I didn't do much highway time on my 696 until recently since I picked it up last winter.  I currently have a Scorpion EXO-1000.  I find that the wind noise is way worse with the naked monster than it was on my SV with fairings at highway speed.  I am thinking about buying a new helmet (had a minor spill), and so I want to consider my options.  I would also prefer something that has an inner tinted visor.  I'm willing to spend up to somewhere in the $400 range.  Any suggestions would be much appreciated.  Thanks!

Do you have the mini-fairing on?  When I had my 696 I left the mini-fairing on.  I am 5'8 and the fairing pushed all the wind on me at my helmet.  I felt like I was getting whipped around and it was noisier.  When I got the 1100, I left the fairing off and all the wind hits me at chest level making my ride more comfortable and probably a little less noisy. 


Regardless of what helmet you buy, earplugs work great for wind noise too, not just exhaust music.  I was surprised to find out that my hearing actually improved  last year (annual physical checks hearing, high frequency hearing loss over the last 8 years or so) since I have been wearing my earplugs frequently.  Seems to make me more focused also as I can hear myself think (not always the best thing though) 

the more money you spend, the quiter the helmet gets. Personally the most quiet helmet i own was the Shoei RF-1000. The loudest i own is the EXO-700. My Shark RSR2 is pretty loud, but no where near the EXO.

Your not going to find a lot of options with built in visor.

also i wear earplugs, so it really kills the wind noise for me. And if you ride with your visor up, yea its going to be pretty loud. You can also try a neck gaiter that keeps wind from swooshing around under your helmet, but i like the breeze.

Wind noise from the EXO 1000 is high.  Earplugs work, and you should always wear them anyway.

Quote from: He Man on April 28, 2010, 09:22:31 PM
also i wear earplugs, so it really kills the wind noise for me.

Quote from: howie on April 29, 2010, 01:43:35 AM
Earplugs work, and you should always wear them anyway.

On the track, sure....Are there not safety concerns with plugs on the street? Can "termis" by example be that loud that one can sustain hearing damage?

Anything over 85 db can cause hearing damage.

I find ear plugs actually help me hear some sounds on the street from other vehicles plus reduce fatigue.  Wind noise blocks a lot of other sounds.  If you ride without earplugs at speed for extended periods of time you will suffer permanent hearing loss accompanied by tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

I've always thought about wearing ear plugs, but I live in the city, and as others have mentioned, I am worried about hearing what's going on around me.  There is a lot of crazy traffic in the city to be aware of and it helps to be able to hear it.  I guess I could just pick some cheap ones up, and try it out.

I kind of figured that the more you spend, the quiter it gets.  I was just looking to get recommendations on a particular helmet that others have tested (and if it particularly comes with an inner visor).

I guess I could try removing the bikini fairing and see if that makes a difference.  I know a lot of people remove it, but I kind of like the way mine looks.

Thanks so far.  Keep the recommendations coming!

Ok maybe I'm weird, but what sounds are you afraid of losing when riding in town? I find that its easier to hear with ear plugs in. Sure everything is quieter, but its never silent. Most of the lost sound is things like wind noise and "street noise" but you'd have no problem hearing a horn or something. But then again I don't live in a place with much traffic (and I avoid it if I'm on my bike), so maybe I'm not a great example. On the highway everyone should wear earplugs, but if you want to listen to music, try the JVC Marshmallows.

Less fatigue from wearing earplugs on a trip is always a good thing

Ear plugs are a must.

You won't realize it until you've worn them enough to get comfortable.

The cheap foam ones are sufficient, give them a couple days if you're not expert at installing.
(good link - clip from EARS on the ear plugs thread about how to put them in).

Use quiet as the last criteria for a helmet.

Ear plugs + whatever. Yeah, I'll ditch them on short runs around town, if it's just going to be a quick A to B, but generally They are all in.

I'm guessing by 696DCRider that you live near me. And I can tell you for sure, after years of riding in the DC area that ear plugs really don't hamper your awareness. I still can pickup on a siren faster on my bike than my car. Between the sound deadening of the car and the radio you loose a lot more. Also I find that ear plugs cut out some of the mechanical noises from the bike and let me focus more on 'world' noises.

But for helmets - I'm looking for one with an integrated visor as well. There's not a huge selection, but it's growing. One that should appear soon that's right in your price range is the 2010 revamp for AGVs Stealth - the Stealth SV. WebBikeWorld have a very good rating to the AG K3
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/agv-k3/
Recently, which is a step down the range from the Stealth - so I'd expect good things from the Stealth SV when it arrives in the US shortly

Go check out webBikeWorlds reviews. All are in depth an they always make note of noise levels.

I'm a musician and though I hate these when playing music, they work really well for protecting against my shortened race cans but I can still hear sirens, car horns, etc...

They're a little over $10 at most music stores.

Without earplugs anything over 55-60mph is causing you hearing loss.  Since it is white noise you don't usually notice how loud the wind is until you take your helmet off and are half deaf for a while.

Horns, tire squealing, etc are not affected by ear plugs that much.  I can still hear them fine.  I just use the disposable jobsite plugs.  If you find the plugs are stopping too much noise there are a variety of plugs available that block more or less decibels.

I think the stat was, for anything 85dbs, you have to have constant source for 3hrs before permanent damage occurs. Now your exahust might not be that loud, but the wind noise is.

Also realize that your ear only hears what ever is louder. Usually wind noise is hte loudest thing since the cause of your sound is usually inside your helmet. So you hear it over everything. Sirens, honks, even a person screaming at you.

Now Earplugs reduce sound by 35dB if used correctly. But you can easily get 25dbs out of them using it improperly. Regardless of what type of plug you pick, musical or standard foamy ( i perfer the later because they are cheap, easy to replace, and you can throw some in your breast pocket incase you loose/drop them etc).

BTW: Im a daily commuter in NYC. I hear everything around me with earplugs in, including the pregnant dog on the phone thats next to me . In fact i couldnt hear without them cause my exahust would dumb down all the noise after 10mins of riding and my ear would be ringing.

Pick a helmet that fits first.  Quietness can be attained with earplugs.  The combination of fit and noise reduction will make for a great ride experience.  If you pick a helmet that doesn't fit your head (no matter how much $$$), I don't care how quiet it is, you're gonna be hating it.

Outside of that... Schuberths seem to get good reviews for quiet.  Shoei as well.  Arai, not so much (wind noise from the sidepods).

I ride in an Arai Quantum II, and yeah, it has wind noise issues... but it fits my head perfectly, with a set of standard foam earplugs I can hear traffic just fine, and I'm comfortable with the overall noise level.  I can ride all day, be completely comfortable, and still hear people talking at normal levels afterward.

The one thing I don't like is that I have a hard time hearing detailed mechanical noises.  I like to hear every last thing that's happening in the engine, gearbox, chain, wheel bearings, brakes... at low speed, earplugs diminish these sounds.  At high speed, wind noise kills them.  C'est la Vie.

Anyway.... I recommend wearing earplugs.  The editors at webbikeworld do, too.

Quote from: He Man on April 29, 2010, 10:10:58 AM
I think the stat was, for anything 85dbs, you have to have constant source for 3hrs before permanent damage occurs. Now your exahust might not be that loud, but the wind noise is.

Adding to that... the further north of 85 dB you go, the less exposure time it takes for damage to set in.  Also remember that dB is a logarithmic scale, so it doesn't take many more dB to see a significant increase in the amount of damage done.