THE HISTORY OF THE NOLAN GROUP Great companies are born out of great passion. The Nolan group began in 1972 when Lander Nocchi – an enthusiast and entrepreneur in motorcycle accessories – decided to make motorcycle helmets that would be lighter, safer and more affordable than comparative products. He sourced a plastic material called Lexan, which proved to be lighter, more versatile, and stronger than other plastics on the market.
Nolan Continental / Xlite / N-Com
Over the next 40 years Nolan built a reputation as the leading innovator in helmet feature & design, offering the best feature / quality / price ratio, and is now regarded by customers and competition brands alike as one of the world leaders in helmet manufacturing, and offers a benchmark of quality that other brands envy.
THE X-Lite BRAND In 1998 the Nolan Group expanded to create the X-Lite brand. X-Lite combines all of the technology & innovations of Nolan, but only makes Composite Fibre helmets. Nolan built a completely specialised manufacturing plant to combine the most advanced manufacturing techniques & machinery with the hands-on craftsman’s care & skills that are required to produce the highest quality Composite helmets. Each X-Lite composite shell is hand laid with Carbon, Kevlar, glass, & other special materials, laid in specific patterns & sections of the helmet shell to cope with different impact areas, & different standards testing. This process provides the best balance between shell lightness, shock absorption, and penetration resistance. * There are some crossover Nolan helmets that use X-Lite Composite shells. Each of these models are designated with an ‘X’ in the part number.
Wooden helmet mould Early N-09
80’s Nolan N-35 J5W
NOLAN / X-Lite RACING Nolan and X-Lite have a continual list of team riders in all elite levels of racing. The most obvious of these are world champions Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Carlos Checa, & Marco Melandri. Thanks to the specialised Nolan technicians that work in support of their professional riders, many ideas are created, tested and implemented onto production helmets thanks to race track experiences and extreme testing in race situations.
100% MADE IN ITALY – BY NOLAN ALL stages of helmet design and manufacture are managed within the Nolan group – not by subcontractors like other brands.
The Nolan & X-Lite manufacturing plants are environmentally friendly, and utilise nothing but the best and most advanced machines and techniques available. They use computer aided designs & machines for tool/mould making, have automated climate controlled painting conveyor lines, and use several robotic arms to sand moulding marks from shells, and even to accurately guide precision high pressure water jets that cut eye ports and vent holes in Composite shells. Outstanding technology and procedures makes outstanding helmets!
Nolan test all components of their products through wear tests on specially designed robotic ‘torture machines’, rigorous crash testing in their state-of-the-art crash lab, and extensive road and race testing, and even have a special Optical Lab to test the quality of the visors they produce. For example, Nolan visor mechanisms are tested with over 15,000 open/close cycles on a robotic arm, and then the components are re-tested for quality and function.
5 YEAR WARRANTY! After making and assembling every part of their helmets in house, Nolan have the confidence to provide an outstanding 5 year warranty (from date of purchase) on any material or production defect. You can be confident that your customer will get a long and happy life from their Nolan Helmet!
Composite shell cutting
Robot sander
Nolan uses special robots to sand and cut shells for perfect products every time.
www.ronangel.com.au
Nolan Continental / Xlite / N-Com
Nolan source nothing but the best quality raw materials to manufacture their products. They then produce each component of their helmets to their precise quality standards on their state of the art machinery, then assemble and package the final product. This 100% control of the product ensures that each Nolan and X-Lite helmet come together to provide quality, fit and finish that are a cut above the rest.
NOLAN TESTING
ADVANCED DESIGN FEATURES Nolan are constantly at the forefront of innovative helmet design, advanced features and accessories. They have pioneered many designs and features like their N-Com integrated communications systems, advanced mechanisms on Flip-Up & Multi-Configuration helmets, & VPS tinted half visors to name a few. Along with designing each vent, feature and mechanism on their helmets to provide a visually pleasing design, quality of function and long component life are simply outstanding.
Nolan Continental / Xlite / N-Com
Advanced features = Advanced function.
Countless hours of testing are done in Nolan’s hi-tech crash labs.
Extensive structural testing is performed on helmet shells in Nolan’s state-of-the-art testing labs to find the best combination of safety & weight.
Nolan’s Multi-Density EPS liners are designed in conjunction with the helmet shell to find the optimum thickness & density for the best possible shock absorption and helmet weight.
NOLAN LEXAN SHELLS Injection moulded Lexan resin is used to make Nolan helmet shells. This product was chosen as it provides far superior impact resistance, structural integrity, & lighter weight than all other forms of polycarbonate used in the manufacture of helmet shells. Lexan is the best option for day-to-day helmet use.
