Ear plugs

[Ben Hur]

Guys...I know I am being pedantic on this but do you guys feel that you might not hear car horns /sirens with your plugs in? Its terribly peaceful with my plugs in and i can hear my GPS /pillion OK (mixed blessing ) but I do worry some other vehicle might be trying to warn me...

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[Ian Porter]

Never had a problem myself.

Always hear sirens etc.

In fact I'd go as far as to say it's easier to hear them with plugs in as your not trying to hear things over all the wind noise.

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[Ben Hur]

Are yours custom?

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[Ian Porter]

They are,

But I'd have said the same with other plugs I've used

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[nigelphoto]

I can't understand why anyone would want to wear earplugs riding a bike. If you have any mechanical sympathy whatsoever, you listen to the engine, keep your eyes on the road and the tacho is redundant. At 60mph a glance down at the dash could be a distance travelled of 15-20' and in that time an aerosol in a black Audi comes out of a junction - and you'd sure get a ringing in the ears then!

 

[hotbulb]

I value my hearing (and my wife's a teacher of the hearing-impaired), so i wear earplugs to minimise hearing damage caused by (in the main wind noise when using the bike. And, no, I've had nodifficulty hearing sirens etc, or indeed engine sounds, when wearing the plugs, either custom-fit or "generic".

 

[Rubberchicken]

At 60 mph worth of wind roar you get hearing damage within, what, 15 minutes?

So, yeah. Plugs. Always. I've lost enough hearing already...

No problem with sirens and whatnot. This with standard Alpine plugs. No problems with hearing the engine either. The yellow foam slugs do block a bit much for my taste, but I'll use those for long (>100m) motorway blasts.

 

[nigelphoto]

At 60 mph worth of wind roar you get hearing damage within, what, 15 minutes?.

Maybe you should consider a slightly taller screen, or perhaps you're not wearing a helmet? At 80 (on a track, officer) I get a little bit of wind noise, but not a great deal and I wear an open face. I started riding bikes in 1964 and my hearing is fine.

 

[Rubberchicken]

Good for you. Not everybody is as lucky as you to get the exact combination of screen and helmet and length and whatnot, most people do need earplugs...

 

[Whealie]

Having spent most of the past year in and out of the ENT department (another appointment this week) I got custom-made earplugs on the advice of the consultant to protect what is left of my hearing. I wore earplugs years ago but one got stuck in my ear and I stopped wearing them (once it had been removed).

All the advice is to wear them. You can still hear - police sirens, tyre screeches, pops and bangs - but the persistent rush of wind at speed is significantly reduced.

I do agree that your screen and helmet combination can make a huge difference but even then earplugs save your hearing.

 

[nigelphoto]

Good for you. Not everybody is as lucky as you to get the exact combination of screen and helmet and length and whatnot, most people do need earplugs...

PS I forgot to mention, you also have to have a low seat (BMW F650ST) and be under 5'9".

 

[Rubberchicken]

Yeah that's me out at 6'4"

 

[Ian Porter]

Yeah that's me out at 6'4"

Short arse



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[Rubberchicken]

Yeah I'm tiny


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[nigelphoto]

At 60 mph worth of wind roar you get hearing damage within, what, 15 minutes?

So, yeah. Plugs. Always. I've lost enough hearing already...

I have seen the light, God loves a sinner who repents, OK I was wrong, I'll buy earplugs in the morning - is that enough apologising? This is how it happened. I was lining up to have a good go at Rubberchicken for his statement that it took 15 minutes at 60mph to cause hearing damage but I thought I'd better marshall some facts together and I was truly astounded to read that its all true http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC539364/ Although the report does say that fairings can provide some protection from hearing loss from wind noise, ear plugs are more effective although the reduction in db levels is not quantified. As it happens I am going for a hearing test in 3 weeks time as I have suffered from tinitus for 25 years, but this is much more likely to be age related and damage done over many years of clay shooting without protection. So, in the meantime I will be buying ear defenders in the morning and Rubberchicken can rejoice that he has a made convert!

 

[steveR]

I have had great success with DIY custom made ear plugs, silicone mix brought off eBay suppliers around a tenner. Works well and is far more comfortable than plugs when wearing a helmet.

 

[Lulu]

I have had great success with DIY custom made ear plugs, silicone mix brought off eBay suppliers around a tenner. Works well and is far more comfortable than plugs when wearing a helmet.

Wrapping silicone mix around a ten pound note seems like an odd way to make custom ear plugs to me

 

[russh]

As mentioned before by others I find no reduction in the ability to hear horns, sirens and the like, they just lower the overall sound level of everything. Riding without them now sort of feels like riding naked (well, OK, not quite, but you know what I mean )

I just buy 50 or so pairs of the cheap 3M EAR brand plugs every few months, they work fine although only seem effective for a few days use.

 

[Sharribee]

I have ultimate ear custom.plugs, I have relied on my hearing for my job to hear what I need through my stethoscope so have never compromised my hearing.

Hasn't affected my ability to hear sirens, traffic etc

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[Rubberchicken]

As mentioned before by others I find no reduction in the ability to hear horns, sirens and the like, they just lower the overall sound level of everything. Riding without them now sort of feels like riding naked (well, OK, not quite, but you know what I mean )

Oh yeah. I ride an old pushrod twin. People who know old boxers have a saying, "loud valves are happy valves". Riding without earplugs is horrid, ye ghods the mechanical noise...

(Though I've heard of someone with an old Guzzi which failed a police exhaust noise test. Measured from the front of the bike. )

Oh and Nigel, no need to apologise, I just hope that tinnitus eases up on you. That stuff can drive people mad...