ear plugs?

[marked23]

My wife's riding instructor says that he likes to ride with earplugs because it tends to tone down the loudest sounds that otherwise might startle him. Also cuts down on the wind noise.

 

Is wearing ear plugs a good idea?

[Matts_12GS]

yes

[KTsRidin]

@Matt - agreed. The question is what kind of plugs are right for you and that can probably only be answered with a few different styles.

[upflying]

I wear them on long rides. It's mainly to protect my hearing from damage. The wind blast around my helmet is very loud and my ears will ring for a while after a ride if I don't use plugs. Riding in Lexus like quiet is also very pleasurable to me. I think being temporarily hearing impaired actually makes me a safer rider. The remainder of my senses compensate for the hearing loss.

My plugs were custom made from a hearing aid business..about $65 a pair.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

I dare say most of the folks on this site (including me) ride with some kind of ear protection.

 

If you finish a ride and find that your ears are ringing, then you have done permanent damage to your hearing. Do this over and over again, and you will end up with significant hearing loss by the time you're a senior citizen.

 

Sometimes it's hard to perceive that ringing, but there's another test you can do. After a ride without hearing protection, sit in your car (engine off, not moving), and turn on the radio to a comfortable volume level. Turn the key off and exit the car, but leave the radio volume at that level. Come back the next day, sit in the car and turn the key on. If the radio now seems obnoxiously loud, then your ride caused a Temporary Threshold Shift, a sign that your hearing is being damaged.

 

I'm not concerned about being startled, but I am concerned about protecting my hearing and being comfortable for all-day rides. Hearing protection reduces fatigue over the course of a long ride; if you're using earplugs of some sort, you'll feel significantly better at the end of a 300/500/700-mile day than if you had gone without.

 

Personal preference is all over the place. My own favorite is Howard Leight Max, soft orange foam plugs with a NRR of 33, among the highest I've seen. Properly inserted they are comfortable for all-day wear, and don't rub on my helmet, minimizing sound conduction and physical pressure. Many folks prefer custom-molded ear plugs made from firm rubber/silicone material; these ain't cheap, but one advantage is that they can be made with speakers installed, so you can listen to music with good audio quality (as opposed to helmet-mounted speakers blasting at high volume to be heard through regular ear plugs).

 

The only bike I ever rode on which I was willing to forego earplugs was the Goldwing GL1800. The windscreen is so monstrous and well-designed (and the engine so quiet) that earplugs would have been redundant.

[Peter Parts]

This will help. Skip the first bunch of posts about eating fish - just for fun. Serious discussion starts after.

 

ear plugs

 

Ben

[BluegrassPicker]

I had a hard time getting used to them.

 

One tip that helped me. I trim a bit ( < 1/8" )off the end.

This reduced the amount of noise that was conducted from the helmet.

 

Now it bothers me to ride without them.

[BerndM]

I have found that for me, the RT is pretty quiet, especially with the windshield in the full up position. I guess a lot also depends on your choice of helmet.

For me personally, I WANT to hear the sounds of traffic near me. I feel it helps keep me alive!

 

[Survived-til-now]

There is no doubt that motorcycling noise can damage your hearing, especially on long journeys.

 

Therefore some hearing protection is a good idea but I do not endorse the "individually moulded to your ear" type that cuts out sound completely. You lose the ability to hear a car or bike in your blind spot that you didn't see in the mirrors. In city traffic that can be dangerous.

 

On long journeys I use the foam type plugs that cut out the damaging frequencies but still leave you able to hear - albeit at a reduced level. In city riding I don't wear them at all because the noise levels are usually lower due to lower speed.

[notacop]

For all the responses of not needing ear plugs, you may found overwhelming data that long time exposure to loud noise will make you deaf. Wind noise qualifies. Matter of fact.

I use a custom fitted plug from Big Ear. Google them or just custom ear plugs. All day comfort when riding, all night comfort when you do not want to hear the local train or hundred or so fellow rally campers snoring and f-rting all night.

I used the foam dudes for many long time until I got custom. Those can be aggravating depending on how well they fit your ear canal.

You will like floating down the hwy in muffled bliss. And you can hear sirens!

Customs run $60 or more but I've had and used mine for a couple years now. Very Satisfied.

[EddyQ]

I made some crude measurements in my helmet at my ear vs speed this spring while riding my RT with windshield down. The measurements include roughly a minute of recording with a nice recorder and cheap microphone mounted in my helmet. Then, the recording was analyzed with some MATLAB code that I wrote. The levels are not absolute, but likely very accurate on a relative basis.

