Ear plugs

[alanmcorcoran]

I got some Hearo's after somebody on here recommended them, but they have half inch sticks on them which get pushed on by the helmet. I have disposable ones but they don't go in or fit as consistently as the hearo's. Anybody got any other favorites?

For the record, I get hearing damage on the Strat after about an hour riding, even with full face helmet and windshield. The strat is louder than the GZ, but not Harley loud. I prefer to ride without the ear plugs because I like to hear the engine and the cars etc. but I get ringing etc. I've already lost some hearing and it runs in my family, so I'll go with the plugs for longer rides.

[dhgeyer]

I have some that I got at a BMW dealership. Says "Moldex Pocket Pak" on the purple, round, clamshell type case. Didn't pay much for them, and they work well for me. They also have long stems on them, so you might have the same problem. I give 'em a twist on the way in, and they go in far enough so as to not interfere with the helmet.

I also use disposable ones from the drugstore. They actually have a higher decibel reduction rating than the permanent ones. They're not easy to get in, though. It takes quite a bit of practice to get them in far enough. You have to roll them quite thin between your fingers, grab the lower back of your ear with one hand and pull it back, and insert the plug quickly (while it's still small enough) at just the right angle. It took me months to get it so it's fairly easy on the first try, and I still mess up once in a while after using them for years. They're a little more comfortable than the permanent ones, though. It's possible to reuse them, but each time you do it gets harder to get them in, because they expand faster after you roll them down.

[alanmcorcoran]

Yeah I've used the disposables on airlines for years. I know the drill. They also get kind of gross.

[Water Warrior 2]

When trying to put in ear plugs I find they go in easier if I open and close my mouth to flex the jaw muscles etc. Never leave home without them.

[VTXorcist]

I use disposables every night and on longer rides. They definitely get nasty after a few uses, but you can clean them off and they're not bad if you let them dry completely.

[burkbuilds]

Fortunately I've already lost enough of my hearing that I don't even hear the wind noise anymore, it's just a nice quiet ride with nothing to interrupt my thoughts! My wife keeps telling me to get hearing aids, but I'm kinda enjoying the peaceful sounds of silence. Most of my loss came from running a skillsaw for 25+ years without any hearing protection. Bummer about whoever posted that they couldn't sleep in a quiet room because all they could hear was ringing from all the rock concerts they attended without hearing protection, I think it was music man in the post that got this one started. That would drive me nuts! I don't really mind not being able to hear well anymore,it's all the people around me that it seems to drive crazy!

[dannylightning]

im still too lazy to dig my plugs up.

[Water Warrior 2]

Ringing in the ears is a way of life for many of us. Wearing ear plugs will help prevent it. I use my plugs for a while and toss them for new ones. They do tend to get dirty and do loose their effectiveness after a while. Big box home reno stores have them pretty cheap and in various qualities.

[alanmcorcoran]

I'm still looking for a balance between protection and comfort, but I am fully in the wearing plugs camp (for any rides other than my 7 mile commute.)

[Dupo]

Alan, theres some good candidates on this page ....

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/mo ... gear1.html (http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/motorcyclegear1.html)

[dannylightning]

the ear plugs i have are made by mack's and they are super comfortable plugs. there purple and made out of really soft rubber, i got mine at walmart in the section over there by the medicine and bandages and stuff. most comfortable ear plugs i ever had. when they get dirty just wash them and there good as new.

[mr. softie]

I will have to check those out dannylightning. I have been using some foam plugs from Home Depot that came in a 500 pack, half of them orange and the other half green. They work great when I get them inserted correctly. I only use them once then discard them. I have noticed that on all day rides (8-10 hours) my ears will get uncomfortable sometimes. I also sometimes use some earbuds with my mp3 player that do a good job of cutting the wind noise out and allow me to listen to tunes when on long boring slab rides. BTW I have put over 10,000 miles on my '83 Honda GL650I since I got it in March this year. One trip to Georgia, another to Minnesota and general riding around. I am leaving on a trip to Georgia again in a week and then one to Vermont when I return.

[alanmcorcoran]

Good to hear from you softie! 10K miles since March is a respctable amount of riding! Let me know if you find the perfect pair of plugs. Right now I am preferring the disposables over the Hearo's cause of the sticks that stick out. But the hearos go in more consistently and block the noise more consistently (they let enough through so you can still talk to people and hear your engine. I once had a pair that were more like the Hearos but had a short, fat "holder" but i don't know what they were called. I'll look around for them next time I'm in a drug store.

[dannylightning]

I will have to check those out dannylightning. I have been using some foam plugs from Home Depot that came in a 500 pack, half of them orange and the other half green. They work great when I get them inserted correctly. I only use them once then discard them. I have noticed that on all day rides (8-10 hours) my ears will get uncomfortable sometimes. I also sometimes use some earbuds with my mp3 player that do a good job of cutting the wind noise out and allow me to listen to tunes when on long boring slab rides. BTW I have put over 10,000 miles on my '83 Honda GL650I since I got it in March this year. One trip to Georgia, another to Minnesota and general riding around. I am leaving on a trip to Georgia again in a week and then one to Vermont when I return.

well i dug up my plugs and went for a ride, i was not pleased, could not hear any thing, except the wind noise. pretty much drown out every thing and i dont like that. you need to be able to hear whats going on around you.

