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Just got my new Nolan N102 n-com helmet - man, do I love it! Some great improvements over the N100E that I have been using for three years. I loved the N100E too, but she's yesterday's news now that I have had my head in the N102!! (The N102 n-com is $250 at Motorcycle Accessories Warehouse, and the Platinum color is very close to the 2005 RSV) Both the N102 and N100 are modular flip-front helmets. The N102 is proportioned a bit differently, giving slightly more forehead and chin room (both front and sides of the chin). The new latch release mechanism is really sweet - much easier to use than the old one, once you figure it out. Just pull forward with your thumb on a little lever in the center of the chin bar, causing a bigger lever to push out from the front of the chin bar - squeezing these two together causes the helmet to open. The shield ratchets and covers are significantly improved. Both helmets have Nolan's proprietary anti-fog shield that works really well, and the N102 has a new dark 1/2 shield outside the main shield that works like sunglasses. Nolan calls this the VPS (vision protection system). I am a little disappointed that the VPS is not extra dark, as it will not make a significant difference when riding directly into a setting sun, but it let me make one simple mod that solves that problem too. I just put a strip of blue painter's tape inside the top of the VPS shield. This is above the normal line of vision, but allows a slight tip of the head to completely block the direct rays of the fire ball. Here are a couple of pictures: [ATTACH]7589[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]7591[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]7590[/ATTACH] That last one is with the VPS shield flipped up and the main shield down, but it looks a little strange because the whole front is flipped up too, so you are looking at the top of the helmet through the shield. For someone who already has the N100E with extra shields, the shields are ALMOST interchangeable. Actually, without the VPS on the N102, they ARE interchangeable. But to use the VPS shield too, you need a little notch cut in both sides, like this: [ATTACH]7593[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]7592[/ATTACH] A rotary tool with a small steel cutter works fine to modify the older shields. I modified my old extra dark shield so I have both it and the VPS for summer riding. On to the Headsets. I have the cheapest J&M clip-on headset on my old N100E, and I have been very pleased with the quality of the sound. I ordered the mid-level 277 series for the N102 n-com. Love the way the helmet is designed to take an integrated headset and the way J&M used that for theirs. The sound of the 277 series is better, but not by a huge amount. Although the mid-range is more crisp, the bass is not as pronounced as it was with the cheapies. I verified this was the speakers instead of the helmet by unplugging the speakers from the old one and putting them in the N102 after I had completely mounted the new headsets. This weekend I am meeting my brother who has a new set of J&M 584 series (their best, and lot more expensive). I'll compare them and report back next week. Ride safe, Goose
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