| Author |
Message |
    
Fahren
| | Posted on Saturday, September 19, 2009 - 10:48 am: | 
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good article and links to reviews of various hearing protection/earplugs:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Earplugs/earplugs.htm |
Holling
| | Posted on Saturday, September 19, 2009 - 11:54 am: |
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I don't wear them around town or commuting to work. Only if I am going to go out of town for a long ride. |
Alchemy
| | Posted on Saturday, September 19, 2009 - 07:52 pm: |
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I have custom molded plugs in different colors ($50 at Americade). They are extremely quiet and comfortable enough to ride for hours.
It seems clear to me at moderate speeds I can hear more without them. I usually don't wear them on my commute but do on trips. They add a lot of comfort and reduce fatigue.
They were strange at first being molded and getting the "knack" of inserting them. They do stay put and are really really quiet.
(Message edited by Alchemy on September 19, 2009) |
Alii1959
| | Posted on Saturday, September 19, 2009 - 09:18 pm: |
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I always use ear plugs. I create my own custom ones from a kit from Wal-Mart. For about $10 i can create 2 or 3 sets. Sure beats the $40 versions I've seen around. |
Roysbuell
| | Posted on Saturday, September 19, 2009 - 10:37 pm: |
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Used the cheap 33db foam plugs from Walmart on a 30 mile each way ride today. It was weird not hearing all the wind and engine noise. I kept an extra watch on everyone around me, which I should do anyways, but was a bit worried about not being able to keep tabs on engine. It was a totally different experience in the ride. I felt more focus on everything around me without having to deal with the constant noise. |
Michael_hill
| | Posted on Sunday, September 20, 2009 - 01:46 pm: |
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I can speak for a good experience from Earplugstore.com
An awesome option is to get a trial pack that includes about 30 different kinds with two sets of each. You can very quickly figure out the similar shapes that suit your ears...then whittle it down to your favorite. Then get a box of about 200 pairs for $25...a great deal
I just can't bring myself to get custom plugs for $100...that could easily drop out of my jacket pocket or get lost all too easily.
No matter what....plugs are good....I feel and can sense the motor alot better because all of the excess background noise is knocked out...much more in tune with my bike. But gotta have it loud...cuz loud pipes save lives!
(Message edited by Michael_hill on September 20, 2009) |
Slamber777
| | Posted on Sunday, September 20, 2009 - 10:02 pm: |
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Here's what l noticed. The constant noise w/o ear plugs makes me edgy and tired. While using ear plugs l'm not as tired and more alert later in the day.
But, you'd better get them in right or it's worse than w/o them. |
20buellteam
| | Posted on Monday, September 21, 2009 - 11:04 pm: |
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Years ago I never used ear plugs. But the newer helmets are vented very well to keep you cool. But they are LOUD- like a wind tunnel!- as a result. Name a brand and I swear they are louder now than I ever recalled in the past. I'm talking good helmets too. Shoei, AGV, HJC. I am using Scorpion EXO 700 which is the quietest new helmet yet. Back to ear plugs I've been wearing them for the past 5 years and it is now a habit. I use the cheap but effective Howard Leight® Laser Lite® Disposable Foam Earplugs. Very comfortable and they work well. |
Toomanyhobbies
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 03:55 am: |
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Thanks so much for this thread!!! I've been wearing em wrong for years! I didn't know about the reach over head and tug ear maneuver before... It's a completely diffrent experience. I can hear everything but the exhaust! ( I can hear the motor whirring but not the drummer grumbles & and I can hear cars and stuff but not the wind!!!) Thanks a lot! |
Salbrechtnh
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 - 08:46 pm: |
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I have been riding long distance with a good buddy of mine for several years. I have always worn ear plugs and he has only used them twice. On the latest 6 day trip that ended yesterday, we were stopped at DD for a coffee and I had to raise my voice just so he could hear me. Everyone else could hear me and him as well. (Maybe he should not have said those things about his wife in public.) In any case he did not hear some of the stuff we talked with the other riders when we stopped for dinner because his hearing was so numb from 6 days of riding. Mine was fine. I believe in earplugs. |
Macdiver
| | Posted on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 06:05 am: |
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After reading this post I tried wearing ear plugs this week. Wow, what a difference. I did not realize how loud my helmet is. I can now hear engine noises. I was convinced that when people said they heard their engine at speed they were imagining it. Now I know that they are wearing ear plugs.
Only problem is I found myself going 10 to 15 mph faster. I guess I was using wind noise to judge my speed. I'll have to adjust or I'll end up getting speeding tickets. |
Jdubxb
| | Posted on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 01:26 pm: |
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I find it too painful to ride over 70mph without earplugs. Around town, I carry them with me but don't use them.
I highly recommend an earlier suggestion to get the earplugsuperstore.com trial pack. I otherwise would've never found the pair that works the best for me, and they aren't the highest NRR rated either. I later decided to try their higher end (NRR 32) plugs, and even got all three sizes, but they didn't work as well as the pair I had been using. My point is, everyone's ear canal is different, so you can't simply go by the NRR rating, or someone's suggestion of what works well for that person. |
Jaimec
| | Posted on Friday, September 25, 2009 - 02:21 pm: |
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I remember that first time I wore ear plugs. They were a "Freebie" included in a rally pack I got when I registered at one of the many local BMW Rallies.
First time I used them I found myself cooking into turns WAY hotter than I was used to. Never realized how much I depended on audio cues to let me know how fast I was going!
Now that I've gotten used to them, I don't have that problem anymore. I also find myself arriving at my destinations far less tired than before I was wearing them. It lends credence to those studies that constant exposure to loud noises not only harms your hearing, but it puts your body in a constant "Fight or Flight" condition that raises your heart rate and blood pressure.
That's also the other reason I'm dead set against loud exhaust systems. Loud horns work better, and they're not constantly assaulting your ears... they only do so when you need them to. |
