Nolan is a big player in the crossover motorcycle helmet market these days. Actually, they’ve been in this game since the 1970s, which gives them quite a big track record. As motorcycling is getting more popular, so are the requirements for helmets getting more demanding. Nolan is that one company with this in mind, so they have many “crossover” or modular helmets in their lineup. One such helmet is the timeless Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet!
Released in Autumn of 2013, the Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet is actually one of the best modular helmets around! Great fit, awesome ventilation and decent noise control, coupled with a unique design for an affordable price are just some of the awesome features you can get with this crossover helmet. Not to mention that you can change this helmet between six different configurations!
Let’s dive into the Nolan N44 helmet, and see why is it such a timeless classic even after 6 long years!
Table of Contents
Nolan N44 Motorcycle Helmet Review – Features
Here are all the main features to consider when looking into the Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet:
- Light and durable polycarbonate shell
- Weighs 3,73 lbs (1,69 kg)
- Very large field of view
- Six different configurations
- ECE and DOT certifications
- Pinlock-ready face shield with anti-fog coating and UV400 protection
- Internal sun visor
- Removable and washable comfort liner
- Microlock2 chin strap system
- Airbooster ventilation system
Now, let’s delve in the main components of this awesome helmet!
Design & Quality
The Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet features a polycarbonate shell, which is light and very durable. Because of this, the helmet will be quite comfortable to wear in longer periods. That applies to most of the riders, something we will discuss later.
The helmet itself feels high-quality when you hold it in your hands. All the removable parts feel high-quality, and right in place. When you put some of the modular parts on the helmet, they fit quite nicely, and you actually feel safe while wearing it. Not to mention the vents that feel quite precisely made too!
Configurations & Visibility
Most motorcycle riders pick Nolan helmets when it comes to modular ones because of the large field of view that is implemented in their helmets. The Nolan N44 is no different, with its visor providing unprecedented vision with fewer blind spots. That translates in safer rides for sure! Also, the helmet features six different configurations, which we will detail in the following paragraphs, along with the visor components!
Chin Guard
First of all, we have the chin guard that is removable. To remove the chin guard is quite an easy task. You just press the two tabs that you can find on the top of the guard. That will release the handle that connects the chin guard to the helmet. Now, you can pull the chin guard to the front to remove it.
The chin guard is lightweight, and quite durable, as it is made of GE Lexan material. It also has an EPS liner and you can attach it to the shell of the helmet with the stainless steel latches. These small implementations to the chin guard earn the Nolan N44 the ECE 22.05 rating!
Jet Configuration
By removing the chin guard and putting the visor down, you can use the N44 helmet in the jet configuration. This configuration is the best for urban riding, as you will get nice airflow and visibility. You can also put the chin bar back, with no visor, for yet another open-face configuration; albeit it doesn’t make too much sense from a safety perspective.
Off-Road Configuration
If you want an off-road type helmet configuration, the versatility of the N44 helmet allows you to do so. Remove the visor and put the peak and the chin bar in their place, and there you have it! Sadly, you cannot use the visor and peak at the same time, so the dual-sport helmet configuration is not supported. It is a bit of a shame, as these types of helmets are immensely popular these days.
Full-Face Configuration
Of course, we have the full-face configuration too, with the visor and the chin guard in place. This is probably the most useful configuration of the N44 helmet. The visibility you get in this configuration is out of this world! The full-width visibility will surely give a confidence boost to otherwise unconfident riders!
The Face Shield
The face shield of the N44 helmet is enormous. It covers most of the chin guard (when it is in place, of course).
Let’s go into the specifications of the face shield itself. Of course, it is Pinlock ready, even though it doesn’t come with it right out of the box. Also, it has an anti-fog coating and provides UV400 protection. The shield features a quick-release function too. It is very simple to pop it out of the helmet! You just open it up, slide the tab in front of the pivot, and you pop out the shield!
Internal Sun Visor
In the N44 helmet, you can also find the internal sun visor! You can lower it down with the press of the slider on the bottom-left part of the helmet. As it is spring-loaded, you can lower it down and vice versa, which is a nice touch! This visor is scratch and fog resistant.