 

Relative to sound levels stopped at a rather busy intersection, bike running, 30mph is roughly 15dB higher. 50mph is almost 30dB higher. 80mph is 40dB higher. Based on available sound pressure level data Wiki , the data I took stopped might have a SPL of roughly 50-60dBSPL. So, doing some math, my ears might get 65-75dBSPL at 30mph, 80-90dBSPL at 50mph and 90-100dBSPL at 80mph. Hearing damage is said to occurs with long term exposures of 85dBSPL.

 

Yes, I wear hearing protection. If you believe my data and you think your helmet, windshield ect would be the same as mine, you likely could ride without earplugs at 30-40mph. I am not suggesting you don't wear earplugs. It is your call.

 

And if you think you will not hear cars around you because of wearing 33dB earplugs, you might be correct. But it isn't because of the ear plugs. 33dB is no were near a significant amount of attenuation relative to the sensitivity of your ear which is said to be 0dBSPL. You won't hear that car beside you with or without earplugs. There simply is too much ambient noise.

 

 

[BFish]

i wear them or listen to music. grown to not like riding without them.

[RockBottom]

I must have tried a dozen different kinds and paid a lot to have custom ones made. Eventually I decided that for me, Moldex Pura Fit foam ones were best. I buy them 200 at a time from Amazon.

 

I don't wear them on short trips around town but on anything more than a few miles, it's the Moldex or Sennheiser ear buds if I'm listening to music.

[Deadboy]

Rarely ride without them, not sure why anyone would do much more than a short ride without them.

[Selden]

Nice -- data!

 

When I was young and stupid (as opposed to old and stupid), I rode from Yosemite to LA to visit my wife, who was in graduate school. When I arrived and got off the bike, I was amazed at how quiet everything was.... Twenty years later, with 24x7 tinnitus, I finally started wearing ear plugs. I can't reverse the damage, but I can minimize its getting worse.

 

I like the Howard Leight disposable foam plugs, especially the ones with retaining cords, which I clip off, leaving about a half inch to pull the things out -- beats using a Leatherman, which tends to attract stares from civilians.

[Skywagon]

100% of the time. When I first started using them, my biggest issue was I couldn't hear the engine. I was used to shifting by sound. So I would take them out. After riding with them and taking them out, I would stick them back in because the noise was too much. I learned to shift by feel instead of sound.

 

I've been wearing plugs or earphones full time on the bike for about 10 years. I am not aware of any situation where I couldn't hear the traffic. Try them, be patient..after 3-4 rides with them you will adjust and be considerably more relaxed when you get to your destination...and to Mitch's point you will be able to hear when the postman drops off your social security check.

[1LIFE2LIVE]

i wear them or listen to music. grown to not like riding without them.

 

+1; it's iTunes or custom ear plugs 99% of the time!

[upflying]

I have found that for me, the RT is pretty quiet, especially with the windshield in the full up position. I guess a lot also depends on your choice of helmet.

For me personally, I WANT to hear the sounds of traffic near me. I feel it helps keep me alive!

Wanting to hear traffic is a poor reason not to wear plugs.

With all the wind rush around the helmet, I can't hear other traffic anyway.

A recent thread from a deaf motorcyclist confirms hearing is not needed to be a safe motorcyclist.

[Peter Parts]

Let's not get carried away with the hand-wringing. If you check the stuff posted in that other thread linked above, you'll come away much better informed than in this thread (maybe EddyQ's information excepted).

 

After 20 years of daily factory exposure at 85 dB and above, a small percentage of workers have damaged hearing. And we are talking about industrial peak clanging and banging, not broad-band white wind noise.

 

That is a misfortune and all of us should take care to avoid damage. But that's far different than going for a scoot to the milk store without your ear plugs.

 

As far as direct evidence about bikers, I could only find a single relevant useful study: racers. Yes, damaging their hearing fast. Any comparison between the racket at the track and your riding? Wind noise goes up fast with speed, as EddyQ points out. It would be a piece of cake for any researcher or organization to collect data on hearing for old bikers and identify an appropriate control group.

 

If your wind noise is over 100 dBC, get off your bike. Unsafe to ride for your hearing or for your fatigue for your good riding judgment. You've got to fix things. THAT is Step One.

 

Ben

[bmwsit]

I use the orange foam ear plugs that you can get a "dozen of for a dime" I buy packages of the ones with the highest ratings I can find and always wear them if I will be going over 35, ie on the highway.

