Earplugs --- Eeew!

[jesse370]

maybe you should look into a different style of plug. The ones I ride with shut out enough noise that my ears don't ring, but I can still hear my bike. The horn on the other hand is muffled. But I agree you tend to focus more on what you have to take care of. But like others have said, wind noise WILL take its toll on your hearing.

[spike spiegel]

it took some getting used to, but now i don't do long rides without them.

[Wonked]

I like wearing earplugs, and agree with other posters who've indicated this helps them sharpen their other senses. My theory is that the fatigue thing is caused by the fact that your brain, subconsciously, is continually trying to catalogue and inventory sounds, which obviously requires energy. Over an extended period, that would most certainly result in fatigue.

Maybe stating the obvious, but that's about all I know how to state.

[Fresh Pants]

I usually ride w/earplugs if I'm out riding/not-commuting. In town and commuting (well, when I was working...), I like prefer to be able to hear what's going on. I find myself riding faster when I have earplugs, or baffles in the exhaust. Not entirely sure why. On my KTM, the vibe monster (single cylinder LC4 engine vibrates quite a bit), I noticed that the low frequency vibrations were going straight to my head via my sit bones through the seat get amplified when wearing earplugs. It's like when you cup your ears and humm, only louder. I wonder if I should worry about that?

[Porsche Monkey]

Hey Mac, maybe your bike just isn't loud enough. Seriously though, I use them on any ride over 20 minutes. Try some different kinds. I buy soft foamy ones from walmart. They work great at reducing the wind noise and the constant droning from the engine while still letting in some softer noises. I can actually hear my cellphone ringing in the inside pocket of my leather jacket while doing moderate freeway speeds. Kinda freaked me out first time I heard it. I find I can relax much more and concentrate on those perfect apexes better with them in.

[twolanefun]

I know I should but I do not wear them, not on the Ducs or the Victory's. I wear full face helmets, except on the Victory's at Daytona, Myrtle beach, short rides. I've got over 750K miles and 38 years on two wheels on the road, amazing that in the early days we did not have full face helmets, bubble shields were the ticket in those days, no windshields either. Anyway, I find they dull my senses. Nowdays I think it is the helmet that matters I wear quiet helmets, Shoei. I have one Scorpion which is a little noiser and just started wearing a Ducati Suomy on my S2R, the shield plates, like an Arai causes more noise than any of the otehr helmets. But I also rode quiet bike in the early days, so who knows. - Gene

[Dietrich]

One word for you young-uns.  Tinnitus.  I never wore plugs until I got my current bike two years ago.  I grew up around motorcycles, car stereos, and garage bands.  The weirdest thing to get used to when I first started using ear plugs?  All I could hear was the permanent ringing in my ears that is left over from years of abuse (didn't feel like abuse at the time either).  I can usually tune it out enough to fall asleep at night, and now enjoy having plugs in on a long ride.  Like others here I don't put them in for a few miles across town, but do if I'll be on the freeway or for any stretch of a tyipcal Sunday ride.  I actually prefer it with plugs now, much less fatigue as mentioned.  It's the wind noise that'll getcha. 

[duc996]

I'm going to start using it from now on...great tip.

[knightrider]

+1 on trying a different type of ear plug, also if you find that the foamies cut out too much, try not inserting them as far, they will be a little less effective, but will still work.  i use foamies i get from work, cuz i can get em for free and i figure i wear em all day at work so im very used to wearing them and i dont get that isolated feel at all, just quieter.

[707soldier]

One word for you young-uns.  Tinnitus.  I never wore plugs until I got my current bike two years ago.  I grew up around motorcycles, car stereos, and garage bands.  The weirdest thing to get used to when I first started using ear plugs?  All I could hear was the permanent ringing in my ears that is left over from years of abuse (didn't feel like abuse at the time either).  I can usually tune it out enough to fall asleep at night, and now enjoy having plugs in on a long ride.  Like others here I don't put them in for a few miles across town, but do if I'll be on the freeway or for any stretch of a tyipcal Sunday ride.  I actually prefer it with plugs now, much less fatigue as mentioned.  It's the wind noise that'll getcha. 

+1 Great advice,
I also have ringing of the ears, I was diagnosed with Tinnutus, right after coming back from Iraq.
Exposed from loud explosions, smallarms fire, etc. without earplugs.
Wear earplugs it will save your hearing.

[DY]

In the past, I always forgot to wear my earplugs, until i got on the freeway.  At that point, I could feel the hearing loss setting in.  Nowadays, i've resorted to leaving my earplugs Inside the helmet, after a ride.  That way, i'll see it before i put my helmet on and remember to use em. 

[zarn02]

i always left a couple pairs in each of my jackets.

[remy]

I was missing shift points, brake points and couldn't even feel the suspension working the way I normally do (so it seemed). After about 10 miles of riding and waiting for things to normalize (which they didn't) I pulled into my next stop. Out came the plugs.

Are you serious? You're that dependent on wind noise to know when to shift? You should be able to tell by how the bike feels, your RPM's, and habit. My earplugs cut off wind noise and muffle the bike, but I can still hear the engine and exhausts as well as other traffic just fine (I even use baffles in my pipes).

[Manny]

I can get an extra 20 miles when I wear plugs, it cuts down on fatigue.

+11tby

I also notice that it makes me a more technically oriented rider. I pay attention to all the detail stuff that I should be in the first place. Like road surface, rpms, traffic, apexes, etc. So it saves me fatigue on the slab and makes me faster in the canyons. Can't complain there. I need all the help I can get. 

Oh! I just remembered. They make a nice custom earplug for musicians that cuts all frequencies equally, with the end result being that you hear the same, just less volume. That may help you (mac900) a bit. Unfortunately they are a bit pricey, but my hearing is valuable enough to protect.

I think it must have something to do with the way brains are structured or something fancy like that. I find that if I eliminate one very pervasive, but distracting, thing then I can concentrate much better on all the rest. Kinda funny, because at other times (off the bike) I find that my brain is going 900 million miles an hour and it just needs something to fill up the empty spaces to let me think...  Please don't point and laugh. I know I'm a little touched...

[DRKWNG]

I have some friends

I know you weren't talking about me!! 

But more seriously, what plugs did you try Mac?  I started using mine mainly to block out the wind noise more than anything else.  I found myself having headaches after/during longish rides (anything more than half an hour) and the ear plugs prevent that.  Plus, all the years that I spent working in the music industry taught me to use them anytime I was around fairly loud noises that persisted more than a few minutes.

I have a few extra sets that you can try if you are interested.  Just let me know and I will bring out a pair or two to our next ride.