Summary: A good quality, medium priced full faced helmet that features an integral sun visor. It’s also SHARP 4 star safety rated (which is very good!)
- Note: the N64 is no longer produced. Take a look at our Top 10 Full Face Helmets page to find a quality alternative.
- SHARP 4 Star safety rated (out of 5)
- In-built sun visor
- Polycarbonate shell
- 3.3lbs/1.5Kg
- Prices typically range from $220-$270
The Nolan N85 is in a competitive sector in the crash helmets market. It’s a full face helmet with integral sun visor that scores well in the crash helmet safety tests – but it’s the price point that’s particularly exciting. It’s not the cheapest by any stretch but it is well featured for this price point- which is undoubtedly where many of us live.
The N85 has a polycarbonate shell which will put off quite a few people I reckon. Polycarbonate shells offer perfectly good protection but they are a little less durable than fiberglass or composite helmets and prone to weaken if you don’t look after them. This helmet has passed the EC 22.05 regulation 22 test but it’s also scored highly on the SHARP test (like many 4 star helmets showing only a slight weakness on the side-impact tests).
One of the key selling points of the N85 is the integral sun visor. It’s operated by a little lever on the left hand side of the helmet. There are a couple of reports that it’s a bit fiddly and that the smoked visor can catch on the lining so it’s worth checking out on the one you buy to make sure it operates correctly. The sun visor is anti scratch too.
The main shield can be removed without tools (it has a button to press to remove the shield) and users report it has a nice solid movement and feel to it. It’s also labelled as giving UV 400 protection.
Best place to buy this Nolan crash helmet?
We recommend Revzilla (PA) for outstanding service and free shipping, and BTO Sports (CA) who have great online reviews as well as offering free shipping and returns!
Onto ventilation. The N85 has a couple of vents on the forehead which are closeable individually and are fiddly with gloved hands. It also has a single central chin vent. It has a large rear exhaust vent along the rear of the helmet. The idea of this is that the helmet produces a little vacuum behind it on the move which actively pulls air from the helmet, drawing it in towards the front. It works effectively, even in hot weather, and there’s a couple of vents that exit directly onto the scalp inside the helmet to keep the head cool.
It’s widely reported that the N85 is pretty comfortable. The lining is anti-bac/fungal treated and fully removable and washable, including the cheek pads. The chin strap is the usual microlock system, which is good. A couple of buyers said the helmet was a little noisy compared to other helmets they’d used – the overall opinion seems to be that it’s about average.
There’s also a little flap on the side of the helmet which can be removed so you can slot in the Nolan N-Com communicator which is sold separately. That’s pretty cool, if you want to go with the N-com basic version but it can be tricky to fit in any non-N-Com kit (or even retro-fit the N-Com bluetooth) so best to check it’ll fit before you buy.
The Nolan N85 is a medium-priced helmet but for the price you get a reasonable specification and some good features – including the integral sun screen which riders found very useful. It’s a sound buy for the money – especially as it’s being pretty well discounted around the place. It’s a good buy compared to other similarly specced crash helmets for sale. Recommended.
If you want to check out more helmets, check out our Crash Helmets Reviews section or click the brand name in the main menu.
If you’ve used a Nolan 85 – we’d love to hear what you thought of it by using the comments box below. Thanks!