[patrick_777]

That's what I have experienced with the earplugs I've tried. At one point I had a highway patrol car right on my ass trying to get around me without even hearing his siren...not a good position to be in. Fortunately, I didn't catch a failure to yield cite for it. I stopped using them for a while after that, but I still consider them for longer rides.

[Sarris]

:plus1: :plus1:

I've tried them and I can't hear anything. I'd rather loose some hearing instead of my life.

[bonehead]

:plus1: :plus1:

I've tried them and I can't hear anything. I'd rather loose some hearing instead of my life.
10-4

[dhgeyer]

Any earplugs I've ever tried didn't impair my ability to hear traffic or sirens or any outside noise any more than being in a car with the windows rolled up. I can always hear cars coming up alongside me on the highway. If I wasn't wearing earplugs I probably wouldn't hear that, as the wind would be too loud. The exception is when I'm on the Concours, with a fairing and a big windshield, which cuts wind noise down to a level that's not harmful, and doesn't interfere with essential hearing.

[dannylightning]

Any earplugs I've ever tried didn't impair my ability to hear traffic or sirens or any outside noise any more than being in a car with the windows rolled up. I can always hear cars coming up alongside me on the highway. If I wasn't wearing earplugs I probably wouldn't hear that, as the wind would be too loud. The exception is when I'm on the Concours, with a fairing and a big windshield, which cuts wind noise down to a level that's not harmful, and doesn't interfere with essential hearing.

what kind of earplugs are you using, i cant hardley hear the pipes on my bike or the engine rev and if that's the case im sure not gonna hear any thing else. the little bit of noise i can hear is faint except the wind. i can still hear that its just not loud.

i really did not find the earplugs to be safe. like patrick said the police were chasing him down for doing wheelies on that ninja and he had no idea :crackup

[alanmcorcoran]

I can hear things like sirens, my engine, even Moedad through the hearo's just fine. Most musician earplugs are designed to cut down the decibels, not eliminate them. If you are already deaf, it doesn't really matter, but if you have a larger bike or one with loud pipes, long rides without protection are almost certain to cause permanent hearing damage. It's a cumulative thing, for one ride or ten rides the difference may not be noticeable, but once you do notice the problem, it's too late. Obviously, some people will have better hearing for longer than others (just like eyesight.) But I don't think anyone is immune. If you do a little research on people around (big) guns, rock music, airplanes, etc. you will find early onset deafness is very common. Some people have had damage just from listening to their ipods too loud for extended periods.

I don't notice any after effect from a 10-15 minute ride to work or even a 30 minute ride. But somewhere at about 45 minutes to one hour, there is an after effect. I think probably even the shorter rides take their toll.

I did a little bit of googling around and there are some good links here:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Earplugs/earplugs.htm

[dhgeyer]

what kind of earplugs are you using, i cant hardley hear the pipes on my bike or the engine rev and if that's the case im sure not gonna hear any thing else. the little bit of noise i can hear is faint except the wind. i can still hear that its just not loud. :crackup

The disposables I use are "Leight Sleepers", from CVS Pharmacy. I've used other brands of more or less the same thing with about the same result. They have a decibel reduction rating of 32. About the highest I've seen is 33.

As I said before, the reusable ones I use are "Moldex Pocket Pak", which I got from Max's BMW dealership. I don't know what the db reduction rating is, but I don't think it's as high as the disposables. I don't ride any bike with loud pipes, so at any normal speed I hear the wind over my exhaust. I can hear the engine mechanical noises, and traffic and other external noises about as well as I would sitting in a car with the windows up. I hear sirens blocks away. If one blew right behind me, I'd probably, well, we won't go there. :shocked:

[Moedad]

Eh? What'd you say?

[dannylightning]

Eh? What'd you say?


huh..

[mrlmd1]

Was in Walmart a few days ago and stopped by the ear plug shelf. I bought a pack of 4 pair of Hearos 32dB plugs for less than $2.00 and have been using them for the past few rides.
What a difference with reducing not only exhaust noise but wind noise. I don't think I'll ever go on a ride lasting more than 5 min. without them. You can still hear everything else going on around you, they don't stop all sound.
If you have a loud bike just don't have the neighbors or spectators see you put them in before you start it up and drive away.

[alanmcorcoran]

I think those are the ones i have. My only complaint was the little plastic sticks that you put them in with get pushed on by the helmet and on a long ride, they get irritating. (Long being more than an hour. Wore them for about 6 hours a few weekends back, then the next day rode six hours without. Had the ringing/ocean sounds after the day I went without.)

