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Ear plugs Question

f4ibri

f4ibri

-
Joined
Feb 1, 2004
Location
Castro Valley
Moto(s)
05 600rr
So I used ear plugs for the first time while riding home from work today. I really dont think that my stock exhaust is very loud but the wind noise in my cheap helmet (seven zero seven) is bad. Problem is I ride home from work in the early a.m. with little traffic and every time I looked at my speedo I was going like 90+mph. Most of the time I try to keep it around 70-75mph on 880. I never realized how much I use my ears to judge my speed. I could hear RPM changes, but I couldnt really tell what RPM I was at without looking at the tach. I want to take care of my ears, but I also want to be in tune with my bike. I know some people wont ride without ear plugs, but I'm not so sure that I'm converted. Here's the question's for the ear plug folks.

Will I get used to the quieter engine noise and learn to hear my RPM's?
Will it help to get a helmet with less wind noise?
Will I have any need for ear plugs with a quiet helmet and stock exhaust?

I want my ears to work when I'm old!
 
the ear plugs save your hearing primarily from the wind noise. the sound of wind doesnt ever really decrease - but if you dont wear ear plugs, you may get tricked into getting used to it. the damage is still happening though.

use your tachometer as a gauge to shift.

as for earplugs, pick a good quality type that can be reused. your ears will thank you! as for me, i've done a bit of research on fitment since my two ear canals are different sizes. these are what i use:

http://www.earplugstore.com/coreean26.html
earplugstore_2171_214080661
 
Earplugs FTW!

Yes, it'll take some getting used to, but it is easy. And the payoff is HUGE! You'll actually be able to hear 10 years from now. Most don't realize that the hearing loss is insidious and gradual. You're not going to wake up one morning and all of a sudden find out you lost your hearing. You'll lose it bit by bit by bit. And wind noise is a major contributor.

Still, even the quietest helmet you can buy out there, will generate enough noise to cause hearing loss over ~35-40 mph. Noise exposure levels are non-linearin terms of exposure duration. You might be able to ride 8 hours at 30 mph, but only 4 hours at 40 mph, 2 hours at 50 mph and <1 hour at 60 mph. And this (according to CalOSHA) is cumulative time in a 24 hour time period. Commute to work 1/2 hour each way at highway speeds and you've exceeded their recommended allowance for noise exposure. You WILL experience hearing loss. At 90 mph, your noise exposure can be measured in minutes (if not seconds ;)).

So do yourself a favor - keep wearing the plugs, get used to the new sounds and get used to being able to hear in the future. I wear plugs every time I ride - no exceptions.
 
dkcwenge said:
these are what i use:

http://www.earplugstore.com/coreean26.html
earplugstore_2171_214080661
Click to expand...

i have a pair of those...fairly comfy, and great noise reduction.

slightly more expensive, but worlds more comfy are these:

http://www.earplugstore.com/surefire-earpro-sonic-defenders-ear-plugs-ep3.html

earplugstore_2171_237188832


i picked them up in a local gunshop for around $13...they're like..all day comfy, and with the plugs closed, as effective as the ones above...with the plugs open, noise reduction is reduced, but you can carry on a conversation as if they aren't there.

either way, give yourself a little bit to get tuned into hearing the engine again, and you WILL adjust. even jumping off my bike (not so quiet) onto the gf's (stock) ninjette is doable. i won't do much more than a very short low speed ride without earplugs (~15 mins or less total trip).
 
f4ibri said:
So I used ear plugs for the first time while riding home from work today. I really dont think that my stock exhaust is very loud but the wind noise in my cheap helmet (seven zero seven) is bad. Problem is I ride home from work in the early a.m. with little traffic and every time I looked at my speedo I was going like 90+mph. Most of the time I try to keep it around 70-75mph on 880. I never realized how much I use my ears to judge my speed. I could hear RPM changes, but I couldnt really tell what RPM I was at without looking at the tach. I want to take care of my ears, but I also want to be in tune with my bike. I know some people wont ride without ear plugs, but I'm not so sure that I'm converted. Here's the question's for the ear plug folks.

1) Will I get used to the quieter engine noise and learn to hear my RPM's?
2) Will it help to get a helmet with less wind noise?
3) Will I have any need for ear plugs with a quiet helmet and stock exhaust?

4) I want my ears to work when I'm old!
Click to expand...

1) yes if you do #2
2) yes but you still need ear plugs
3) yes
4) Then protect them
 
I've been riding for 30 yrs now. Been wearing ear plugs the whole time. You'd be a fool to NOT WEAR EAR PLUGS. I keep a pair in every helmet - stuffed into the liner.
 
WHAT?
 
You can hear rpms just fine with ear plugs.

The flents nr33 are some of the best plugs I've used
 
I just go to the hardware store & buy a large quantity of the "foam" type earplugs every few years. That way I can toss them when they get "waxed" up, & they cheap $$$.

I didn't wear ear plugs for 30+ years of my riding, & at a recent hearing test my hearing loss was recorded at 65% in one ear, 55% in the other. I need a hearing aid bad, & quiet conversation is impossible, especially in a crowded room.

Huh? What? Seem to be me most spoken terms. Wear plugs unless you want to end up like me...
 
Ear plugs are a necessity for rides longer than a few minutes. Also, you will be SSOOO much more relaxed and less fatigued with them on longer rides.
You should develop the ability to sense RPMs just through the feedback from the drivetrain, handlebars and pegs. This won't be a problem.
 
No question about need for ear plugs. I use them every time i ride. I tried basic earplugs with little success...never seemed to fit my ears. Then I found E-A-R soft Grippers corded. I must say, these are great. They stay put (the Grippers work), and the light blue cord means I can take them off and on easily without them dropping into the dirt (little thing I know, but I like it).

Here's a review: http://www.webbikeworld.com/Earplugs/disposable-ear-plugs.htm

105953_big.jpg
 
Kornholio said:
I'm really curious how LEO's can get away with not wearing HPE while working motors since the noise levels completely exceed OSHA-accepted dB levels. Maybe you could weigh in on that? :dunno
Click to expand...

:dunno i'm not a motor unit... but a lot of what we do exceeds rules/safety regs already.

not just the whole "fighting with drunks and arresting felons" danger, but the nice silver tag declaring "this device exceeds FCC regulations for power output" (or something like that) on the radio and microphone less than 1 foot away from my manparts


;)
 
I always wear 33db reduction earplugs so on the street everything's pretty quiet. I normally gauge my RPM by vibration through the clip-ons, pegs, seat, etc. That being said, I can still easily hear my bike's engine (fully stock). It just isn't assaulting my ears.
 
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