Well, it is certainly a great addition to the overall package, even though we have one nitpick. The internal sun visor seems to not drop down far enough for some riders. Nevertheless, it is a small nitpick, as this internal visor will enhance your vision for sure!
Comfort & Fit
From a different range of users, the Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet has the best fit for people with round head shapes. If you have a round-shaped head, you will also feel some space on the top and forehead parts. Bottom line is that the Nolan N44 is a great fit for narrow heads.
We just want to say a bit more about how the Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet fits on the rider’s heads. Some riders report that it is quite a tight fit on their heads. That comes in the picture especially when you want to put it on with a chin guard in place. To remedy that, you can just remove the chin bar before inserting the helmet and then put it back. This is a kinda tedious process, compared to some other modular helmets.
Comfort Liner
Now, let’s check out the interior of the helmet. First, the comfort liner. It is fully removable and washable, so don’t worry about the sweaty smell! Nolan uses Clima-Comfort fabric in the comfort liner of the N44 helmet. Some of the benefits of this fabric are that it is resistant to bacteria, fungus, and is moisture-wicking.
The fabric does a great job of making the N44 helmet extremely comfortable, that’s for sure. It has that certain smoothy edge that you can feel on your skin while on the ride.
For additional noise protection, there is a dual collar attached to the comfort liner. You can remove it at any time, which you will probably want during the hotter days. To further regulate the noise levels going in the helmet, there is padded material on the helmet underside.
One nitpick with this comfort liner design is that it covers the ear pockets, which means that it will be harder to hear the sounds from your Bluetooth sound system or headphones. Because of this, for some users, the sides of the helmet can press against their faces. Nothing too detracting though.
Chin Strap
The Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet features a chin strap system labeled as Microlock2. It has nice padding, and you can strap it pretty tight, quick and easy. It does come with some problems, though.
Some users report that the chin strap is quite uncomfortable, as it pulls a bit too much just above Adam’s apple. Of course, this can also be a good thing, as tightening down the chin strap will greatly reduce the risk of the helmet falling off your head and causing a potential fatality. But, if you have a large Adam’s apple, the chin strap may be a bit problematic. The best remedy for that is to put a fleece fabric over the chin strap and make it more comfortable.
Safety Ratings
Like all the other P/J dual motorcycle helmets, the N44 features DOT and ECE 22.05 safety ratings. These ratings make it appropriate for sale on the global market. Also, these two safety certificates guarantee at least the minimum level of protection.
Of course, the Nolan N44 helmet features a removable chin guard that is tested for impact. That classifies it is as a dual homologated helmet. So, you can wear this helmet both in the open face and full-face configurations, and be reasonably safe during a crash.
For a more in-depth look on how safe this helmet is for you, just check out this creative and informative video:
Ventilation & Airflow
As it is essentially an upgrade over the Nolan N43, it is reasonable that Nolan has improved the ventilation with the N44 helmet. We can see this in the amazing top venting system.
So, let’s start at the top. We have the central slider and two side sliders. The central one controls the frontal air intake, while the side ones control the air extraction at the side of your crown. This panel is called Airbooster by Nolan. Well, this is a decent ventilation solution. Mainly because you can control how much air will flow through the top. Also, this system cools your head efficiently during the hotter days, so that is a godsend for sure! During the colder rides, you can just close the vents to retain the warmth.
So, how does the Airflow system exactly work? First of all, the side vents are in charge of directing the airflow through the channels that are forged into the EPS liner. Also, there are air holes that direct the airflow to the head of the rider and back through the exhaust vents. To improve the overall airflow, there is a mesh liner positioned between the EPS liner and the channels. It creates additional space, resulting in better airflow. Keep in mind that the exhaust vent is always open, as it is integrated into the shell of the N44 helmet.
While the Airbooster system certainly isn’t the best on the market, it is better than your average ventilation system! The airflow is a bit limited due to the smaller size of the top vent covers. Also, one thing to keep in mind is that light rain won’t enter through the vents if they are closed, but it can enter during heavy rain conditions.
