[Kellisanth]

So… Earplugs. Do you use them, or no?

I haven’t gotten any yet, and thus not sure how I would feel with them.

If you use them, which do you use and why?

Are they more for highway usage (higher speeds, wind noise), or racing, or just general riding overall?

[megaspaz]

I use them. The ride’s definately a lot noisier without them whether it’s wind noise or street noise. Use them for all kinds of riding… unless the distance is really short… I just use the cheap foam disposable ones.

[Matt]

I use the EAR brand 33db ones (foam dispoasable, dirt cheap when bought in large quantities). They fit me comfortably, and make a serious reduction in noise (and on a bike with lots of tingy sounds like most 250s, they make the bike sound better to me

I use them any time I’ll be travelling above 40mph. Which is pretty much every ride. I only leave them out if I’m planning a short loop through city streets.
If I’m on the bike without them for an hour, I feel fatigued. With them I feel significantly better. It is amazing how draining noise really is.

Also, I reuse mine. I can get about a week of commuting out of one pair.

[eon]

I use them all the time. The only time I skip them is when I know I will not be going far or fast (ie. just local streets). I also use the cheap foam kind which is good as I have a tendency to lose them.
Why do I use them? By cutting down the wind noise they make the ride more pleasant, not to mention saving my hearing.

[Kellisanth]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ve been wondering about the usage overall, in regards to short trips (tooling about the neighborhood), or long stretch commutes (45mins for me, each way – and I am not sure about doing highways yet!)

I’ve never worn ear plugs (other than the plugs that goes with the iPod) thus not sure how I will end up using them yet. Or which brands.

Working at the airport, when I was in Operations, I’ve worn ear muffs, but that’s basically it. I’ve had high decible hearing loss already in one ear before I started working for the airline (inherited, I was told) ~ also one reason why I was Medically Disqualified.

Will have to remember to pick up some and give various ones a try.

In one of my favourite UK magazines, found the article I was looking for, in regards to earplugs. Not sure if they (products) are in the states or not. http://tinyurl.com/aegsqk

This magazine – http://www.motorcyclenews.com/Ride/ – is prob one of my faves overall, coming from the UK. Not that I have anything against like “What Bike”, “Fast Bikes”, “Super Bike” or “Performance Bike” (think there was a few others). At times, they come with nifty stuff (one was a little tyre pressure gauge, another was a set of gel handgrips). Super Bike had a nice calender.

Now to figure out why my Bell bucket seems to be fitting loose… *confused*

[IanC]

Yup I ride them unless I’m just doing short low speed errands. Especially going about 35 the wind noise just gets bad inside a full face helmet. I don’t hear the engine on the V-Strom like I did on the Rebel. They make the ride much more pleasant.

[nau_lax21]

if im going on the freeway for more than a few miles, definitely. otherwise i dont use them

[Clay Dowling]

I haven’t been riding with them, but this season I’m gonna start. I hadn’t thought about the noise fatigue, but yes, I do feel it. Of course, I have to wait until my morning commute won’t be right around sunrise. The pesky deer are on the move then, and there have been a lot more deer hits lately. I can even claim one of them for myself (in the cage).

[RidleytheRed]

I live in a military town, so I got a set of mil-spec plugs that work great on the cheap. Cuts down a lot of noise, but you can still hear important stuff (sirens, horns, etc.)

[Kellisanth]

Are they a common brand available on the civilian market? I keep forgetting to pick up some packs.

[RidleytheRed]

No brands on mine. You can get them at most surplus stores or gun stores. They range about $5-15 depending where you look. Reuseable soft rubber with a case. Very comfortable too. They’re a good option if you don’t like the disposable ones.

Try one of these sites.

[smokeizfire]

…my engine isn’t load enough. My helmet is so tight that they kind of do the job for the ear plugs.

[RidleytheRed]

Got a Shoei?

[briderdt]

Most of my rides (commutes) are less than a half hour, and speeds under 45 mph. But after my ride on Saturday (1:15 each way or so, but still at lowish speeds), I’m going to start.

[Jay T]

There is a company in Boulder Co. (sorry I don’t have the name right here) They custom make earplugs and they also set them up with some real high quality headphones that will work with any music machine that uses 3.5mm (mini stereo) plug. I expect there are a couple of good companies out there that do the same. I also use the inexpensive foam plugs. You should throw those away every couple of uses or clean them up after every use. This will save you a nasty ear infection.

Jay T.
http://www.ridesafe.today.com

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