I tried using ear plugs today on my ride to work

[yamahog]

no... you still hear fine, unless you already have hearing loss...its not the helmet or the pipes...its the wind at 40+ mph...Its loud, no question.

 

[DefyInertia]

I'm sorry but i have to say I completely disagree with this thread. If you hear a lot of noise its probably because you have a garbage helmet, or removed/drilled baffles. If you don't want to go deaf, don't buy a loud exhaust or drill out your baffles.

This is an old moto topic that has been beat to death, not a new discussion or one that is unique to this forum. Conventional wisdom says that it by far best to wear plugs - no question about that.

It's the wind, not the bike. And you can still hear sirens and horns and cars in your blindspot and the clunk from your gearbox....

 

[nksmfamjp]

I think we have beat this enough, but I want to throw my 2 cents in. First, hearing loss hurts. I used to not be 100% serious about plugs around loud noises. My ears rang and hurt often.

Now I wear plugs for any loud activity pretty much.

I generally wear 33db rated foam plugs. I know there are 26db plugs out there, so those should pass more noise.

Also, for super loud noise like guns, you really need muffs to protect some bones around the ear.

When riding, we can all suffer from not hearing the bike, but with practice you can get beyond it. For me, it is worse riding with other loud bikes.

Get a plug case which goes on your key chain. I have a small al plug case from Honda which is nice. I bought it in Japan like 10 years ago! I have seen similar things called pill holders.

Now plug up when:
Mowing
Trimming
Cycling
Shooting plugs and muffs
Sawing
Grinding
Air tool work
Etc

Once you start, you will be amazed how little negative effect they have and how good you feel!

 

[agf]

Hi all, my two bobs worth:
I went about 95% deaf in my right ear about 18 months ago due to a nasty virus and it took out the nerves, so nerve deafness with no reprieve!
I really value my hearing and as I dont do much but commute. I didnt think too much of the wind noise.But, and there is always a but.....
I do get wind noise in both ears, that 5% in my right is just perfect for wind noise. I hardly notice it in my left coz I can hear everything else.
So I tried a plug in my bad ear yesterday, got used to the sensation of it in about 3-4 minutes, but what a difference, hardly any noise, only that in my left ear.
This morning thought I'd try plugs in both ears, not sure how I would feel not hearing anything. Got about 100mtrs up the road thought this is ace and kept going. The awareness of the bike is kinda increased coz you dont have to filter out wind noise. The ability to monitor traffic seems to be enhanced, reading what the bike is doing seems easier
I'M A CONVERT!

 

[Dave.TX]

Saw this article about motorcyclists and hearing loss:

Another reason to wear ear plugs when motorcycle riding - National Motorcycles | Examiner.com

 

[ticktock]

Since my last post here I've ridden with plugs every time. Oddly enough, I got used to it fast and now I don't want to take long rides without them.

Makes doing anything above 50-60mph much more enjoyable.