 

A few things, one they block out very low and high frequency. I can still hear traffic with no problem. I can hear the tire noise of a car as it approaches me. Don't buy the arguement of you can't hear traffic and will die a horrible death, save your hearing. Two, they make long rides much more enjoyable and cut down on the fatigue. At least it seems like it to me. Third, I ride an LT and use the radio. Prior to this, I rode a GS and had speakers in my helmet for the radio. The ear plugs actually make/made it easier to hear the music... go figure.

 

Only time it is annoying is at the gas station or at stops trying to talk to other riders about where to go etc.

[OlGeezer]

My wife's riding instructor says that he likes to ride with earplugs because it tends to tone down the loudest sounds that otherwise might startle him. Also cuts down on the wind noise.

 

Is wearing ear plugs a good idea?

 

Yes, particularly for rides in excess of two hours. Two hours of unprotected wind noise will cause permanent hearing loss.

 

Or so I've heard.

 

Sorry for the pun.

 

 

[enfoman]

For me, I try and evaulate constantly. I have used the HL Max plugs and they seemed fine until they wiggled out somehow from the aural canal, I have tried the silicone press in type putty plugs and found they leave a sticky residue. Most recently I have tried the HL Pilot plugs that have a stiff stem and hold the plug secure in the canal. very comfortable but the stem wears out of the plug before it's time. Although I like them alot and they are technically disposable anyway. More recently, I am evaluating a moldable plug by Radians that seal the entire ear when you mix a two part blend of putties together. So far I like them and I can hear things better with them instead of being muffled. I also do not need to have my speaker volume as high with these moldable plugs.

 

Bottom line is to evaluate and find what is good for you, there is no prefect answer as everyone's ears are all a bit different.

[moshe_levy]

Check last month's MCN (September edition) on page 24 for a very thorough scientific test of custom vs. universal and foam vs. silicone plugs. There's enough data there to satisfy anyone.

 

Personally, I never ride without them, though my 2009 RT with stock windshield is to my ears far and away the quietest bike at speed I've ever been on. Yet, I've met too many old timers with permanent damage to take chances.

 

Of all the plugs I've tried, including expensive custom molded ones, the ones I like best are EAR brand silicone (Home Depot) and for music, Etymotic ER6i. I can wer either all day with no discomfort at all.

 

-MKL

[bmwsit]

Any chance that for those of us who do not get MCN, can you summarize the results for us?

[Francois_Dumas]

Yes.

But his primary reason surprises me. You sure he;s a qualified instructor ???

 

On the topic: I have tinnitus too..... suddenly happened one day in May.

Went to see my doctor - after the noise didn't stop anymore as it used to do until then - and he told me it was caused by all my airline travel (I didn't ride at the time, nor did I work in a factory).

 

I had my doubts.

 

My father told me later that he has it too. Dad never ever in his life sat in an aeroplane.

 

I use earplugs on highway rides.... maybe the doc was right. And the wind noise tires me.

On the other hand, I don't hear my Garmin anymore at highway speeds.... nor my wife.

Okay, we can discuss about the virtues of the one or the other. Fact is, I'm starting to go deaf already.

 

All 'evidence' I've read over the years shows that nnoise damages your hearing, so why not wear earplugs?

 

Oh, and I don't hear traffic, or my own engine, with ot without them unless I ride slowly.... so there goes yet another theory ....

[pokorskij]

Yes, I use the SilentEar reusable ear plugs and the er6i for music.

 

I also purchased a custom made earplug/speakers but have not found them to be more comfortable than the above items.

[Selden]

Any chance that for those of us who do not get MCN, can you summarize the results for us?

Summary: Howard Leight disposable foam:

• Leight Max Foam for "normal" ear canals
  
• Leight Laser Lite for "small" ear canals (best buy)
  
• Hearos foam
  

I have used all three, and prefer the first two. Exactly as reported by MCN, the Max Foam block more noise, and the Laser Lites are a little more comfortable because they are smaller.

[rocks]

officers at award ceremonies[/color] etc.

 

 

Fixed it for you

[Silver Surfer/AKAButters]

I use Al's custom molded ear phones. Super quiet plus comm and entertainment when desired.

[Horse]

I had my doubts.

 

My father told me later that he has it too. Dad never ever in his life sat in an aeroplane.

 

I've hardly ever flown - but have tinnitus, what a co-incidence!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over 30 years of motorcycling, tho', much of it without earplugs . . .

 

'Helmet' makes a big differnece, my new (ish) BMW System 6 is very quiet.

