[Elias]

I’m sure it is illegal, but does anyone ride with ear buds under their helmet and listen to music? Has music ever distracted you from your situational awareness?

[Munch]

I do ..and in NC no it is not illegal. Never has it distracted me. I choose songs I know so I do not have to pay any attention to them. It gives me something soothing and is great for soundtracks on those scenic days.

[SantaCruzRider]

I use noise-cancelling ear buds plugged into my iPod. It helps get me in a groove for my 90 mile commute to work and back. I don’t find it to be at all distracting.

[eternal05]

Whether or not you listen to music is a debate for somebody else to have.

I can definitely attest to the value of sound dampening by whatever means. If you wear ear plugs (or headphones, or whatever), you will be bothered less by the very high SPL of most riding in traffic (especially at higher speeds). You’ll be able to concentrate more on what’s around you, and you’ll suffer less hearing fatigue (loud noises for long periods of time do wear on you). Everything is loud enough that even with -10dB to -30dB ear plugs you’ll still hear everything you need to hear.

[Candice]

It seems like everyone listens to their ipod when they ride and I have been thinking about whether I wanted to try it or not. I was wondering that maybe you can’t hear the other vehicles around you then very good and that would be a disadvantage.

[Munch]

The idea is to make it just audible enough to give you a “ambiance” . In actuality if I don’t have my I-pod on I do not wear any ear plugs. However I am a mechanic…and even an 80 mile an hour wind does not bother me at all. I have to hear much louder things at the shop for about 12 hours at a time. By the time I get on my scoot the wind noise is actually relaxing to me.

[eon]

David Hough (of Proficient Motorcycling fame) wrote the following article on earplugs. Doesn’t talk about listening to music but about wind noise and hearing loss.
http://www.soundrider.com/current/may09/earplugs_101-1.htm

I choose not to listen to music as I know it would affect my riding. Studies have shown that listening to loud music makes people drive faster. Not sure about that but listening to loud, fast music certainly makes me drive faster. Not something I need while on the bike.

[Candice]

Well, I will definitely get ear plugs for noise now.

[Munch]

if they can make one to drown out customers and managers but still hear what I am doing I am sold.
Other then that… an air chisel in a fender well and constant use of air guns…. yea….way above that “skill saw” level he has in his graphs.
For anyone not used to loud noises…I definitely recommend the use of em. For the rest of us…. well I am already screwed. Actually for my own personal self..I almost wish some hearing would go….maybe it would dull the high pitch tones I am so sensitive to, I swear my hearing is not very far from a dogs….

[Clay Dowling]

Based on somebody’s comments here I decided to try them out. I do notice that my rides are less fatiguing. Wind noise is pretty overwhelming, but the plugs make it much less so. What I do find is that I can hear the sounds of my engine better with the plugs in, just like wearing plugs when you’re at a concert makes the music clearer.

[bigguybbr]

I always wear ear plugs (i’d like to avoid tinitus) but I’m not always a big fan of listening to music while riding. The ride is entertaining enough. I find the music to be distracting, and I always wondering if the music is drowning out things like car horns or sirens…

[Author]

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