By starting from raw polystyrene of only the highest quality & using multiple densities in different sections of the liner to cope with different forces that occur during crashes, the end result is a liner that offers the optimum thickness & density to provide the best shock absorption & dispersion, impact resistance, weight, & helmet fit.
* Lexan is also used in many other high impact applications like bullet proof glass and riot shields.
VISORS
Nolan start with the highest quality raw materials, then use their testing labs and make countless prototypes to design & manufacture each Lexan helmet shell specifically to suit our standards testing specifications. By designing the helmet shell & EPS liners in conjunction, Nolan can use the best combination of thickness & density of each part to provide optimum safety, shock absorption, penetration resistance, & overall helmet weight. When used in conjunction with Nolan’s specifically designed Multi-Density EPS liners, Nolan Lexan shells offer safety levels that surpass fibreglass helmets and are only matched by the very best composite helmets. Nolan shells are painted with special ecological water based paints, high quality decals are applied, & then a special Hi-Brite protective coating is applied to provide better durability & longer colour life.
EPS LINERS The EPS liner has an absolutely massive roll in shock absorption and disbursement, and is actually more important than the shell when dispersing the shock from an impact.
Nolan’s VPS Systems offer enhanced vision, versatility and safety.
Nolan design & manufacture the EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) liner for each size in each helmet model specifically to suit our Australian standards testing specifications.
VPS Tinted Half Visor Systems Nolan were the first motorcycle helmet manufacturer to utilise a VPS (Vision Protection System) tinted half visor, and it has now become a highly valued feature in modern helmet design. Nolan’s VPS systems offer the rider an option to have a tinted visor with just the flick of a lever – no carrying spare visors or stopping to change ithem. Nolan VPS Systems are made from high quality Lexan OQ, and are SR (Scratch Resistant) & FR (Fog Resistant). Nolan Visor Quality Nolan manufacture their visors from high quality Lexan OQ resin to provide higher safety levels and a longer visor life. They offer UV protection of 400 nanometres (clear visor), and have a special SR (Scratch Resistant) coating on both sides to provide an even longer visor life. Nolan visors are available in Clear, Dark Tint, Mirror, and Iridium Blue. Anti-Fog Systems Nolan visors are ready for Nolan’s NFR Anti-Fog visor inserts to provide fog-free use in & safety in all conditions. * Most Nolan helmets are supplied with an NFR insert for free ($35 value).
N-COM COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS Nolan were the first helmet manufacturer to offer a fully integrated communication / multi-media system for their helmets. By offering several different components that are compatible with each other, Nolan’s N-Com systems can be adapted to suit each rider’s personal needs.
* Further information on N-Com systems is available in the following pages.
NOLAN VENTILATION SYSTEMS Depending on the application of the helmet, Nolan ventilation systems utilise 3 main features – Chin vent, Top vents, and Extraction vents. • Chin vents effectively convey air directly to the visor to reduce fogging, & also create fresh air in the helmet. • Top vents are positioned on the ‘brow’ of the helmet just above the visor, or at the top of the helmet (or both). Nolan utilise air channels within the helmet’s EPS lining to distribute air to multiple points to avoid local cooling. Some Nolan helmets utilise Nolan’s JSW system which takes air in at the front of the vent, and expels it through the back of the vent creating a Venturi effect, pulling hot / stale air from the helmet. • Rear Extraction vents are utilised on some models to further promote internal air flow. They work in conjunction with internal channelling in the EPS liner and Clima Comfort liner to enhance the removal of hot / stale air.
Nolan’s research and development of helmet liners has utilised every-day road testing, information from their race teams, wind tunnels and telemetric data machines to measure helmet movement in order to find the best liner materials and densities. The final results are liners that are made with premium hypoallergenic materials, the optimum density support padding materials, and the best quality breathable surface linings to provide comfort in all conditions.
Nolan’s integrated N-Com communication systems allow the rider to speak to other bikes or passengers, and connect to phones and multi-media devices.
Sections of some liners are also bonded by a special UHF thermowelding to replace stitching in some areas to further improve comfort. All components are treated with a special Sanitised anti-bacterial treatment to maintain freshness, fit and feel and a longer lasting liner life. Liners on most Nolan helmets are also easily removable & washable, further enhancing comfort & liner life.
Effective Intake and Extraction vents provide comfort in all conditions.
Only premium Hypoallergenic materials are used in Nolan’s liners.
www.ronangel.com.au
Nolan Continental / Xlite / N-Com
• Bluetooth to passenger or bike to bike. • Rider to passenger by cable. • Mobile phone connection by Bluetooth or cable. • Connection to Sat Nav systems, other Multi-Media & music sources by Bluetooth or cable.
CLIMA COMFORT LINERS