Forgot to put in my earplugs today...

[tnr4]

and holy hell, how do people ride without them?! I forgot to put them in before leaving work, and wasn't about to pull over and take off my gloves, helmet and balaclava just to dig around and get them, so I just dealt with it. Jesus! So much distraction and exhaustion! For anyone who has never tried earplugs, this was just a reminder for how much they do for my concentration and focus (not to mention my hearing). An important piece of gear!

[tfkrocks]

Yeah I feel the same way. I will dig for those earplugs every time when I realize I forgot to put them in. It's also why I keep a few extra pairs of earplugs in my riding bag just in case.

[Yakaru]

Your helmet can have a lot to do with it too. My C3 is pretty quiet without plugs, but I once tried a friend's lid for comparison and it was unbearable.

[250rr]

I agree. It is amazing how fatiguing noise is. Ear plugs ftw!

[YORCHI]

I'm gonna order those SureFire earplugs but I've been riding without them for so long I've gotten used to it. Then again my ride to work and back is 20 minutes round trip

[Aggrotech]

what helmet do you have? i have a shoei qwest/rf1100 and an 2icon airmadas and the only time its ever unbearable is when im at a certain rpm on the road when the exhaust is screaming. a simple increase in teh throttle or just downshifting solves it pretty quick.

[YORCHI]

Shoei RF1100 here...the wind noise is pretty loud though, I'd wonder what others sound like

[lgk]

Between my three helmets from most wind noise to less.
707vendetta
Shoei rf1000
Scorpion exo750

The scorpion has a slight edge due the chin piece and tight fit around my neck.

[bkh2]

Isn't it also the 'non-audible' frequencies that hurt your hearing? I wear earplugs regardless. Generally, even for short rides, I'll put my earplugs in while I'm walking towards my bike.

[Sirref]

ah the wonderful convenience of hearing loss, I have no need for ear plugs especially once I start concentrating enough I can barely even hear my exhaust at all lol

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by Sirref

ah the wonderful convenience of hearing loss, I have no need for ear plugs especially once I start concentrating enough I can barely even hear my exhaust at all lol

You still should be wearing ear plugs. Hearing loss is from length of exposure to loud noises. The more you ride without ear plugs, the worse your hearing will get.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

You still should be wearing ear plugs. Hearing loss is from length of exposure to loud noises. The more you ride without ear plugs, the worse your hearing will get.

while you are probably right that I should be wearing ear plugs, hearing loss comes from a large variety of sources, exposure to loud noise is only one of them although the most common in today's world. Mine is from birth and loud noise doesn't seem to affect it much (I go to my ear doctor each year and ironically it leveled off around the same time that I started going to live concerts and clubs, both of which are louder than my bike)

so while earplugs are something that I probably should get, they aren't necessarily a necessity.

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by Aggrotech

what helmet do you have? i have a shoei qwest/rf1100 and an 2icon airmadas and the only time its ever unbearable is when im at a certain rpm on the road when the exhaust is screaming. a simple increase in teh throttle or just downshifting solves it pretty quick.

I have an RF1100 and a Scorpion EXO1000. This was in the EXO, although I tried the Shoei afterwards just to compare, and it was at least as bad. And it has nothing to do with the exhaust: the most fatiguing is at interstate speeds, and I can barely hear the bike over the wind at those speeds. It is definitely the wind that I find unbearable.

I actually have different earplugs for different situations. Since I commute on the interstate, I use super-duty 33-rated earplugs for that, which really calms down the input. But for in town riding, I have more moderately rated, selective frequency riding earplugs, that let a lot of the bike and surrounding sounds in, but just filters out the wind. I also have one other kind, in between the two, that I use usually for spirited runs in the mountains and whatnot.

LOVE. EARPLUGS.

[mlj2093]

SO if you has earplugs how does you listen to music??

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by mlj2093

SO if you has earplugs how does you listen to music??

The revs of then engine is music enough right?

And for you track riders, earplugs might just gain you a second on your lap time.

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by mlj2093

SO if you has earplugs how does you listen to music??

I doesn't! No need for music on the bike.

[Aggrotech]

@tnr4 Do you wear a balaclava?

i bought http://www.revzilla.com/product/scha...skin-balaclava (winter version)
and its helped loads with reducing noise. with it heatin up in CA again i just took out the inner liner of my jacket and plan on getting
http://www.revzilla.com/product/scha...skin-balaclava (summer version)

Should check em out..may help tremendously if your wearing ear plugs aswell O.O

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by Aggrotech

@tnr4 Do you wear a balaclava?

i bought http://www.revzilla.com/product/scha...skin-balaclava (winter version)
and its helped loads with reducing noise. with it heatin up in CA again i just took out the inner liner of my jacket and plan on getting
http://www.revzilla.com/product/scha...skin-balaclava (summer version)

Should check em out..may help tremendously if your wearing ear plugs aswell O.O

Science Nerd Mode Engage!:
That's the reason the helmet can have so much impact -- most wind noise comes from the neck region, so the "seal" the helmet can get impacts the wind tremendously. A Balaclava is probably a great 'poor mans solution' to tightening that up.

[Aggrotech]

well tbh the sound of the wind doesnt bother me, has not ruined my hearing yet . I just wear a balaclava to keep my helmet as clean as possible from teh inside.

ooh and i absolutely hate the feeling of the helmet liner squeezing my cheeks/face when i put it on..so that might be another reason!

[mfresh]

Also a Shoei RF1100 and I have never used ear plugs. This helmet can produce a good bit of air flow so it does get loud but I always just put up with it.

