- This topic has 10 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 10 months ago by WeaponZero.
A word on earplugs…
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May 28, 2010 at 3:50 pm #4006IBA270Participant
I’m continually surpised at the number of people I meet riding that do not wear ear plugs. Some have never thought of it while others are concerned that they won’t be able to hear things around them, or worse won’t be able to hear their ipods or telephones. Earplugs should be a part of your overall safety strategy. Just like you suit up with your helmet, jacket, gloves, boots and pants, your earplugs should be on that list.
The Db level when riding is high enough to cause permanent hearing loss. Earplugs prevent this, but also make it much easier to hear what’s going on around you; cars, sirens, your motorcycle, etc. because they limit ambient noise; wind, road noise, etc. Beyond that, your ride will be much less stressfull and more enjoyable. If you haven’t started wearing them, try them on your next ride.
Be safe out there…
May 28, 2010 at 6:05 pm #26793stuParticipantI have not thought much of it. I have foam plugs for shooting which block out a lot. I’ve always relied on my hearing and foam plugs irritate me after a while, hurt my ears.
Do you have custom plugs or just foam squishies?
May 28, 2010 at 6:54 pm #26795Gary856ParticipantWhen I started riding on a GS500 w/ a small Givi windscreen and Shoei RF-1000 helmet the wind roar became deafening above 45-50 mph, so I’ve always worn ear plugs which make a huge difference in riding comfort. Much later I found a lot of that wind roar was from the windscreen directing high pressure air at the helmet level. When I removed the windscreen the wind noise was significantly less, bearable even up to 60-70 mph for a short time. But by then I was so used to wearing ear plugs and want to protect my hearing, I wouldn’t go on the freeway without them.
It does seem many people are less sensitive to wind noise, and/or are less concerned about hearing protection. A friend rides a FJR with a full face helmet, another rides a Honda VTX with either a full face or beanie helmet, and these two guys aren’t too worried about the wind noise. They tell me that it’s pretty quiet behind their big touring screens. The VTX riding guy tells me wearing a beanie helmet lets him hear and yell at people (drivers, pedestrians, etc.) while riding; that’s a strange concept to me
May 28, 2010 at 7:11 pm #26796Jeff in KentuckyParticipantI do not like ear plugs, after trying them. I use both a windshield and a full face helmet to reduce wind noise, and limit the amount I ride at one time to 22 miles, except for longer trips maybe twice a year. Here is an article with some research results:
May 28, 2010 at 9:29 pm #26803madjak30ParticipantI just started wearing the ear plugs…wow, much more relaxing to ride…I was avoiding riding on roads above 80kph (50mph), I didn’t like it and found it boring…after the ear plugs, the drone of the wind noise was all but gone and could hear the bike. I thought I wouldn’t hear anything, but the opposite is true. Now I can hear more because the wind noise is toned down to a level that is noticable, but not over powering everything….
May 29, 2010 at 2:35 pm #26814eternal05ParticipantYes, motorcycle riding can cause hearing loss if you’re in the right environment, but more importantly, whether you damage your hearing or not, riding on the highway without earplugs WILL fatigue you much more quickly and make you less able to observe audio cues around you. If you’re riding a bike with a loud aftermarket pipe, and especially if you ride at the track, wearing earplugs will prevent serious damage caused by seriously loud engine noise (105+dB), both yours and others’.
May 31, 2010 at 7:17 pm #26838owlieParticipantI tried out ear plugs about a month after I started riding- and the difference that it made was incredible. It was so much less stressful to be out on the busier streets and take longer rides. The only difference that I found in what I can hear is that one level of the bike’s sound was completely blocked at low speeds. I missed it the first week or two, but I don’t even think about it now.
Now, I don’t like to ride without them and keep box of the disposable foam ones next to my helmet and a ziploc bag of extras in my backpack.
June 1, 2010 at 4:02 pm #26860CBBaronParticipantI don’t wear ear plugs for my commute as I don’t get over about 40 mph and that speed is not often on my urban commute. But I definitely wear them for anything else. The difference at 70mph was huge. Even a few miles at 70mph felt like I was beat up badly. With plugs it was no problem.
If you are having trouble with comfort try one of these
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/unfoamtrialp1.html
58 different ear plugs for pretty cheap. Once you find your favorite order a bunch. The generic ones from the hardware store were much less comfortable than most of the ones I’ve tried so far. Still have many to go.
Craig
June 1, 2010 at 8:34 pm #26869redcromwellParticipant… first time I cranked her up to 50MPH the sound of the wind racing through my helmet was defeaning. Honestly, it shocked me. These new helmets let in so much wind that it felt like I didn’t have one on with all the air whipping through my hair.
I think I will try earplugs. Thanks for the good post.
June 4, 2010 at 11:00 pm #26909Jeff in KentuckyParticipantI found this at helmetstuff.com:
If you ride a motorcycle and your hearing sounds muffled afterwards, or if your ears ring, then you are suffering temporary hearing damage, which, if repeated regularly, may become permanent hearing damage. We recommend you consider wearing earplugs under your helmet. Because earplugs reduce the noise, you may seem to be traveling more slowly, so take extra care to check your speed until you get used to earplugs.
This project was carried out for the Home Office by ISVR Consulting, the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Wolfson Unit for Marine Technology and Industrial Dynamics, and Hampshire Constabulary.
June 5, 2010 at 9:19 pm #26916WeaponZeroParticipantMost of the helmets I’ve owned were pretty quiet. Sharks are especially good about being quiet.
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