[Natche]

I only recently started using ear plugs and wish that I had started a long time ago. I was under the misunderstanding that I would not be able to hear things properly. What everyone is saying has proven to be true for me. Less fatigue. I still hear what I need to hear but the high frequency stuff is gone.

 

I have a set of Interphone communicators and I always heard a bit of high pitched noise (I believe from wind) from the other rider's/pillion's mike. I never could resolve it. It was so bad at times that it was painful and I had to turn down the volume but then I had a hard time hearing them talk at higher speeds. With ear plugs, I now find that I can still hear them fine but the high pitch is all but gone.

 

I too have the tinnitus. I'm guessing it's from my time spent around the track with no hearing protection. I used to work for a company that sponsored a stock car and I spent a lot of time in and around the garage and pit area without proper protection. It seemed manly at the time but it was just stupid I guess.

 

I wear the cheap throw away plugs with the cord. I leave it on as it makes it easier to find them later.

[EddyQ]

Oh, and I don't hear traffic, or my own engine, with ot without them unless I ride slowly.... so there goes yet another theory ....

 

Well put Francois. My experiences exactly.

 

The primary reason for making sound level measurements is that I was concerned my hearing would get worse WITH ear plugs.

After long rides my ears were not happy wearing ear plugs. I think I now convinced myself that earplug comfort was most of that discomfort. But, even with the plugs, it is quite loud.

[Peter Parts]

Some confusion between sound level and signal-to-noise ratio (hearing traffic, bike, and if you care, spousal advice in the presence of noise). You have to keep the two concepts apart. Earplugs don't help much with S/N (except if they have phones in them).

 

The basic fix, after first reading the "fishy" discussion-in-depth in that other thread please, is to cut wind noise by choices related to helmet and windscreen. That's where to start, not earplugs.

 

If you can get the wooly air stream away from your ears, you have a lot of the problem beat. Then you see if you need earplugs.

 

Here is fishy thread

 

Ben

 

[4wheeldog]

My hearing is so damaged that I can only understand people if I can see their lips/mouths move........So I wear sunglasses to protect what I have left. Huh?

[Survived-til-now]

I'll add to my earlier post that whether you wear the individually moulded plugs or foam ones, whether or not you choose to wear them at all, or for long trips only, I certainly WOULD NOT wear the moulded plugs with integral speaker for playing music.

 

I followed a friend down the motorway on a long trip, knowing that he was listening to his MP3 player. An advanced motorcyclist (IAM, Rospa Gold etc) he seemed to be completely insulated from the world around him. Even with my ear-plugs in I was picking up on situations developing, like trucks overtaking on the inside etc, to which he had suddenly become oblivious.

 

The jamming in the ears from a pillion is bad enough but music as well - no way........

[BeemerLover]

I always wear them but couldn't get the foam ones to work. I simply can't stuff the compressed foam ones inside no matter how hard I try. They keep popping out. I was at my Dr office and mentioned that and he said it was because I have small ear canals. He said to look for "Christmas tree" plugs for children at Wally World. I looked and found them. Don't know the brand but all of their stores stock them. They are blue and come two pairs to a box for $2 - $3. If I remember right they are marketed as plugs for kids to use at the pool. They work perfectly for me, at least.

 

[Peter Parts]

snip I certainly WOULD NOT wear the moulded plugs with integral speaker for playing music.

 

I followed a friend down the motorway on a long trip, knowing that he was listening to his MP3 player. An advanced motorcyclist (IAM, Rospa Gold etc) he seemed to be completely insulated from the world around him. Even with my ear-plugs snip

 

With earplugs, the music can be 30dB, give or take, louder than the road sound. It would mask it pretty well.

 

One of the cognitive functions that declines most dramatically with age is the ability to attend to two things at once.

 

Ben

[Penforhire]

Custom molded plugs are much faster to insert, for me, than generic foamies. However the foamies block more noise. I wear plugs for any highway rides but tend to skip them for short in-town commutes or grocery-type runs. An aftermarket windscreen on my RT made a huge difference in noise, making short ride pleasant without plugs.

[Fubar]

I don't wear them on short trips around town but on anything more than a few miles, it's the Moldex or Sennheiser ear buds if I'm listening to music.

+1 on distance-based plug use.

Can't use earbuds in FL so I just annoy everyone around me with the stereo.

[dduelin]

After trying a few drugstore foam brands and silicone ones I settled on Howard Leight Max Lites. I bought at box of 200 for less than $20 at an industrial safety supply store several years ago. Typically I use one pair for 3 days or so of riding then open another pair. I find long rides less fatiguing wearing them and they fix the worn rocker arms on my airhead.