Funny enough today was the first day I used earplugs, on the way to work, and man... they are awesome. You guys are absolutely spot on when you say it doesn't "fatigue" you nearly as much. You really don't realize how much of a benefit it is until you try 'em on.

I got a pair of "range" earplugs from the hunting section of Walmart and they work great. You can still hear enough to be aware of your surroundings but feels a lot less nerve racking.

I must admit before wearing them I was concerned they would block out too much noise but turns out that is not the case.

Definitely a big thumbs up to earplugs.

[YORCHI]

I ordered the SureFire EP3 earplugs last night but decided to try using a pair of cheap foam earplugs this morning to see the difference and yea it's incredibly quiet, much more relaxing.

I have helmet speakers in my Shoei and I could hear the music enough to enjoy it but I still felt like I could hear the engine and the cars around me. I would hear a car horn if it was close to me and I'd hear a siren as well. I think it'll be better with the EP3's as these foam ones just block out everything

[adouglas]

What? Eh?

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by mlj2093

SO if you has earplugs how does you listen to music??

There's a twin-cylinder symphony between your legs yo!

[C L]

When I put my helmet on it yanks out any earplugs I have in. The helmet fits fine its just really tight when it goes on

[Miles_Prower]

Only use earplugs for extended speeds above 50-60mph. Typically only for highway runs. Definitely makes a world of difference! First time I went on the highway, I didn't have ear plugs..man were my ears ringing! After getting off the highway I couldn't hear anything, my bike was more or less silent. Ouch.

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by Aggrotech

@tnr4 Do you wear a balaclava?

i bought http://www.revzilla.com/product/scha...skin-balaclava (winter version)
and its helped loads with reducing noise. with it heatin up in CA again i just took out the inner liner of my jacket and plan on getting
http://www.revzilla.com/product/scha...skin-balaclava (summer version)

Should check em out..may help tremendously if your wearing ear plugs aswell O.O

Yup, at least in the winter. So I was wearing one at the time. I'm sure it does, in fact help. AND, my EXO1000 has inflatable cheek pads which helps seal up some of the air cavities (surprisingly cool feature!). I'm just so spoiled by good ear plugs that it felt terrible regardless. I'm sure I won't forget my earplugs again anytime soon!

[Joshorilla]

My Caberg Duke is designed to be quiet, I have a chin guard and that cuts down a lot of noise, and since the limit is 35mph here wind noise isn't too much of a problem for me, I have a Buff which is a brand of microfibre fabric tube simmilar to a silk in texture but stretchy, it keeps the wind off your neck entirely and cuts down on wind noise also, it's surprisingly warm in the winter and cool in the summer!

I listen to music occasionally via a built in wired headset, my opinion is it's no more dangerious than music in the car, but still i'm probably safer to not listen to music, although i'm probably safer in the car listening to music than on my bike not listening to music!

[dfox]

earplugs always!

i can definitely hear surrounding traffic much more clearly with them in, as it gets rid of lots of the little noises that the bike makes, and drowns out my loud yoshi.

[mlj2093]

Does anyone recommend specific earplugs?

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by mlj2093

Does anyone recommend specific earplugs?

Totally decent, in-town plugs:
http://www.earplugstore.com/qureearpln26.html

Slightly better, more comfortable, for high-revving fun: http://www.earplugstore.com/howard-leight-pilot.html

My go-to plugs for interstate commuting, most quiet: http://www.earplugstore.com/moldex-softies.html

Hope that helps!

[adouglas]

Depends on your ears and what you find comfortable. Foam ones certainly work but I don't find them all that comfortable personally.

I've had good success with the silicone rubber ones that look like little Christmas trees. Big advantage is that they can be cleaned and last forever. I have a pair that I got at Home Depot on a plastic cord that I've had for at least two years.

I've also had very good luck with the blobs of silicone wax that you roll up in a ball and push into your ear. Total custom fit, very comfy, very quiet. The downside is that they get grungy fast so you can only use them a few times.That's why they come in boxes of a dozen.

If you want to listen to music or the radio, I have a product that I LOVE... the S-Plug earbuds. They're of the Christmas-tree style and fit deep into your ear canal. What makes them special and awesome is that they don't protrude at all... so they stay put when you pull your helmet on, and don't press in at all.

The downside is that the basic ones cost $135. However, having tried a variety of earbud solutions that didn't work well, I can say they're worth it for me. The solution works.

So what I do when I'm commuting and want to listen to the radio is wear the S-plugs.

When I'm just out for a ride and don't want any distractions I use the silicone blobs. The Christmas tree plugs are kept in a pocket as a spare if I space and run out of blobs.

[Yakaru]

I usually go with a generic plug in one ear and my Klipsch S10i in the other with a double flange head which does a pretty good job of being an ear plug and lets me listen to my GPS/music/phone-calls (as in hear it ring and who is calling so I can pull over if I need to)/etc.

[mfresh]

Honestly I have had good results with the Winchester reusable "range" ear-plugs you can get from Walmart for less than $3. They have a double flange.

There are fancier plugs with filters and such that block specific frequencies, but these do what they need to do well enough imho.

[Alex]

Some great info in this thread:

Do You Use Earplugs When You Ride?

These guys offer a few different collections of many different types of earplugs, so you can figure out which ones you like at low cost, before ordering a mongo box of your favorite.

[YORCHI]

I received the Sure Fire EP3's a few days ago and finally got to try them on today. I was able to hear my bike and traffic but did not hear any high pitched wind noise at all which was awesome. You can still hear a bit of the wind with the filters out and they fit pretty well although it took a few tries to get them in right so they wouldn't hurt.

Great purchase! Now I have them in an earplug case attached to my keys so I will always have them with me to wear. Should also be very useful in June when I go to EDC