Save your ears! Wear ear plugs!

[treybrad]

My BT speakers aren't very loud. Having ear plugs blocks out the wind noise, but still lets me hear the important stuff. Also, I can quickly switch the music off if I need to hear something else.

I tried ear buds, but I didn't like fighting them all the time.

I believe there are a couple BT systems that have adaptors if you want to use earbuds.

I don't like messing with my ear buds either. I've gone through a half dozen different kinds, but none are perfect.

What kind of BT speakers do you have? Did you fit them into your existing helmet ok? I keep looking for a decent pair, but most are also bike-to-bike or rider-to-passenger intercom systems, which I don't need (and don't want to pay for). Do they run off rechargable batteries, or do you plug in?

trey

 

[lamlamz]

Which brand names that provide adaptors? Btw, which one do you use? SENA?

 

[frozenpoet]

I didn't pay this much, but I use Parrot Bluetooth Motorcycle Hands Free Cell Kit New | eBay

Anything over about 30 MPH on my cbr and the music is just background noise even at full volume. (at least with my epic phone, haven't used it with my S3 yet) but I've talked to people at 75 mph and I could hear them loud and clear and vise versa with my full face helmet.

 

[Big-R]

Took me a while to get used to wearing ear plugs, but now I feel naked if I ride without them. I remember hearing a statistic that riding without hearing protection is like going to a rock concert. Not a good idea if it's something you do regularly. I've tried riding with headphones for music, but found that it was too distracting. Home Depot sells plugs that are both comfortable and effective, which is a combination that can be a little bit tricky to find.

 

[Rocker66]

I rode for years without earplugs as did almost everyone in those days but now as Big-R says I feel naked riding without them

 

[Alabama Al]

I agree, If you ride long distances they make the ride more enjoyable.

 

[jmjohnson]

I never used ear plugs when I rode years ago but I have been going through sets of disposable ear plugs since getting the NC. I have just arranged for an appointment to get custom ear plug fitting at a local audiology center. Total cost for impressions, plug and fitting is $130. I'd have preferred sub $100 but think it will be worth it (I find the Scorpion EXO 1100 to be more noisy than what I remebered my old helmet to be)

 

[Heavy]

Earplugs or well sealed ear buds are a must when you ride.... the FUZE custom earphones work really well (sorry don't know how to get a link to them), comfortable and blocks out a lot of noise,....

I bought a set of the Fuze earphones and was really disappointed. Two tries and they still didn't fit my ears well enough to block out the outside noise. I also found the cord was very short.

I used a set of Shure E2c earbuds for years. They blocked much of the wind noise very well and sounded great when connected to my Garmin ZUMO. I'm now using a set of Klipsch S4's. They block the wind noise and sound better than the Shures did, but the wires are pretty light gauge. We'll see how they last.

Klipsch

Shure

Regardless, whether music enabled or not, I'll stuff in earplugs for any ride further than around the block. My father in-law wears hearing aids and can still barely hear. For the 30 seconds it takes to put in ear plugs, I think it is time well spent.

 

[Craig92DA9]

I know i should wear ear plugs, but the wind noise doesn't even come close to bothering me. Perhaps its because i work in an auto shop, I use sound canceling ear muff headphones at work but not all the time, only for really loud stuff. Perhaps my hearing is already damaged to a point. I do however always wear ear plugs surfing, its not the water that kills your ears but the cold and the wind blowing on your drums. Long term effect is surfers ear where bone will grow over your ear drum to protect it. The corrective surgery is about $15,000 US. Anyone know if the same condition can come from wind noise in the helmet without the cold or direct wind? I imagine either way i should start using ear plugs while riding as well..

 

[draco_1967]

What kind of BT speakers do you have? Did you fit them into your existing helmet ok? I keep looking for a decent pair, but most are also bike-to-bike or rider-to-passenger intercom systems, which I don't need (and don't want to pay for). Do they run off rechargable batteries, or do you plug in?

trey

I had a Parrot BT unit, which includes calling functions. It was inexpensive and worked well for.my needs. The "puck" has a mini USB port for charging and an external audio source. When I plugged my iPod into the external port, I had much more volume than vs. Bluetooth. The unit's battery would last around 6-8 hours.

Eventually the USB port begain to fail.

 

[afishfool]

My wife worries about me not hearing what's going on around me my full faced helmet blocks a lot of sound wouldn't eat plugs be a bad thing

 

[Jguarfn28]

I already have tinnitus. I blame the Ramones at Mississippi Night's in STL. In 1979, 10 feet from a 8ft stack of Marshall amps did the deed, my ears rang for 3 days. Damn you Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Marky. Currently I am utilizing $8 JVC sealed earbuds with 3 choices of sizing from Ross closeout stores. Keeps me from wanting to be sedated;-)

 

[kjang]

I'm going to wear some disposable earplugs, I can tell my hearing is not as keen as when I was young.

Thanks for bringing this up.

Ken

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

My wife worries about me not hearing what's going on around me my full faced helmet blocks a lot of sound wouldn't eat plugs be a bad thing

No, there is still a lot of noise with a full face helmet. Yours may block enough noise, I know mine doesn't. Research this and then decide what you want. There are inexpensive decibel meters out there. Getting one small enough for your helmet may be a different story though. Good luck!

 

[Mikee3544]

I use Alpine motosafe earplugs. Since then there is no annoying wind noise, no headache. About 35-40$ / pair. There are many different types you can choose from.

 

[happy]

YOU GUYS HAVE TO SPEAK LOUDER! I CAN"T HEAR YOU!

 

[Cyclerosis]

I had to revive this thread to report a personal discovery about ears and plugs. I recently purchased a few different brands of plugs to test them for effectiveness. See the plugs on the right? They're 'Mack's' swimmers ear plugs. The directions to install them in your ear is to reach over your head with the opposite hand and stretch out the ear to straighten out the ear canal. With the other hand, insert the ear plug with a twisting motion. Well, the ear plugs are the best off the shelf plugs I've used, but the reason for this post, is to disclose that my right ear has a left hand thread! I couldn't twist the ear plug in using a clockwise twist.

 

[Harald]

The directions to install them in your ear is to reach over your head with the opposite hand and stretch out the ear to straighten out the ear canal. With the other hand, insert the ear plug with a twisting motion.

Those directions work very well with all ear plugs that I've tried. If I use that method with my favorite "total silence" earplugs (orange countoured foam MAX plugs), it blocks out my wife snoring right next to me.

Because I like to be able to hear my Sena SMH10 speakers in my helmet, I use the old fashion EAR yellow foam cylinders because they still allow enough sound in to hear music/phone calls/gps instructions. Those MAX plugs are too damn good!

 

[Old Can Ride]

There are advantages to selective hearing. Being I flew helicopters and road motorcycles my entire life, I have a sever chronic case of selective hearing. When the wife says anything that involves any honey-doo, you just didn't hear her. A fellow just has to use all the tools at his disposal to survive.

 

[Old guys rule]

There are advantages to selective hearing. Being I flew helicopters and road motorcycles my entire life, I have a sever chronic case of selective hearing. When the wife says anything that involves any honey-doo, you just didn't hear her. A fellow just has to use all the tools at his disposal to survive.

I haven't tried that !

However I just got some incredible ear plugs where you can hear voice but not noise. Much better than the foam ones, easy to put in and come with a handy container. "No Noise"
NoNoise Motorsport Noise Filter Hearing Protection - TwistedThrottle.com