Ear plugs

[Porkchop]

Sport Rider ran an article awhile back about the correlation of motorcycle riding and significant hearing loss. They went on to say that it has less to do with the motorcycle noise, and more to do with the wind blast at speeds. They advised to wear earplugs when riding over significant distances at high speed, or at the track.

Anybody here wear plugs at the track, or while droning down the superslab??? Or custom race plugs???

[Cutty72]

I wear ear plugs any time I'm riding more than just in town. Or my Ipod... but always something.

[BobTheBiker]

I need to start wearing them more, but yeah. I like em cause they cancel out most of the wind noise and you can hear the bike better. Much easier to notice if something isnt quite right real quickly.

[Mikey]

Anytime I'm going to be on the bike for more than about fifteen minutes I wear ear plugs. It helps with rider fatigue a lot on long rides, and hopefully will still let me hear stuff when I'm old.

[NONE_too_SOFT]

ear plugs make u go faster. its a fact.

[Lamnidae]

ear plugs make u go faster. its a fact.

werd.



Yeah i wear 'em on long rides.

hell, i wear earplugs to bed...... *shrugs*

[marko138]

I wear ear plugs on every single ride...no matter how short. I have for years. It took some getting used to at first...but after a ride or two it was much much better than without.

[EpyonXero]

I wear earplugs all the time. It actually reduces the fatigue from riding.

[G-Rex]

I wear earplugs every time I ride also. You can check the pockets of every jacket I own, my leathers, and my Aerostich, and you will find 2-3 pairs of earplugs in them.

[Particle Man]

foam earplugs or noise canceling earbuds at all times.

[Rider]

I always wore them on longer trips but on my short 10 mile ride to work, it was hit or miss.

[Porkchop]

Wow.... I am actually really supprised on how many ppl do. I figured I'd get alot of "No, earplugs are for pussy" responses.....

Good lookin out guys! :rockout:

[zed]

on longer rides I wear earplugs. I also got one of those quiet rider things, you wouldn't believe now much it helps.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/noj-quiet-rider/side-view.jpg

[pauldun170]

32db earplugs go in whenever i ride. Even when I'm just going around the block.

[OTB]

I started wearing them about 10-12 years ago; after my doc told me I had SIGNIFICANT hearing loss in my right ear. I had always worn plugs and muffs for shooting, but had not liked the ambient noise reduction earplugs caused for riding. I felt it was cancelling out too much warning noise from cages creeping up on me; but after wearing them now for years I've found that I can adjust to the noise reduction and discern relative changes in car swoosh noise.

Too late to do anything about the existing damage, but enough to prevent much further.....

[njchopper87]

I don't bother on the 10-15 min ride to class, but I do have some on stand-by for when I work my way up to highway status.

[Particle Man]

Wow.... I am actually really supprised on how many ppl do. I figured I'd get alot of "No, earplugs are for pussy" responses.....

Good lookin out guys! :rockout:

what?



redflip

I felt it was cancelling out too much warning noise from cages creeping up on me

I seem to be able to hear more of that kind of stuff after the wind noise is canceled out by the ear plugs. Maybe perception. :idk:

[fasternyou929]

I started wearing them about 10-12 years ago; after my doc told me I had SIGNIFICANT hearing loss in my right ear. I had always worn plugs and muffs for shooting, but had not liked the ambient noise reduction earplugs caused for riding. I felt it was cancelling out too much warning noise from cages creeping up on me; but after wearing them now for years I've found that I can adjust to the noise reduction and discern relative changes in car swoosh noise.

Too late to do anything about the existing damage, but enough to prevent much further.....
Same here, I lost 65% in my left ear and the doc blamed motorcycle wind noise and scuba diving. Just have to protet what's still there now. :idk:

Now that I wear them regularly, I find I can hear MORE with them on. Slight noises made by the chain, tires and other components that would normally be blocked by loud wind noise are clearly audible.

I can't stand track riding without them, it's freakin' painful loud. Forgot them a few times and pit right back out to put them in. And I've stopped at Walgreens more than once to pick up a box of them if I forget them for a long street ride.

[marko138]

ONe thing I will say is...with ear plugs in I CANNOT hear the valve train noise on the Buell. Thats not a bad thing either.

[jtemple]

Earplugs, every ride.

[Gas Man]

I wear ear plugs any time I'm riding more than just in town. Or my Ipod... but always something.

Me too

I wear earplugs all the time. It actually reduces the fatigue from riding.

Exactly

I like the under water plugs... rubber and slide right in... usually come in a nice case. Work great!

[racedoll]

I got a custom pair after going on a 300 mile ride and coming home to ringing ears (damage done). I know it was from the wind noise and not so much the bike. You adjust so you can hear the cagers and anything else you might need. I just wish I could convince my husband to wear them.

