Earplugs

[Swipe]

I tried out using earplugs for the first time today. It was a very strange feeling and after a few miles of riding in town I felt the urge to pull over and take them out. I could barely hear my engine, not even a tiny bit of wind noise and I had a very disconcerting feeling of isolation. However, when I took them out the bike and wind noise sounded as loud as hell. I think I may try them again when I next commute to work (50 mile trip each way). I just wondered how many other forum members use them.

[DefTrap]

All the time, feels weird without them.

[SkinnE]

I try to wear them all the time. The only problem is I have narrow ear canals, so I have to cut plugs almost in half to get them to fit. Then they end up compressing the wax in my ears, and my ears get blocked, hooray!

OSHA, the US equivalent of the Health and Safety Executive have determined that permanent hearing damage is immediate at 70db. Guess what the wind-noise-level is in a full face helmet at 60mph on a bike?

At least 70db.

At 30mph it's something like 40-50db which is claimed only takes 15-20mins before permanent damage occurs. And OSHA are not a nanny organisation like the HSE can be, they're relatively conservative. Of course if you ride over 60, or your lid is noisy (has external vents, side pods to hold visor, etc), you're doing more damage, more quickly. MCN (the US black and white, nothing like MCN in the UK) did a helmet noise test several years ago, and Ride (in the UK) did the same in the last year or two.

Try different plugs, some foams are softer then others, and different shapes will feel different. You should be able to find a trial pack, with one set of each of several kinds/sizes. Then there's always those green leopard custom moulds. Funny thing is, the custom moulded plugs aren't as effective. That is, they don't reduce db as much as off the shelf plugs do. All hearing protection should state on the packaging their sound reduction level.

There are also "Noise Attenuators", I know Etymotic make some. These work some magic so that normal sounds (conversation, etc) make it through, but louder sounds, or high frequencies don't.

hth,
E

[Doc]

I never wear them.

I have tried them but I am like you and can't hear the bike, the other things around me and such.

I know I SHOULD wear them and I vow to try again, especially on the track.

Either that or go around saying "HUH?", "What's that?" for the rest of my life.

[Soul]

I wear them pretty religiously when im not riding around town..They improved my ride big time. Most of my riding is twisties and my pace is pretty spirited..After my first ride with them I think it allowed me to focus on the road and my lines a lot better. My body relaxed a little more, i think because I took away one of my senses that was being overwhelmed, (hearing all that loud noise) so I was able to focus more on what mattered..staying alive.
Also after a one long ride with them I never wanted to ride without them again..I can hear my engine noise fine after i became accustomed to the duller noises in the background.
Anyway..anyone who hasnt tried to ride for an extended period of time at decent speeds, when you are really focused (aggressive twisties) should definately check them out.

[motorcycleman]

Hearing loss is bad bad bad. I was a professional IATSE stagehand for about ten years and my hearing paid a price (well that and 35 years of riding bikes, plus my college youth spent at loud bars dancing to loud music ) What really sucks is not the "huh? factor (although my wife would say that sucks ) but the ringing. Which if you don't protect yourself is what you'll hear. Protect yourself!

[nt650hawk]

Wearing those help you concentrate more on what the bike is doing most definitely on the track. You can concentrate on the engine vibration to shift at the right point (I do not use a tach), the feel of the tires, the suspension, etc. It drowns out the wind noise and the other competition that may have lost their exhaust packing and is extra loud.

[Doc]

Hearing loss is bad bad bad. I was a professional IATSE stagehand for about ten years and my hearing paid a price (well that and 35 years of riding bikes, plus my college youth spent at loud bars dancing to loud music ) What really sucks is not the "huh? factor (although my wife would say that sucks ) but the ringing. Which if you don't protect yourself is what you'll hear. Protect yourself!

Too late. I have tinnitis and a High freq loss in my left ear. mine come from firing guns in the Army.

[motorcycleman]

Unfortunately you and just about every boot on the ground in Iraq
I have read that when exposed to loud noise the ear can recover somewhat if you dont re-expose it for a couple of days. such as go racing then come home and mow the lawn...

[Swipe]

Well, I have been out on two 60 mile trips this weekend using my earplugs and have got used to them now. I found the plugs made my whole riding experience much more pleasant at high speeds. I think my bad experience of them before was caused by the head cold I had at the time. I am a convert and will wear them all the time from now on.

[Dienstuhr]

+1 for earplugs, on the highway at least.

Hearing loss is cumulative with exposure to loud noise so wear plugs early and often. Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is bad (mmmkay) and there is no cure for it. William Shatner had it from his Star Trek days (too many explosions) and contemplated suicide because of it.

d.

[Guzzisti57]

If you don't get on with ordinary earplugs, try the ones with removable filters ...Alpine motosafe are the ones I use.
They are a lot more expensive but washable, and you can still hear the engine & don't get that pressure feeling in your ears