I use protection every time... do you?

[Boneman]

For my daily commute, I don't bother with them. But for any ride that's going to be an hour+, I like to wear em.

WebBikeWorld has a review on several ear plug options:

Motorcycle Ear Plug Review - webBikeWorld

 

[Kazza]

Me too! Have been partially deaf in my right ear since I was about 10. Ear plugs won't help me.

Big change of heart for me.

Did 1000 km/s over the weekend - Friday was 7am start 2pm finish with a couple of rest breaks.

Got off my bike at the Bed & Breakfast in Bridgetown and couldn't hear the host talking to me. Mike had to deal with booking in. Scared me a little bit. I had ringing in my ears all night from my Scorpions. My hearing didn't return properly until Saturday morning.

Went to the chemist and bought some ear plugs - worked a treat. Could still hear my beautiful sounding Scorpions but it was a much duller tone. No problems with my hearing when I finished riding in the afternoon.

From now on I will wear ear plugs for long rides (anything over 1.5 hours).

 

[sanguines]

For my daily commute, I don't bother with them. But for any ride that's going to be an hour+, I like to wear em.

WebBikeWorld has a review on several ear plug options:

Motorcycle Ear Plug Review - webBikeWorld

Here's me also. Wearing 'em for the commute (~10 miles) is a bit of a hassle.

 

[mcteague]

Here's me also. Wearing 'em for the commute (~10 miles) is a bit of a hassle.

Yeah, the 10-20 seconds it takes me to put mine in really eats into my day.

Tim

 

[Debaser]

I really don't understand that logic. Why would you protect your ears on the weekend and NOT the weekday. And, honestly, any ride (even 1 min) of road level noise, will cause damage over a long period of time. 45 min a day * 5 days a week = 225 minutes a week = 4,950 minutes a month = 59,400 minutes a year.

You are subjecting yourself to 100+db levels of noise for nearly 60,000 minutes a year without earplugs, and that is OK?

Please explain.



Here is a sobering chart...

Decibel (Loudness) Comparison Chart

Thanks I'm well aware that it's not good for my heath, eating more than my recommended daily allowance isn't either, but that doesn't mean I don't do it sometimes

The reason why I wear them at the weekends is because I'm generally riding for 6+ hours and they make a huge difference in reducing fatigue where as on my 45 min commute between speeds of 70-120 the noise reducing effect wasn't enough to warrant adding another thing to gear up before setting off (especially on a rainy day where rain suit and over-gloves are needed) and the need to re-order frequently.

Since reading this thread I have been wearing my disposable foam plugs on my commute and having been enjoying it enough to warrant buying some re-useable plugs. I've gone for [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000V3PZOM/ref=oss_product"]OHROPAX Multi[/ame]. They were so cheap (£2.90) that they were worth ordering even if they don't turn out that great. If they don't work well enough I will go for [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alpine-Motosafe-Earplugs/dp/B002ZHIBUC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=drugstore&qid=1269267188&sr=8-1"]Alpine MotoSafe[/ame].

Oh and the chart you linked to shows a Daily Permissible Noise Level Exposure of 2 hours at 100 dB, my commute is 45 min.

 

[Kriswithak]

I have to admit I havne't succumbed to them yet, the new Shoei helmet is alot quieter than my old HJC, and I greatly dislike losing alot of hearing with the plugs.
There are alot of sounds that you can't pick up on when riding with them in, and being more aware on the road is always a good thing.

 

[Ridgeback]

I have to admit I havne't succumbed to them yet, the new Shoei helmet is alot quieter than my old HJC, and I greatly dislike losing alot of hearing with the plugs.
There are alot of sounds that you can't pick up on when riding with them in, and being more aware on the road is always a good thing.

X2 I like to be aware of whats going on around me.

 

[Shiny_side_up]

For folks in Northern California (and Nevada apparently) I highly recommend these guys: https://superiorsoundtechnology.com/Home_Page.html

Sorry if I'm not supposed to promote companies, but I'm not affiliated with then and its a husband/wife team that travel to bike shows (and other industries) and custom make them onsite.

I picked up a pair today ($60) and was floored by the noise reduction (30db, apparently that's normal) yet how well I could still understand people that were talking at a normal level.

My ear canals are fairly "bent" (though not quite as extreme as my buddy who was at the big Cycle Gear warehouse sale with me (that was today))

The guy had commented that I probably had a hell of a time trying to use the compressable foam ones and he was exactly right.

5 minutes of "goo" in my ear (no comments from the peanut gallery...) and an hour for them to fully set and get coated and I'm good for the next 7-10 years.

The ones they make with the "port" for a headset or with the embedded speakers are pretty cool - though they get kinda pricey as you go. Apparently the HOCK ones are super nice for shooting or for REALLY loud environments. Overkill for a motorcycle, but reasonable for dual purpose.

Plus this post serves as a bump - this thread hasn't been near the top in many months and is a pretty important piece of info for us newbies.