Earplugs????

[AfroStar]

I agree with the rider fatigue on long rides. plugs helps! but more so for me it makes me feel at one with my bike.  i only hear her soft tone, which tells me which gear she is in, and twist and push her right, she roars with me.  It feels like it is just me, her and the road.  sweet Jesus! gotta hit the road tomorrow.

[Triple J]

Yup. You don't notice the windnoise at first, you just sorta get used to it, your hearing gets damaged a wee bit....then slowly returns so close to almost normal that you don't even realize what you just did. No one warned me until about after a year and a half of riding. I'm currently make the beast with two backsing half deaf. Really. I didn't notice shit and didn't think the windnoise was all that bad.

As far as situational awareness, you soon realize that's they don't restrict mush of anything-you'll still hear what you need to-it just feels weird for a while.

There's been a number of older and younger riders in this thread saying they didn't realize it either, and are also going deaf.


Wear the make the beast with two backsing things. Seriously.

Exactly.

I played drums for years without ear plugs. My ears would ring sometimes after a show/practice, but I was always fine the next morning...no biggie. Now my left ear rings ALL the time, and I definitely can't hear anywhere near as well as I used to. Rooms with a lot of background noise also give me problems now. 

Hearing loss sneaks up on you. Wear ear plugs!

[extra330]

OK~ so yesterday I had some molds made at an audiologist and am ready to order some custom plugs  [moto], but which ones.

I've read about the on ER series of Senophonics but are there any others of that style to consider? I'm not interested in listening to music so ones with speakers built in are not what I'm looking for. I also don't think I want any that are made from vinyl.

thanks
Mike

[jborders5]

OK~ so yesterday I had some molds made at an audiologist and am ready to order some custom plugs  [moto], but which ones.

I've read about the on ER series of Senophonics but are there any others of that style to consider? I'm not interested in listening to music so ones with speakers built in are not what I'm looking for. I also don't think I want any that are made from vinyl.

thanks
Mike

I highly recommend the Sensaphonics.  Westone also offers a set http://www.westone.com/content/190.html, but as you already know make sure you get a silicone set as vinyl can shrink over time.

[extra330]

Thanks~ I'm ordering a set of sensophonics ER series with the 25db filter tomorrow.

[ab]

Thanks [jborders5] for the recommendation. After some research, I went to hearing audiologist and got the mold taken.  I just picked up my ear plugs today.  I wish I had done this years ago instead of the other things I had gotten for the bike.  It turns out after I did a hearing test, I have mild hearing loss already at 36.   


You young cats better listen and get this ear plug before you regret it later.

[disclaimer] i am just a customer not affiliated in any way to the manufacturer

[extra330]

You young cats better listen and get this ear plug before you regret it later.

+1 on that..

[Nitewaif]

+1 on protect your hearing.  Wind noise damage sneaks up on you.  I spent years driving convertibles, and I have bilateral tinnitis.  I always wear ear plugs now.  I have two sets that I had custom-made at the International Motorcycle Shows.

[orangelion03]

ALWAYS!

I first started riding on an RD400 back in 1980 and did not know for earplugs.  A few years later I had a tricked-up 550 with a pipe and I started a 160 mile round trip commute.  Every day.  For nine months.  I would arrive at work exhausted, and when I got home all I wanted to do was go straight to bed.  Fortunately, a touring bike riding co-worker suggested ear plugs.  It was a revelation!  I not only got to work and back home with more energy, my concentration improved and I could enjoy my fun riding even more.  Fast forward some years later, and I'm driving a Miata.  I wore earplugs everytime I was going to spend long periods of time in the seat (I nearly always drove with the top down).  For giggles, I once measured the sound level at my ear while doing 80 on the freeway:  90dB!  My pops attributes a large part of his hearing loss to commuting on the freeways for 12 years in his Fiat 124 Spyder.

Like most other posters have stated here, it's not so much the exhaust noise, but the wind that will damage your ears. 

[Frosty_spl]

Are the cheap ones that bad? Or are the expensive ones just more comfy?

[Spidey]

Are the cheap ones that bad? Or are the expensive ones just more comfy?

The cheap foam ones work fine.  I like the Walgreens brand.  I often find the more expensive ones to be less comfortable than the cheap foamies.  Different brands filter out different amounts of sound.  Buy a couple of cheap foam brands until you find one that you think is comfortable, easy to get in your ear, and filters out the right amount of sound for your taste.

[orangelion03]

webBikeWorld has a review of various types and styles of earplugs: http://www.webbikeworld.com/Earplugs/earplugs.htm

 

[1313]

$1.00 plugs to $200 plugs. ANYTHING is better than nothing. I'm running SureFire EP4 plugs but have also had great success with cheap foam plugs. They work.
I keep on telling my knuckleheaded friends.. You're going to start losing your hearing.

[ducatiz]

i have a pair of electronic shooter's plugs which are adjustable between 75 and 85 dB attack.  i usually keep them around 75dB  as that cuts out most of the wind as well.

the difference is astonishing, if i ride for more than 30-40 minutes, my hearing is "dulled" for the next day or so.

I have several bikes, but they all have fairly free exhausts..  900ss with staintunes and a SIL spaghetti header, S2R with a Sparks full exhaust, no restrictors, Darmah SS with race Conti exhaust.  Pretty much everything is pretty damn loud.

[TobyDanger]

I use plugs about 98% of the time.  If I forgot to put them in and am taking the freeway, I'll always stop and put them in, if it's just a short trip on surface streets, I might skip them, but that rarely happens.

I think I have a slightly narrow ear canal, so most plugs I've worn get uncomfortable rather quickly

I've worn:
reusable silicone shooters plugs, high 32 db reduction, easy to clean, not comfortable after a while
custom weston musicians plugs, comfortable all day long, medium 25 db reduction, expensive, keep knocking them loose/out when I put my helmet on (these probably needed to be redone with a longer/deeper fit, but I wasn't riding during the 30/60 day fit warranty and didn't notice they would get knocked out until it was too late)
3m orange 1100 plugs, high 29 db reduction, hurt after a while too
Hearos Ultimate softness (beige), high 32 db reduction, all day comfortable, more expensive than HL's
probably a half a dozen other foam plug brands, nothing remarkable...

Currently I wear:
Etymotic sr20's, medium-low 20 db reduction, reusable, more comfortable than shooter plugs, still hurt after a few hours (worn during short commute)
Howard Leight Max Lite (green) foam plugs, high 30 db reduction, comfortable all day long, cheap in bulk ($20 for 200 bagged pairs at most safety supply places)

etymotic also makes a "baby blue" reusable plug that is supposed to be for narrower ear canals, might give those a try too...