Video: Nolan N120-1 helmet review
Nolan have joined the flipover party with their N120-1, and they're a very welcome arrival
20 Dec 2024
Nolan X-1005 Ultra Carbon
Nolan X-904 Ultra Carbon
Nolan X-904 Ultra Carbon Quin
Nolan X-903 Ultra Carbon
Nolan X-804 RS Ultra Carbon
Nolan N120-1 N-Com
Nolan N100-6 N-Com
Nolan N100-5
Nolan N90-3
Nolan N80-8
Nolan N70-2 X
Nolan N60-6
Nolan N60-6 Sport
Nolan N21
Nolan N30-4 VP
Nolan N90-3 ECE 22.06
Nolan N70-2 X ECE 22.06
Nolan X-552 Ultra Carbon
Nolan N40-5
Nolan N21 Visor
Nolan N20-2 Visor
Nolan N20-2
Nolan X-904 Ultra Carbon I-ESS
Nolan N120-1 Classico - Grey The team at Bristol where great as usual with the order arriving quickly from their storage area. The fit for me is great and I like how understated it is especially in the grey. Classico is also a good name as it retains classic type silhouette.
The only slight down side is that when I dip my head - to look at the speedo etc - I can definitely feel a blast of air from the top of the helmet even with the head vent shut.
Nolan X-904 Ultra Carbon Puro - Matt Carbon Only used it once, but is very comfortable and quiet. It looks well made and I think it looks fantastic in the mat black carbon.
Very easy to fit my Sena intercom in to.
Nolan N120-1 Classico Nobile - Matt Pietra Bought this helmet in size M to replace a Schuberth C3 Pro and specifically wanted a flip over style this time. Having also tried on the HJC F100 and LS2 Advant II in a 58cm, the Nolan was the one that fitted the best.
I’ve just completed a 1000 mile Picos de Europa tour in temperatures between 12 deg and 28 deg, and both dry and wet weather with this helmet on a Forza 350 scooter. It performed very well, didn’t get in the way of the tour, was easily wearable for all day riding, and was quiet enough at motorway speeds when coupled with custom filtered ear plugs. The visor seals well and, in combination with the bike screen, kept water out through some quite heavy rain.
The sun visor extends low enough to give excellent coverage for me and has a grey tint which was very effective in the bright Spanish sun
Compared to the Schuberth, refitting the visor after cleaning is much more fiddly. I thought it was on securely but it fell off when I lifted the visor to put the helmet on - fortunately without damage.
The Shark OXO is essentially the same helmet. I didn’t bother trying one on because they’re more expensive, and I preferred the Nolan colour.
In the size M, this helmet just fits under my Forza 350’s seat, in both the forward and rear positions. I’d suggest to check before purchase with larger shell sizes.
The build quality isn’t as good as the Schuberth, but it’s significantly cheaper and represents great value for money.
I’ve fitted the Shark Sena Mesh Wave intercom rather than the Nolan N-Com Mesh unit. They’re identical apart from some branding but the Shark unit is £15 cheaper, and even cheaper still with the combined helmet/intercom VAT saving. One thing not in the specs for the intercom is that it uses 40mm speakers which fit the helmet recesses perfectly.
Nolan N30-4 T - Classic Metal White This is a good helmet and perfect for the next heatwave but when ordering you see a picture of a silver helmet, not white. The description is Metal White so combined with the image I expected a light silver colour to replace my old ones (2 ordered) rather than a dark gun metal grey but certainly not pure white.
Nolan N80-8 N-Com - Powerglide Flat Black / Gold Absolutely love my new helmet. Great quality and great price for an amazing product. No wind noise and very comfortable
Nolan N80-8 N-Com - Classic Metal White Superb value,well made, interior sun visor.micrometric fastening perfect for cold fingers. Came complete with anti fog insert.
Nolan N40-5 Classico Nobile - Blue As a returning rider following a 30 year absence from bike ownership, I didn t really know what to look for with modern helmets but I am delighted with this choice.
It comes with both a clear and smoked main visor which are easy to swap out. It also has an integral flip down sunvisor which has been really useful.
I found that the smoked main visor was a little too dark on overcast British weather days so I have opted to ride with the clear visor most of the time and to use the internal drop-down sunvisor when the sun is bright.
One point to note though is if you re riding directly into the sun the internal sunvisor is not quite dark enough. It feels like you could do with a pair of shades on underneath the visor. On days like that it would probably be better to have the smoked main visor on and the internal sunvisor working together. The problem is that I would not carry the spare main visor with me, so occasionally you re going to be in situations riding into bright sunlight with only the clear main visor and the internal sunvisor.
I love the metallic blue colour and the design of the helmet. It s an open face helmet which is what I wanted, so overall I would recommend this product.