Let’s move on to the bottom of the Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet now. A new addition, compared to the Nolan N43 helmet is the chin vent. It is integrated into the face shield as a large switch. This is a good solution for additional airflow to the back of the face shield. Probably the biggest benefit that you can get from the chin vent is the defog of the face shield. Also, the completely removable chin bar has two small side vents. They are practically useless if you have the face shield on, as it covers them. That’s why many riders just remove the face shield if they need to vent up their head during the hot rides.
Nolan N44 helmet certainly offers superb ventilation in full-face mode, and is better than your average full-face helmet on this front!
Noise Level
Most of the time, modular helmets have difficulties keeping the noise levels at reasonable levels. Well, one awesome thing is that Nolan actually paid more attention to this aspect of the N44 motorcycle helmet! Keep in mind that this aspect is totally subjective to each individual rider!
In the case of the N44 helmet, Nolan has built two neck roll sealers and large spoilers in the chin bar sides. This helps to regulate the noise getting inside the helmet.
Basically, when you close the vents, and in the full-face configuration; this helmet has much less noise than your regular modular helmet, which is awesome. When you ride this helmet in the open face mode, then it will be quite noisy, which is reasonable.
Nevertheless, the helmet will never be too noisy in a way that you won’t be able to listen to music or proceed calls to someone. So, we would say that Nolan did quite well when it comes to noise management!
Intercom Device Installation
Nolan has kept this feature in mind when constructing the N44 helmet. The Nolan N44 is mainly designed to support N-Com Bluetooth kits. Regardless of that, you can install your third-party intercom with no hassle.
You can find the comm device port at the rear of the internal sun visor slider. There is a small space there, but it is more than enough for most comm devices. Also, you need to take into consideration that this is the space between the shell and padding. Nevertheless, it is very easy to access.
Size & Weight
You can find the Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet in a wide range of sizes, even today. This range starts at 2XS and goes to 3XL. Keep in mind that the shell of this helmet comes in just two sizes. The first shell type covers sizes from 2XS to L, while the second one covers sizes from XL to 3XL.
Sadly, there is no official sizing chart from Nolan, so you will need to measure your head before getting this helmet correctly. Also, make sure to get the right shell size for you, because this helmet can look very big on a small head!
Here is a useful image that can help you with finding the right size for the Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet!
The weight of the Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet is 1687 grams, which is quite reasonable when you consider all the extra components you get with the helmet. That applies to the XL size variant of the helmet.
Pricing
All things considered, what is the price of the Nolan N44 helmet? Well, don’t worry, as the pricing is quite reasonable considering all the benefits you get from wearing this helmet. Keep in mind that you will get a five-year warranty for each N44 helmet! Well, let’s go through all the options!
First of all, you can choose from six different color schemes of the Nolan N44 helmet: Black, Matte Black, Metallic White, Platinum Silver, Black Graphite, Wine Cherry.
The other option that we are going to specify here is the Revzilla store. One benefit of buying the N44 helmet from this store is that they offer free shipping for the US market.
Probably the cheapest option to buy the Nolan N44 helmet is the Chromeburner Motorgear shop.
Closing Words
Nolan N44 motorcycle helmet sure was ahead of its time during its 2013 release, and we can see why! It is still one of the best modular helmets that your money can buy these days.
Generally, the N44 helmet feels stable in all of its configurations, even though you may not need to use all of the six configurations. Still, it is great to have a wide range of choices!
The visibility that this helmet offers you, especially in the full-face configuration, is one of the best in the dual homologated motorcycle helmet market. From this perspective, it feels like you are actually wearing an open-face helmet, which is a huge benefit.
When it comes to ventilation, a huge amount of air can flow through the N44, thanks to the vent sliders. Although it kinda feels noisy at times, it is still not such a huge factor to detract you from trying out this amazing motorcycle helmet!
Reasonably priced, versatile, and with one of the best visibility around, Nolan N44 is the modular motorcycle helmet that feels high-quality and performs extremely well. We highly recommend this helmet if you are an urban rider, no matter if your journeys are short or long. You won’t be disappointed, that’s for sure!
Enjoyed this post? Feel free to check out our other motorcycle helmet reviews and find the best fit for your taste!
