Nolan N85 Virage Helmet
4.5
5
14
14
May be a good helmet for the price, but it's no Shoei--or even HJC.
The good: 1)The internal visor is a great convenience feature. Others have complained that it does not extend far enough down. I disagree. The opening at the bottom allows me to read the digital info on my gauges without having to lift the visor. 2) Air flow with the top vents open is superb, but you pay a price for the ventilation: noise level increases dramatically. 3)wide field of view. 4)easy face shield removal. 4)nice partial opening options for the face shield.
The bad [keep in mind, some of this is by comparison to my old Shoei RF800] 1)the N85 places unequal pressure on the top of my head. As a result, the top of my head towards the front develops a hot spot. I dremmeled out a wee bit of the styrofoam at the front which seemed to relieve some of the pressure, but the helmet is simply weighted too much in front. No hot spots with my Shoei or with my even older HJC. 2) the N85 is at least 2x louder in clean air compared to my RF800 when riding my CBR. No big difference when riding the Goldwing. 3)over-all comfort--the N85 can't begin to compare with my RF800. The RF800 is PLUSH. The N85 is a bit on the harsh side, even by comparison to my old,old HJC. And, no, I don't think it's a matter of "break-in". The N85 padding is too thin to need any break-in period.
Bottom line: If I had it to do over again, I would spend the extra $$ for the latest version of the Shoei RF--or maybe opt for an HJC. Obviously, YMMV.
June 15, 2013
Worth the money!
The helmet fits true to sizing, but the cheek pads are a little tight (could be due to my chubby cheeks though). Ventilation is great, the helmet is light, and I love the inner sun visor. The helmet is stable and very aerodynamic. I am so glad i bought it.
June 8, 2013
One loud lid
Had the helmet a few weeks. Rode it in 40-85 degree weather.
First the good. I like the graphics, the red/white matches my 1987 FJ1200 perfectly. I like the flip down sun screen and the micro-lock system. I like the shape and the fit. The quality of the padding seems good. I like the pin-lock system and the visor has never shown signs of fogging. It fits my round head well. Aerodynamics are good at speed. The helmet is fairly and comfortably light.
Not so good. This is a very loud helmet. Unridable without earplugs or earbuds. Annoyingly loud. The vents seem to do nothing. On a hot ride I tested them and could detect no cooling or airflow thru either the front or the top. My head was sweating, if air was flowing I should have been able to feel it.
If I hadn't worn it riding I would have returned it.
May 14, 2013
Light, comfortable, feature rich helmet for a decent price...
Previous helmet: Scorpion EXO 400.
I've only put in about 30 miles on this helmet, but I can say that so far, I am very satisfied. The helmet feels very light and balanced and only gets pushed around by the wind above 70+ MPH. Noise is about average but so far I have not heard the dreaded whistling I did with the Scorpion with the face shield up.
Air flow is greatly improved over the Scorpion. Liner material and padding is very comfortable. One added benefit is that my eyeglasses don't fog up any more! With the Scorpion, I had to constantly treat my glasses to keep them from fogging. No more! So far I am very happy with this helmet.
May 8, 2013
Great helmets for the price
I bought this helmet to incease protection. I got alot more. The helmet is quiet with the vents closed as well as open if at the correct angle to the wind. It is light and can hardly feel it on because it is comfortable. The VPS system seemed to be a little higher in my vision than I wanted but once I rode with it, I found it to be perfect. The publicly system lives up to its reputation. I have tried to make the visor fog with it in but could not. It is very easy to remove the check pads for cleaning which can be very convenient on longer rides. Up to about 70 this helmet is rock solid as far as aerodynamics but after that it tends to want to drift around. Overall I very much enjoy this helmet and is well worth the price.
April 29, 2013
A very light helmet
I like the inner polarized visor and the low weight. Is one of the best helmets in market.
January 31, 2013
Pleasantly surprised!
Replaces my Caberg modular. Much lighter and easier to remove shields (including drop down sun visor). Used it on a four hour ride and it felt fine all the time. I am a long oval and this helmet worked. Only negatives, cheek pads very snug and visor could go further down. Paint and finish good. Got white with red details. Hope they add a hi-vis soon.
October 29, 2012
Great fit and finish
Fits nice. Looks great. Love the chin buckle. You can take off with one hand. Fog free.
October 15, 2012
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