Nolan-USA has upped their game once more and upgraded their already famous N86 (which was an upgrade to their N85). This is a full face road helmet from Nolan with an attractive design and a lot of innovative features. It is available in a variety of colors, some old and popular and some new, to attract an even wider audience.
The upgrades come in the form of a contemporary design for visor and sunscreen. There is also a ‘tilting’ mechanism for opening the visor which we will discuss soon. Value added features and redesigns include reduced chances of water and air ‘infiltration’ through gaps between visor and the shell. Check price here.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
What Would You Love?
The Nolan N87 helmet is filled to the brim with patented technologies and novelties. The primary improvements come in the form of increased usability. Nolan is trying to make everyone as happy as possible. In doing so, they have provided a tilting mechanism so that your visor opens up without ever so touching anything in the rim area. The tilting mechanism is basically a short give to the plastic attachment where the visor fulcrum is fixed to the shell. They have a video on their website that demonstrates this. The visor snap fits at the bottom to prevent accidental opening.
Nolan recognized the agony of the people who still find spectacles trendy, and have arranged the cheek pads and to be ‘eyewear adaptive’. The chin strap here is in the form of a double lever retentions system, named ‘Microlock’, instead of the traditional Double – Ds. The helmet is also set up for their own N-COM communication system, which will be the standard fit for all their future helmets (probably).
The Top Features to Look Out For
It does look fantastic from the outside, so let’s take a peek at what Nolan has in store for us.
Shell
The shell has become progressively attractive over the iterations, in the looks department. For the N87, Nolan has given three choices to you–the ‘Harp’, ‘Rapid’ and ‘Solid Colors’.
These versions are almost same in construction, design and features, but you get a wide variety of selection in colors and graphics, with the ‘Harp’ version featuring a black/yellow combo. The intermediate oval shape continues from the previous iterations and should be a snug fit for about 80% of the target audience, although Nolan has given a choice of 2 categories of shell sizes for the picky ones.
The material used in the construction of its shell is polycarbonate which means it is very impact-proof and lightweight. The DOT certification should put any doubts in your mind to rest.
There are two roof scoops at the top which give a very ‘tuner car’ look when you look at it from certain angles.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Visors
The size of the face-shield has been increased considerably. Now there is a wider viewing angle, but the frosting on the cake is, that you can fit Pinlock anti-fog insert lenses. You do not have to purchase one afterwards (well, you can) as one Pinlock lens is included in the package!
The drop-down sunscreen (VPS) comes with a UV400 protection and has 7 adjustable positions. The adjuster-lever is right behind the visor attachment system on the left and rotates in the same direction as the visor. Fancy that!
Ventilation
The N87 has an improved ventilation system over the previous designs. It is not a complete redesign, but more like an overhaul. The chin vent sucks in air like all other helmets do, but the similarity ends there itself. There is a conduit behind the visor that bifurcates on either side of the nose with 5 grooves each. This is supposed to blow the incoming air directly on the inner side of the visor (extra defogging!) and over your head, but it may lose its way and get in your eyes. The roof scoops at the top channel the air over your scalp to keep the top cool.
The rear exhaust is connected to the channels and works on the basis of vacuum to suck out the hot, moist air in the lid to give an optimal ventilation experience.
Padding and Lining
The Clima Comfort inner padding is removable and washable. The helmet feels comfortable as soon as you wear it, thanks to the soft fabric. It is even micro-perforated strategically so your skin only comes in contact with the smooth section, not the perforated one.
An adequately perforated chin guard is also provided which can be removed if you wish. And the cheek pads fit over an extra EPS lining which have grooves on either side that facilitate the eyewear adaptation system.
Customer Reviews
This one has some mixed reviews, but this is not something to be worried about. The main concerns were a malfunctioning ventilation in some cases and a lackluster noise-reduction. A few of them took a while getting used to Microlock.
But the pros overshadow these cons when you consider what you get in the package. Most customers are happy about their purchases, but not without some healthy comparison to Arai ones.
We have worked closely with RevZilla, Amazon and 2Wheel over the years to provide our testers with products to review. They are all great partners and unique in their own ways, so make sure to check out their prices. Please don’t forget we may get a commission if you buy from them.
Bottom Line
At 3.1 to 3.2 pounds and jam-packed with state-of-the-art features and a DOT certification, this helmet should be more than a bargain for you. Even if you don’t fancy any characteristics in particular, it is well worth the money. Why? Free Pinlock!