I wear them all the time, especially on long trips. Sometimes I forget when I'm going to work but not a huge deal, though I would rather have them in than not.

[Gas Man]

Got a link to said custom ear plugs?

[RACER X]

always

[zed]

Got a link to said custom ear plugs?

I had a set a while back. the guy that made mine said he went to shooting events. they make them right on the spot if you don't want them to have earphones put in them.

[CrazyKell]

I'd love to get a pair of custom made ones since my ears are oddly small (from a surgery).

I wear them on longer rides, or to/from work. If I'm just going around town I tend not to especially if I'm running errands. I always feel like a bit of an idiot when I can't hear people talking to me when I'm stopped at lights...but that's actually saved me a time or two. ;)

[zed]

I have gotten a DIY kit from Cabella's before.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0037460227874a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=earplugs&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

[racedoll]

Got a link to said custom ear plugs?

http://www.earinc.com/p1-nonelectronic-chameleon.php

These are who made mine, through a local hearing clinic. Basically I went to this clinic in town (Beltone Hearing) and he made the molds, then sent them off to this place and they made the actual ear plugs.

I have them with a hole so some sound comes through. It makes it easier to hear things yet still filtering out the other noises. And they are lime green!

Mine were $75, not $100 though I called a couple other places and they wanted $90-$125, a few years ago.

[Gas Man]

Interesting...

[101lifts2]

Never wear them...then again I run stock exhaust. I don't think they do anything to "save" hearing unless the noise your experiencing is loud all the time. Hint, quit putting on loud exhausts ...punks. lol

[JoJoYZF]

Never wear them...then again I run stock exhaust. I don't think they do anything to "save" hearing unless the noise your experiencing is loud all the time. Hint, quit putting on loud exhausts ...punks. lol

The wind noise is typically more damaging since most of the exhaust noise is directed behind the rider.

[Yamerhaw]

Usually dont wear them, the Shoei's fit my head so well, that there is harldy any wind noise, the X-11 is a little louder, but i usually wear them with the Arai's

[101lifts2]

The wind noise is typically more damaging since most of the exhaust noise is directed behind the rider.

But it doesn't damage anything unless it physically damages at any one time. Over time I would say maybe you become used to the noise and attenuate the noise.

[Porkchop]

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss - What? Say Again?
Listen Up-Unless You Want To Wear Hearing Aids Prematurely, Don't Ignore The Dangers Of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss
By Kent Kunitsugu


I recently crossed paths with a motorcycling friend whom I hadn't seen in at least 10 years. It was great to see him and good to find that he was still very much into motorcycles. He told me that he commutes to work on a motorcycle almost every day (actually the only way to transport yourself in the sprawling gridlock of Los angeles) and still takes the occasional road trip to a distant destination on two wheels.

During the course of our conversation, though, I noticed that he asked me to repeat my statements every once in a while. We were inside an office building, so the environment wasn't noisy enough to cause problems. And while I'll admit that I probably mumble a word here and there, I haven't had any people tell me that I'm too soft-spoken. Mind you, it wasn't as if I was talking to an elderly person with a poorly functioning hearing aid or anything like that; it was just that his handful of "say again?" requests kind of stuck in my mind after our chat.

As motorcyclists we're bombarded with a lot more environmental noise than other motorists. And continued exposure to that noise can have harmful long-term effects on our hearing. Ironically some of the riders I started out with in my beginner years wore earplugs because their bikes were fairly loud at full bark, and the example they set (the earplugs, not the loud bikes) is one of the reasons I've worn earplugs literally from day one. But interestingly enough, the most damaging din isn't from the source you might initially think.

Back in 1994 two ear specialists from england conducted a hearing test on 44 Grand Prix riders to determine if they suffered from NIHL (noise-induced hearing loss). Almost half of them showed hearing losses much greater than the median for each one's age. "so what?" you say. "I'm not a GP rider." No, but note that this test was conducted in 1994, long before unmuffled MotoGp four-strokes ever made an appearance; muffled two-strokes with a 102-decibel-A (dBA) limit were the mount of choice back then. It was soon determined that the sound responsible for the riders' hearing loss was wind noise. And this was with the latest, trickest, most aerodynamic helmets, many with custom parts for each rider to ensure the best fit.

The two specialists, Andrew Mccombe and J. Binnington, then conducted a very thorough scientific study in 1995 of British street motorcyclists, including the country's motorcycle police. By inserting a tiny microphone next to the rider's ear they were able to measure noise levels accurately, part of which allowed them to determine that wind noise begins to drown out all other sounds once the rider passes 40 mph. At 100 mph, the wind noise level averaged at least 110 dBa for the 10 different helmets measured, which is about the same as listening to a gas-powered chainsaw (and this is with a helmet-imagine how loud it must be without one). Even cruising at 70 mph, wind noise would be about 100 dBa, which OSHA (the federal occupational safety and health administration) noise exposure standards state you can tolerate for a maximum of two hours per dayand that's cumulative, not per exposure-before permanent hearing damage definitely occurs. part of Mccombe and Binnington's study involved having a group of 18 selected riders go through a rigidly controlled test, and all were found to have suffered measurable hearing damage.

