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Question Do you listen to music?

It is legal in the USA. And I frequently listen to music while riding.

I have CARDO Pack Talk headsets installed in our helmets. Cardo headsets come with flat speakers that install behind the foam padding of your helmet. They have a built in FM radio tuner and allow you to 'stream' your music from your smartphone, in addition to giving turn-by-turn navigation from your smartphone or a dedicated GPS. Cardo uses a voice command to allow you to alter volume, skip tracks on your music stream, make a phone call, etc.

I would think that earbuds would be uncomfortable inside a helmet as (at least with my helmets) the side pads are firm enough against the side of my head that the earbuds would probably cause pressure points and pain.
 
It is legal in the USA. And I frequently listen to music while riding.

I have CARDO Pack Talk headsets installed in our helmets. Cardo headsets come with flat speakers that install behind the foam padding of your helmet. They have a built in FM radio tuner and allow you to 'stream' your music from your smartphone, in addition to giving turn-by-turn navigation from your smartphone or a dedicated GPS. Cardo uses a voice command to allow you to alter volume, skip tracks on your music stream, make a phone call, etc.

I would think that earbuds would be uncomfortable inside a helmet as (at least with my helmets) the side pads are firm enough against the side of my head that the earbuds would probably cause pressure points and pain.
Thanks for this. That pretty much confirmed what I thought. I'll look into getting those CARDO headsets.
 
No. When the ear plugs are seated well, like I prefer, I couldn't hear the music anyway.
 
I am in the process of attaching a JBL Charge 2 bluetooth speaker to my right engine guard so I can listen to music while riding at urban speeds.
I don't have a communicator, nor do I want to wear earbuds.
I miss the stereo on my Goldwing.
 
I use Plugfones in ear monitors, and they work quite well, if inserted properly. I plug them into a Bluetooth receiver, and stream Pandora through them . They can be uncomfortable after a few hours, sometimes. I use the Bluetooth receiver so I can get directions from Waze if I am in unfamiliar surroundings, along with tunes. On longer trips, I sometimes use an iPod plugged in directly, and a Garmin Nuvi for directions. They also cut down on road noise, and make riding more relaxing. They fit under a tight fitting helmet very easily.
 
Legaltiy is a state matter, and the law differs state to state. It's illegal to wear earplugs while driving (including riding) in many states, but I can't comment on enforcement in states I haven't lived or ridden in.

I often listen to the radio through my Sena communication system. I've also used my Bose noise-cancelling headphones (ear buds) in my helmet. They're not totally comfortable, but it's not bad for short rides.
 
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It's not legal in Florida to wear headphones while operating a motor vehicle but I do stream audio sources through speakers installed in my helmets. Music, nav directions, rider to rider intercom all from various devices. I wear in-ear foam earplugs to attenuate high frequency white noise but they allow audio to be heard and understood.
 
It is legal in the USA. And I frequently listen to music while riding.

I have CARDO Pack Talk headsets installed in our helmets. Cardo headsets come with flat speakers that install behind the foam padding of your helmet. They have a built in FM radio tuner and allow you to 'stream' your music from your smartphone, in addition to giving turn-by-turn navigation from your smartphone or a dedicated GPS. Cardo uses a voice command to allow you to alter volume, skip tracks on your music stream, make a phone call, etc.

I would think that earbuds would be uncomfortable inside a helmet as (at least with my helmets) the side pads are firm enough against the side of my head that the earbuds would probably cause pressure points and pain.
This isn't 100% accurate as it depends on the state and the type of earbud/phone used. For example, here is the law for Virginia:

"It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle, bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, or moped on the highways in the Commonwealth while using earphones on or in both ears.

For the purpose of this section, "earphones" shall mean any device worn on or in both ears that converts electrical energy to sound waves or which impairs or hinders the person's ability to hear, but shall not include (i) any prosthetic device that aids the hard of hearing, (ii) earphones installed in helmets worn by motorcycle operators and riders and used as part of a communications system, or (iii) nonprosthetic, closed-ear, open-back, electronic noise-cancellation devices designed and used to enhance the hearing ability of persons who operate vehicles in high-noise environments, provided any such device is being worn by the operator of a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds or more. The provisions of this section shall not apply to the driver of any emergency vehicle as defined in § 46.2-920."

OP, I would check the law in your specific state to know for sure what is legal vs illegal.
 
Wow this has been a great discussion. Thanks for all the informative answers!
If it helps anyone, from what I can gather it is legal in the UK.