[upflying]

I don't wear them on short trips around town but on anything more than a few miles, it's the Moldex or Sennheiser ear buds if I'm listening to music.

+1 on distance-based plug use.

Can't use earbuds in FL so I just annoy everyone around me with the stereo.

If you have a helmet on, how would a LEO know you are riding with earbuds?

Ca has a similar law, earbuds are not ok, earplugs are ok.

27400. A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a

headset covering, or earplugs in, both ears. This prohibition does

not apply to any of the following:

(a) A person operating authorized emergency vehicles, as defined

in Section 165.

(b) A person engaged in the operation of either special

construction equipment or equipment for use in the maintenance of any

highway.

© A person engaged in the operation of refuse collection

equipment who is wearing a safety headset or safety earplugs.

(d) A person wearing personal hearing protectors in the form of

earplugs or molds that are specifically designed to attenuate

injurious noise levels. The plugs or molds shall be designed in a

manner so as to not inhibit the wearer's ability to hear a siren or

horn from an emergency vehicle or a horn from another motor vehicle.

(e) A person using a prosthetic device that aids the hard of

hearing.

 

 

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

If you have a helmet on, how would a LEO know you are riding with earbuds?

 

As long as the wire is concealed under your jacket, he won't know, unless you get pulled over. If he's aware that it's illegal, and if he's in a foul mood, you may get a ticket for that on top of whatever infraction was the original cause for the stop.

[tallman]

I don't wear them on short trips around town but on anything more than a few miles, it's the Moldex or Sennheiser ear buds if I'm listening to music.

+1 on distance-based plug use.

Can't use earbuds in FL so I just annoy everyone around me with the stereo.

 

 

Florida statute 316.304, for example, prohibits the use of headphones except as used as part of a wireless communication device with sound coming out of only one ear

 

Read more: Laws on Headphones for a Motorcycle | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7211407_laws-headphones-motorcycle.html#ixzz10SRy0RtN

 

Only listen with one ear.

Seriously, if one bud is out you're complying.

[Deek]

"....Also cuts down on the wind noise.

 

Is wearing ear plugs a good idea?...."

 

For me, yes.

[Deek]

"...One tip that helped me. I trim a bit ( < 1/8" )off the end.

This reduced the amount of noise that was conducted from the helmet.

..."

 

Good point. It also helped me eliminate the "feeling" of the ear plugs....my ear canal was tender after a few hours until I started trimming off about 1/8th inch so the plug didn't make contact with the helmet. I have headset speakers in my helmet.

 

 

[Deek]

"i wear them or listen to music. grown to not like riding without them."

 

I do both; wear plugs and listen to music with a J&M headset. Like you I feel odd if I ride the bike without plugs.

[Deek]

"...I like the Howard Leight disposable foam plugs, especially the ones with retaining cords, which I clip off, leaving about a half inch to pull the things out -- beats using a Leatherman, which tends to attract stares from civilians..."

 

HA! I use those foam ear plugs, shortened a little to not contact the helmet when inserted. Your post reminds me of a ride I had once where I could NOT get the danged thing out of my right ear! I tried and tried to use my fingers, finally went into the gas station's head to use my little Swiss Army Knife's tweezers. It took me a while, but they finally came out. Since then I trim the ear plugs a little less than I did that time! I was beginning to think I'd have to find a doctor!

[outpost22]

I used to use ear plugs when around my former in-laws. Found them very helpful. Intentional hearing loss was an accepted blessing then.

[upflying]

If you have a helmet on, how would a LEO know you are riding with earbuds?

 

As long as the wire is concealed under your jacket, he won't know, unless you get pulled over. If he's aware that it's illegal, and if he's in a foul mood, you may get a ticket for that on top of whatever infraction was the original cause for the stop.

Even if you get pulled over, how would a LEO know unless you remove your helmet? Last I checked, helmet removal is a not required during a traffic stop. I could see where some LEO's feel the need to make a positive comparison between a driver's license photo and the face of the helmet rider. Never been an issue with me, I can see enough facial features on a helmeted rider to make an identification comparison with a drivers license. DL's also contain other information about the driver's identity such as hair/eye color, weight, height and age.

If the LEO sees an earbud wire, that could be probable cause to ask the rider for helmet removal to confirm the presence of earbuds. Without the probable cause however, I would politely refuse to remove the helmet. No need to show an officer you are wearing earbuds if he has no legal right to check.

[tallman]

de jure / de facto

 

Anyone ever been ticketed for wearing plugs?