Bike not that loud but I still hear ringing in my ears after riding

[MackenzieHailey]

I might have a mild case of tinnitus since I only suffer from the buzzing and ringing for 10 - 12 hours. Every time I wake up, the music of buzzing and ringing in my head disappear. The problem is that I ride my bike daily so I experience this every time. My exhaust pipes aren't even that loud. My brother told me that it might be because of the wind noise but...I don't know what to do.

Do you guys and gals have any recommendation for hearing protection? I think I really need one. I tried generic foam earplugs before but they hurt my ears every time. I hope you can help me.

Thanks!

 

[Gary in NJ]

Wind blast on the helmet can certainly cause hearing damage, especially if you are doing long-distance commuting on the highway. The simple fix; get a box of those orange foam ear plugs. They reduce noise around 25db, which is significant. The expensive fix, buy a new helmet. But even a new helmet probably wont achieve the db reduction as those inexpensive foam plugs. You mention that the foam plugs hurt your ears. Try a different band or a different shape. Lowes/Home Depot have many different styles to choose from. Find one that works, then buy a lot of them.

From a lifetime of motorcycles, loud cars, small planes, firing weapons, playing in rock bands (lead singer - always standing in front of the drummer), cutting the grass without hearing protection....I have constant tinnitus. It was real bad about 7 years ago, bad enough that even driving with the windows open I could hear it. Even though I was told there was nothing I could do about it I made an effort to make everything in my life quieter. And it worked. In my daily activities I no longer hear the ringing. However at night - if I think about it - it's there. BTW, even with tinnitus my hearing below 10k Hz is normal, however I don't hear anything above 11k Hz.

 

[MackenzieHailey]

Wind blast on the helmet can certainly cause hearing damage, especially if you are doing long-distance commuting on the highway. The simple fix; get a box of those orange foam ear plugs. They reduce noise around 25db, which is significant. The expensive fix, buy a new helmet. But even a new helmet probably wont achieve the db reduction as those inexpensive foam plugs. You mention that the foam plugs hurt your ears. Try a different band or a different shape. Lowes/Home Depot have many different styles to choose from. Find one that works, then buy a lot of them.

From a lifetime of motorcycles, loud cars, small planes, firing weapons, playing in rock bands (lead singer - always standing in front of the drummer), cutting the grass without hearing protection....I have constant tinnitus. It was real bad about 7 years ago, bad enough that even driving with the windows open I could hear it. Even though I was told there was nothing I could do about it I made an effort to make everything in my life quieter. And it worked. In my daily activities I no longer hear the ringing. However at night - if I think about it - it's there. BTW, even with tinnitus my hearing below 10k Hz is normal, however I don't hear anything above 11k Hz.

Well, I guess I better not make it an even bigger problem. I'll try on some walmart foam plugs for now just to avoid the noise. I have an Arai helmet that costs around $800 and I'm not thinking of buying a new one at the moment. Would a custom-molded ear plug work?

 

[Motogiro]

Custom molded earplugs do work, are worth a try and although a few more bucks are reusable. You can find a softer foam type ear plug that won't be as hard on your ears.

 

[MackenzieHailey]

Do you guys think this company is worth the appointment? They were recommended by a friend. I did some research and they seem legit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeMNnjPBsjU&t=18s

 

[BestBroseph]

i typically sue earbuds and listen to podcasts or music and navigation. i keep the volume reasonable so i can hear horns and stuff, but loud enough to cover the wind noise. i find it nice to have dynamic background noiseover the roar of wind especially on long rides

 

[Fz6Junkie]

Do you guys think this company is worth the appointment? They were recommended by a friend. I did some research and they seem legit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeMNnjPBsjU&t=18s

Wow the ones he's showing are ****ing expensive. I spent $30 on my ear plugs that also have attenuators in them and they work perfect "TheFitLife Noise Reduction Ear Plugs" but the "Eargasm High Fidelity Earplugs" are exactly the same and seem more popular on Amazon. I do hear myself in my head when I talk but I can live with that if I've saved $230 over theirs. Theirs are very cool and I'd lover a pair but waaaay too steep and some are over $1200.

My wife uses the "Howard Leight by Honeywell Laser Lite High Visibility Disposable Foam Earplugs" and she loves them. I wear them too sometimes when I forget mine and they do the job too. We both use Sena bluetooth headsets and can hear each other and music and surrounding road sounds just fine.

As far as tinnitus for me? I started getting it a couple weeks into riding my first motorcycle. I have a sub $300 Scorpion helmet that may offer some wind protection but I also put Delkevic exhaust on the bike and those things are loud. I rode around for about two weeks with no hearing protection and then while riding to work one day, I got a high pitch ring in my ears that never went away. As most others can attest, I've gotten used to it except when I think or talk about it or am in a real quiet room.

Sometimes I hear my tinnitus after riding for a bit when my ear plugs are in but if I just ignore it, it just goes away meaning my brain just eventually cancels it out. I can't blame it on these circumstances but it could have played a part. I'm 48 years old and haven't been exposed to really loud stuff in decades so who knows why it happens.

Just get something.