"Big deal," some of you are surely saying. "I've been riding for 10 years without earplugs and can hear fine." The problem is that the damage to your hearing is insidious; the most vulnerable parts of your ear are the receptors that handle the higher frequencies of sound that aren't readily noticeable. Everyone has surely experienced temporary hearing loss from deafening noises in the lower frequencies such as fireworks or loud concerts; after an hour or so your hearing returns, giving the impression that permanent hearing loss would involve the same massive deficiencies across the complete hearing frequency range. Unfortunately, noise-induced hearing loss from continued exposure occurs in a much more subtle way. The lost higher frequencies involve the minor inflections of speech that help define spoken language, especially consonants that don't have the louder vocal intonations of vowels, often occurring as the difference between past and present tense or singular and plural. For example, if someone were to speak in a normal tone of voice and environment, would you be able to tell the difference between "happen" and "happened" or "sportbike" and "sportbikes"?

I recall my friend was one of the macho types who felt that earplugs were an unnecessary hassle, and I have the distinct feeling that he may have been suffering from the cumulative effects of NIHL. Because wind noise occurs in the sound frequencies that earplugs are most effective at blocking, they can often reduce the sound level by at least 20 dBa, a very significant amount. Wearing earplugs may seem like a needless chore, but they can go a long way toward preventing you from being fitted up for hearing aids well before your time.

[jtemple]

I have HUGE ear canals. Sometimes even the foam earplugs won't completely seal up for me. I wonder if I can get a custom set made locally, at a hearing aid place.

[fasternyou929]

But it doesn't damage anything unless it physically damages at any one time. Over time I would say maybe you become used to the noise and attenuate the noise.

And now we know why GM stands for General Motors, not General Medical.

When you become "used to noise" and your ears "attenuate", that IS damage. Tard.

[OTB]

I teach culinary arts (another story) and I spend all of my teaching time in a classrom with solid floors walls and ceilings, and lotsa stainless steel fixtures, running machinery as well as a 3600 cfm exhaust hood system; lousy for high ambient noise and poor acoustics. I have to concentrate SOOO hard to hear my students it is becoming difficult with the cumulative hearing loss to discern what my students are saying unless I look directly at them.


I never ride without earplugs, but it's too little, too late..........

[101lifts2]

And now we know why GM stands for General Motors, not General Medical.

When you become "used to noise" and your ears "attenuate", that IS damage. Tard.

No it isn't damage if its not permanant.

So your telling me if you stop riding and 2 years later your hearing doesn't sharpen? If it does, then it causes no damage.

Also, as you get older your hearing like everyting else degrades. I'm wondering if they are taking this into account.

Ive been riding for 9 years w/o earplugs. My hearing is the same as before I started.

Do whatever u want to do, but there have been studies that disprove that earplugs do anything (unless the noise at that time is damaging).

[fasternyou929]

No it isn't damage if its not permanant.

So your telling me if you stop riding and 2 years later your hearing doesn't sharpen? If it does, then it causes no damage.

Also, as you get older your hearing like everyting else degrades. I'm wondering if they are taking this into account.

Ive been riding for 9 years w/o earplugs. My hearing is the same as before I started.

Do whatever u want to do, but there have been studies that disprove that earplugs do anything (unless the noise at that time is damaging).

I'm not going to stop riding for 2 years to test that, but I will say if it takes 2 YEARS for my hearing to return to normal, something's fuckin' damaged.

How do you know your hearing's the same? Have you had it tested 9 years ago and today to verify results across all hearable frequencies? Or do you just mean you don't notice a change in your hearing?

Where's a study that has shown earplugs do nothing? I'd like to read that.

[zed]

every job in manufacturing I have ever had made us wear earplugs. now the shops I've worked in didn't and you never know when someone is going to fire up a bike with aftermarket exhaust.

[marko138]

I'm not going to stop riding for 2 years to test that, but I will say if it takes 2 YEARS for my hearing to return to normal, something's fuckin' damaged.

How do you know your hearing's the same? Have you had it tested 9 years ago and today to verify results across all hearable frequencies? Or do you just mean you don't notice a change in your hearing?

Where's a study that has shown earplugs do nothing? I'd like to read that.
I'm with this guy.

[101lifts2]

I'm not going to stop riding for 2 years to test that, but I will say if it takes 2 YEARS for my hearing to return to normal, something's fuckin' damaged.