Motorcyclists are allowed to listen to music whilst on the road, but there is some particular guidance around this. Point 148 of the Highway Code says:

Safe driving and riding need concentration. Avoid distractions when driving or riding such as:
  • loud music (this may mask other sounds)
  • inserting a cassette or CD or tuning a radio
Essentially, listening to music may be allowed, but should be avoided if it is deemed to be a distraction.

 
This isn't 100% accurate as it depends on the state and the type of earbud/phone used
I was referring to his original question, is it legal to listen to music while riding. The answer, in the US, is YES IT IS.

He followed that question with 2 additional questions. One of those asked about the US & UK legality specfically. The 3rd and final question was asking about ear buds.

Ear buds and/or headphones are a state by state issue and are not legal everywhere. Truckers offend use comm systems that typically have only 1 ear covered for this very reason. CARDO, SENA and other brands have in helmet systems, some are build into helmets by the helmet manufacture and others (like mine) are add in-accessories that are (semi) permanently mounted units. Those are legal to use while riding even in states where it is illegal to use ear buds or headphones. Cardo brand uses a sophisticated voice controlled system that works very well. Sena uses a similar system that is reported to work reasonably well. When I was looking at the various brands I noticed some didn't use voice control at all. Reviews were, at the time, favoring the Cardo system as better and I've happily and legally used the Cardo PalkTalk (Slim version) for the past 2+ years. One of the best moto investments I've made.

I stand by my original answer.
 
Depends on the state in the USA....up until a couple of months ago, it was illegal to wear any type of earplugs in Ohio...It is still illegal to wear any type of headphones/earplugs in California ($197 fine if caught); same in Florida (but I do ride with earbuds playing music in Florida) $150 fine in Florida... There are actually 17 states in the USA where it is illegal to wear any type of earplugs/earphones...a few of these states do allow built in speakers in the helmet while some do not...heck, some states are so strict, you cant wear sunglasses or have a sunshield on the helmet...or cameras mounted on the helmet...while listening to music on a bike is allowed (helmet speakers or bike speakers) some areas do have noise level ordinances and are strict about it..
 
I was referring to his original question, is it legal to listen to music while riding. The answer, in the US, is YES IT IS.

He followed that question with 2 additional questions. One of those asked about the US & UK legality specfically. The 3rd and final question was asking about ear buds.

Ear buds and/or headphones are a state by state issue and are not legal everywhere. Truckers offend use comm systems that typically have only 1 ear covered for this very reason. CARDO, SENA and other brands have in helmet systems, some are build into helmets by the helmet manufacture and others (like mine) are add in-accessories that are (semi) permanently mounted units. Those are legal to use while riding even in states where it is illegal to use ear buds or headphones. Cardo brand uses a sophisticated voice controlled system that works very well. Sena uses a similar system that is reported to work reasonably well. When I was looking at the various brands I noticed some didn't use voice control at all. Reviews were, at the time, favoring the Cardo system as better and I've happily and legally used the Cardo PalkTalk (Slim version) for the past 2+ years. One of the best moto investments I've made.

I stand by my original answer.
Your original answer is only partly accurate though. The legality of listening to music while riding depends on HOW you are listening to it. It isn't a simple yes or no question.
 
Absolutely - I have a Cardo 4+ bluetooth headset with JBL speakers and Siri works beautifully. I just tell her what I want to listen to and I'm good to go. Phone calls work perfectly even on open highway on a windy day. There are no rules (or reasons that I can think of) to prevent this here in New Zealand. As an aside Lane Splitting is legal here and for me, one of the key reasons to ride a bike (apart from the sheer joy of it). As a final PS on that - auto indicator cancellers via Amazon are a must if your indicators don't auto turn off. They didn't on my 2012 NC700X, and so that Amazon purchase has been a life-saver for me.
 
Sometimes I do. It can be a bit distracting, or a cousin to it. One time I was coming through some mountains belting out some gospel songs and realized I had acheived triple digit speeds.

I mostly don't listen to music because of how loud it has to be to overcome road noise and my earplugs. I'm trying to avoid hearing damage. I already have tinnitus. Don't need more.

The audio quality is lacking anyway. You miss a lot of the nuance of music through little 2" speakers.
 
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Nearly always listening to music, I've got a Sena with replacement speakers. The only piece of advice I'd pass on is to make sure that you buy the comm setup, Cardo or Sena, at a local store and get the in-house warranty. Cardo and Sena both have atrocious customer service and won't replace a unit when it inevitably craps out, but CycleGear just handed me a new one, no questions asked. FWIW, I actually like the interface and connectivity better with Cardo, but when mine died and Cardo told me to get bent, I switched.
 
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