I am a young chap who bought his bike on finance for an everyday use. I am not a person able to spend an awful lot of money, especially on my gear, but I wanted something I could use all year around. I got a jacket and a pair of gloves from Alpinestars.
I wanted a full-face helmet as I really don’t like the flip-up on some of them. They had a large range of helmets in store between £55 to £500 or something. I tried a few on my price range (and I also tried a Shoei, just for the fun!).
The helmet I chose is the new full-face helmet from Nolan which is an Italian brand. I really like it because it has a sporty look with a small integrated spoiler at the rear. The outer shell is in polycarbonate, and I’ve been told it was highly resistant.
I was surprised to find a sun screen visor on this helmet (at this price I mean). This was definitely a plus. It can be easily activated on the left of the helmet. The sun visor is scratch resistant and fog resistant. The Pin-Log is included and already fitted on to the visor, which save time and money, another plus!
I wanted a helmet with a lot of ventilation, as I tend to sweat a lot. The ventilation system on this particular one is great: top air intake, chin guard air intake and a rear extractor placed in the spoiler. You even get a wind protector that prevents the air infiltration from the chin area.
The padding inside is really comfortable and removable. I've been told that I would be able to wash it separately in the washing machine. I tried to take the padding off directly when I got home and it is really easy with the snap mechanism.
In term of retention, the helmet does not have the usual Double D-ring, but a plastic ratchet. I found it easier and the sales person did say to me that it was as safe as the Double D-ring. They must know what they are speaking about.
In fact, I got this particular helmet because of the price: £139.99 for a plain black and £169.99 for a design one. For this price, you get a lot of features, included the sun screen visor and a great ventilation system. It is also already set up for an N-Com system (available separately). I use it every day to get to work and I find it very comfortable and very practical. For a young chap like me, I reckon this is the helmet to go for and the best one to start with.
As I bought the bike from the shop, I got 10% off, so I went for the expensive model with the design (the same as on the picture).
 |
| Nolan N86 Rapid N-Com Back |
