Welcome to our breakdown of the new version of the Nolan N87 helmet – the N87 Plus. The N87 Plus is the newest in Nolan’s full-face range of helmets. This helmet comes at a recommended retail price of about £179 which is around $240. That’s just €60 more than a normal N87.
We still see some compromises here on Nolan’s part same as with the normal N87; mainly in the material and shell size. With this price point though, the N87 Plus is one of the best entry-level helmets on the market.
Keep on reading to find out if N87 Plus is worth your money!
Table of Contents
Nolan N87 Plus Helmet Review – Features
Here are some of the main features of the Nolan N87 Plus motorcycle helmet:
- Full-face helmet
- Lexan polycarbonate shell
- Weighs 3,46 lbs (1,57 kg)
- AirBooster ventilation technology
- Anti-scratch and fog-resistant, Pinlock-ready clear shield
- Integrated sun visor with UV400 protection
- Comfortable inner padding
- Emergency release cheek pad
- DOT safety certification
Without further ado, let’s begin our review, shall we?
The Shell
The N87 Plus shell is made of Lexan which is polycarbonate formed through an injection molding process. Even though it is polycarbonate, it is the highest-quality polycarbonate out there. Lexan is the same material that premium helmet manufacturers use to make their visors.
In the case of N87 Plus, we can see a bit of the price compromise though. Polycarbonate is a material that will help manufacturers keep costs down, while still giving you the same level of protection; especially since this helmet is ECE certified.
The only trade-off here is that you need more polycarbonate material to give you the same level of protection as fiberglass or carbon fiber. The only thing here is you’ll have a slightly heavier helmet. Also, the trade-off here is that this helmet only comes in two shell sizes, which is a shame since that means fewer helmet sizes covering a full-size range. This means you may get a bulkier helmet which will be heavier and less comfortable over time.
While the N87 Plus hasn’t been rated by Sharp yet, the N87 has and it did pretty well, earning four stars, though not as well for side impacts. For weight, this helmet did pretty well, with about 1570 grams in a fairly average M size.
Ventilation
If we take a look at the ventilation on the N87 Plus, we’re getting the same as the previous N87, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In this case, it’s Nolan’s air booster technology for the upper vents here, which are adjustable in the brow, and they are on both sides.
There’s also got a chin vent here that you can open and close to let air in from the front of the breath guard. Both of these should help with anti-fogging. All this hot air will come out through the helmet, specifically through the exhaust in the back. So, overall pretty decent options.
Visor
When we look at the visor, it’s a pretty standard offering from Nolan. It will help prevent fogging, not to mention that it’s anti-scratch, so there is great value here. You can also open this visor to the upside if you need to let a bit of air in.
There is an integrated sun visor controlled by a toggle on the side of the visor. It’s nice since you can lower the visor down as much as you need to get that right fit. To take the visor off, it’s fairly simple. All you need to do is open it up to the full upright position. Then, you pull the side tabs down and it should snap out. Do the same for the other side and you have successfully removed the visor.
To put it back in again, it’s just as easy. You just need to slide it into the holes and push for both sides, just line it up and there you go.
Liner
This is where Nolan has made some substantial changes. The N87 Plus sports Nolan’s comfortable inner padding, and it has an emergency release cheek pad system which is a great added safety feature.
The liner is removable, washable, antibacterial and should fit glasses as well. It can be removed with a screwdriver. To take out the inner liner of the N87 Plus, first, we need to take out the cheek pads. That is done by pressing the two buttons on the sides. The Micro Ratchet chinstrap and the emergency release cheek pads are located on the sides too.
The liner looks pretty good. There are some holes at the bottom for ventilation and they offer extra comfort. Moving on, when we take out the cheek pad, we can see the comfort padding at the top. To take out the comfort liner we’re going to need a screwdriver since we have to unscrew the back of the helmet which is also coincidentally the same space where the Bluetooth communication device will go.
So, we just need to unscrew it first and then the liner should pretty much snap out of the helmet as well as three snaps in the forehead, and now you can see the comfort padding. It looks pretty nice, and we can see how Nolan beefed it up compared to the original N87 helmet. There is plenty of net on the top which is going to be great for ventilation as well.
Now, looking at the EPS foam, there is a decent amount of it, so this helmet should hopefully ventilate pretty well. We’ll see how it does out on the road later. You can also see how this helmet is further prepared for the communication devices since it’s got ear cutouts as well as the space in the bottom for the rest of the device.
Now, let’s see how this helmet performs on the road!
Performance On The Road
Ventilation
Testing was done on the highway with an exterior temperature of 9 degrees Celsius. The internal temperature of the helmet was about 11 degrees Celsius under these weather conditions. This is a difference of two degrees which isn’t too bad.
Noise & Comfort
For noise, the test result was about 102 dB which is also fairly average for a full-face helmet. Keep in mind that the wind speed during the testing session was in a range of about 115 – 130 km/h.
Our tester found the helmet very comfortable saying that it performed very well for a helmet in its entry-level price range.
Summing Up
Now, let’s sum it all up!
Even though the N87 Plus is made of Lexan, it is still polycarbonate and comes in two shell sizes.
The helmet also has an average visor. Nolan has provided the helmet with an anti-fog pin lock and the insert is in the box.
The N87 plus also does fairly average at about 102dB when it comes to noise reduction.
When we consider the ventilation capabilities, we had a difference of two degrees Celsius, which is a decent result.
Last but not least, for comfort, the helmet also did very well for an entry-level helmet, especially when you consider its added adjustability.
The N87 is a solid helmet even though it comes at a bit on the expensive side for an actionable helmet. Then again, this is definitely a top tier entry helmet performing very consistently and comfortably across all categories.
So, if you’re looking for a bang for your buck, the N87 Plus delivers just a bit extra on comfort than. It’s coming in at a great price of €280.
N87 Plus is a very comfortable helmet that performs pretty well on the road.
Check out the prices for the N87 Plus helmet!
It should definitely be on the list of the best helmets of 2021.
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