brilliant Black (matches my Raven XTZ perfectly). This helmet has terrific build quality you can feel. My Nolan was an XL, I fit into a M in the Arai but I decided to go with a L so I had a bit more room for cold weather riding (I use a balaclava that tucks into my jacket and keeps my neck warm), the L size also gave me good room to wear glasses.
I have been wearing the RX-Q for about 2 months now and have really come to grips with a full-face over the modular. The RX-Q is pretty light in weight, very quiet, extremely comfortable (no hot spots, no roll off), seems to fit my head shape really well. The quality of the finish is beautiful. This helmet also vents very well, my Nolan had virtually NO venting what-so-ever. I also bought the Pin-Lock screen which works pretty well. This is the only thing that the Nolan wins out hands down. The Pin-Lock on the Nolan is excellent, the lenses clarity and anti-fogging on the Nolan was perfect. The normal clear screen on the Arai is O.K., the Pin-Lock screen does a good job at anti-fogging, but the optics are really poor (IMO). I get a lot of glare at night and the clarity is off, if you look thru different spots of the screen you can see the wavy-ness of the Pin-Lock screen where the Nolan was so clean and clear you could hardly tell the screen was there at all.
The only thing I have to do now is figure out a communication system for the Arai. I have an Ed-Sets setup in my Nolan that is wire connected to my Garmin Zumo (don't like dealing with batteries). For now I bought a set of sports ear-buds for the Arai that are working out OK so far, but I would prefer a true headset with speakers, that way I can still wear ear plugs.
All in all, I am very happy with the Arai over my Nolan and my buying experience at Rev-Zilla was top notch!