How do you know your hearing's the same? Have you had it tested 9 years ago and today to verify results across all hearable frequencies? Or do you just mean you don't notice a change in your hearing?

Where's a study that has shown earplugs do nothing? I'd like to read that.

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/noise.asp

[fasternyou929]

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/noise.asp
You might want to find a different article. This one goes against everything you're saying... as I'm sure most articles will.
NIHL is 100 percent preventable. All individuals should understand the hazards of noise and how to practice good hearing health in everyday life. To protect your hearing:

Know which noises can cause damage (those at or above 85 decibels).

Wear earplugs or other hearing protective devices when involved in a loud activity (special earplugs and earmuffs are available at hardware and sporting goods stores).

[101lifts2]

You might want to find a different article. This one goes against everything you're saying... as I'm sure most articles will.

LOL..I know I got owned. lolol....over 85, then they say over 120db. Not sure which one.

[Gas Man]

You don't want to listen to anything over 80db for an extended amout of time. Basically if you must shout to talk to the person standing next to you... its too loud.

[Tsunami]

i wore them a couple of times and i felt like i couldnt' hear my engine so i stopped. If its true that after a while you don't hear the wind but the engine better, then i'll give it a try again.

[CrazyKell]

I just pickd up a pair of custom plugs at the Motorcycle Show. They did them right there. Was with my parents and they had a show deal, but because we bought 3 we got an even bigger deal. $80 each. :idk:

[marko138]

I wore a different set of plugs yesterday....blue Hear-O's I wear when I drum. I had to stop and change ear plugs. They blocked too much noise. The bike sounded totally different. I didn't like it. Back to the orangies.

[racedoll]

The thing I like about the custom ear plugs is because they are flush with your ear so when you pull your helmet on they don't fall out like the foam ones do for me.

[was92v]

I don't wear ear plugs much and probably should. My hearing is damaged, although I don't know how much is directly from motorcycles. When I add the affects of race cars, rock music, jumping into a dirty swimming pool (That really hurt for about 3 days), 3 years of Drag racing a 2-stroke with 6in stingers, 5 years of road racing 2 & 4 strokes and 40 years of riding motorcycles in general, Oh and that summer night in 1975 five rows from the stage at a Kiss concert (Awesome!!), machinery and guns, I say "Huh?" way too often.

I'm sure it is just getting used to them, but my balance seems to be off just a little when wearing them and trying to a. keep them in while pulling on a helmet that fits right (tight) and b. remembering to put them back in after a stop, conspire to make me not wear them very often.

I will say that I am noticeably less tired after a long ride when I remember to wear plugs, so there is that.

[zed]

I will say that I am noticeably less tired after a long ride when I remember to wear plugs, so there is that.

that is something I noticed on long rides too.

['73 H1 Triple]

I wore earplugs fior the first time on a streetbike this morning for my trip out and back to Cabela's.

The lack of wind noise was nice as well as it did seem to be less tiring. :dthumb:

I did find myself riding faster than normal. I'm not sure if this is good thing or not :idk:

Jeff

[marko138]

Same thing happened to me the first time I rode with ear plugs. I was riding way faster than normal...till I got used to it.

[fasternyou929]

Same thing happened to me the first time I rode with ear plugs. I was riding way faster than normal...till I got used to it.

Yep, now it just feels slower. :lol:

[Particle Man]

i wore them a couple of times and i felt like i couldnt' hear my engine so i stopped. If its true that after a while you don't hear the wind but the engine better, then i'll give it a try again.

I can hear more from the engine with them in.

[HokieDNA01]

I wear them everytime I ride. They took some getting use to at first but now I hear the engine better and do not get as fatiqued after long rides. I tend to forget to put them in though before putting my helmet on. Duh!

[KSGregman]

I don't ride without ear plugs...the wind noise gives me a monster headache otherwise....and it's not worth risking my hearing over something as stupid as being stubborn about taking the 10 seconds to put them in before I get on the bike. :idk:

[Trip]

I want a set of these custom ear molds that I can use with my mp3 player.

http://www.racingelectronics.net/index.php?event=store&action=products&item=ear_molds

[CrazyKell]

I want a set of these custom ear molds that I can use with my mp3 player.

http://www.racingelectronics.net/index.php?event=store&action=products&item=ear_molds

I would highly recommend these.

I just recently got a set of custom molds and they are absolutely fantastic. The noise cancellation is amazing and I can still hear everything I need to on my bike. I even wear them at night to sleep now.

I wish I'd gone with the wired ones so I could plug them in to my ipod but I wasn't sure if i'd like them so I didn't want to spend the money. :idk:

[Sixxxxer]

I need to get a set for the Trip to the Rally...