[mrlmd1]

Mine are just soft foam rubber without any handles or sticks on them. You roll them in between your fingers to about 1/8" diameter, put them in your ears while holding them in with a finger 'till they expand inside your ear canal, then they just stay there until you pull them out. They don't even touch the inside of my helmet.

[dannylightning]

I just want to say who ever said that with a full face helmet you still get a load of wind noise.

well i went out and got a really nice full face helmet. i figure the weather is starting to get kind of cold and it would be great for cold weather riding. even tho it makes my head like 3 times too big for my body haha... but when i put that on and go for a drive. i can hear every thing perfectly, except for the wind noise, there is practically none. all i hear is the bike motor, pipes and ALL the normal street noise, witch i can not usually hear that well over the wind noise.

with the earplugs i can still hear a bit of wind noise and nothing else. so if you want a nice wind noise free ride. well you might want to get a nice full face helmet. the one i got is made bye hjc. its got some wind tunnel ventilation system witch really lets the fresh air come in to the helmet as long as your are moving.

but so far this is the only thing that i found to stop wind noise and gave me exceptional hearing for every thing else going on around me. if you dont mind wearing a full face helmet all the time that might be the best way to go.

[VTXorcist]

Must depend a lot on the helmet. With my fullface, if I ride more than 30 minutes, I experience some mild temp hearing loss. I have a scorpion exo.

[dannylightning]

Must depend a lot on the helmet. With my fullface, if I ride more than 30 minutes, I experience some mild temp hearing loss. I have a scorpion exo.

yesterday i went out in my full face and it was extremely windy, i did experience a little wind noise but nothing to speak of really. usually the wind noise is very minimal with my HJC full face helmet, it cuts the wind noise down big time. around town you usually get hardly any and on the highway you do get a bit of wind noise but its not right in your ear you can just kind of hear it whistling around the helmet i guess you would say. but no nasty sound blasting directly in your ear.

[bonehead]

I'm looking for earplug headphones to wear under my helmet so I can listen to the radio. The music should cancel any wind noise. /gotta have tunes!!!

[music man]

I'm looking for earplug headphones to wear under my helmet so I can listen to the radio. The music should cancel any wind noise. /gotta have tunes!!!


This is what I use http://www.skullcandy.com/shop/inkd-p-1 ... 02t2ar0on1 (http://www.skullcandy.com/shop/inkd-p-126.html?zenid=aa9kjmif2ljpaq3q02t2ar0on1). if you have a FYE store nearby, they have them on sale pretty much all the time, they are usually 10-15 bucks, and they sound very good, and block out pretty much all the wind noise even when you are not listening to music. :rawk:

[bonehead]

Thanks MM.

[music man]

Thanks MM.


If you haven't listened to music while riding your bike yet be warned, it is addictive, and you will never be able to go back to riding without it. :rawk:

[bonehead]

Thanks MM.


If you haven't listened to music while riding your bike yet be warned, it is addictive, and you will never be able to go back to riding without it. :rawk:
That's why I want tunes. I used to have it on my 78 honda 750 back in the early 80's. Cruzin' and tunes, the only way to go! :2tup:

[mrlmd1]

You don't get distracted with the music so you can't focus on the ride?
If you listen to music, can you hear anything else around you?
Sounds a little dangerous to me.

[music man]

You don't get distracted with the music so you can't focus on the ride?
If you listen to music, can you hear anything else around you?
Sounds a little dangerous to me.


I don't get distracted, I listen to music pretty much 24/7 anyways so it is just normal to me. I have been riding like that pretty much since I got the GZ roughly 3 years ago, with no real problems. You do have to be careful how loud you have it turned up, because just like in your car you can get carried away with it and not be able to hear a damn thing, so you have to be mindful of the fact that you can't just "Jam out" like you do in your car.

And also I will add that some people just aren't cut out to do two things at once, like listen to music and ride a motorcycle, or talk on the phone while they drive their car, and that is fine, you have to know your limitations.

[dannylightning]

You don't get distracted with the music so you can't focus on the ride?
If you listen to music, can you hear anything else around you?
Sounds a little dangerous to me.


I don't get distracted, I listen to music pretty much 24/7 anyways so it is just normal to me. I have been riding like that pretty much since I got the GZ roughly 3 years ago, with no real problems. You do have to be careful how loud you have it turned up, because just like in your car you can get carried away with it and not be able to hear a damn thing, so you have to be mindful of the fact that you can't just "Jam out" like you do in your car.

And also I will add that some people just aren't cut out to do two things at once, like listen to music and ride a motorcycle, or talk on the phone while they drive their car, and that is fine, you have to know your limitations.

haha some people cant. i can drive a car, eat a sandwich, drink my soda, talk on the cell phone,smoke a cigarett mess with the radio and mess around with the girl in the passenger seat all at the same time hahah.. wel maby not quite that much but i can multi task and drive just fine. i did it all the time when i was younger. now i prefer not to, just in case.