Earplugs????

[zarn02]

Apologies for resurrecting a dead thread, but I just read this on Asphalt & Rubber and figured it fit here as well as any place.

http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/motorcycle-helmet-hearing-loss-study/

[Ohm3d]

if im jsut riding to work, no, but if i'm going out for anything longer than 20 minutes, yes, always.... makes such a huge difference

[DarkMonster620]

Interesting, and I always try to get my plugs on when riding, unless I know it'll be a very very short ride .... [less than 10 miles]

[Slide Panda]

Apologies for resurrecting a dead thread, but I just read this on Asphalt & Rubber and figured it fit here as well as any place.

Seems an appropriate resurrection. No reason one can't spin up an old thread when there's new, pertinent info or questions for it. Hell IMO it's better that way.

[Dellikose]

I wear them all the time except for short trips. Even on short trips I may throw them in, because I've had times where my ears were ringing after a short buzz around.

Better safe than sorry!

[Triple J]

Protect your hearing!

I have tinnitus in my left ear from years of playing drums in bands (only my left ear due to where the snare and high hat are positioned and how I tend to hold my head when playing). Tinnitus sucks...my left ear always rings, and if I'm around something loud (power tools, riding without ear plugs, drums, etc) without ear protection the ringing becomes extremely loud for a couple hours up to a couple days. Loud enough that it affects my ability to concentrate and makes being in places with a lot of background noise (like a restaurant) very uncomfortable. I've even been woken up in the middle of the night due to the ringing.

I resisted wearing ear plugs when playing drums because of how it made everything sound and how that made me feel. It also just didn't seem "cool".  The ringing in my left ear finally forced me to start wearing them (and likely saved my right ear from being damaged to the point of also having tinnitus). It only took a couple shows before I was used to the ear plugs, and honestly didn't like playing without them.

Same for motorcycles...I intially didn't wear plugs, but started after a couple episodes of loud ringing. Now I always wear them, no matter the length of ride, and I feel odd when I don't...the exact same feeling I used to have when wearing them. Go figure!  

In short...wear ear plugs. You'll get used to them quickly...you really don't want tinnitus!

...or don't...it's your hearing not mine.  

[Ohm3d]

my old man has tinnitus, he said its absolute shit. I feel for ya brutha.

I went 3/4 deaf in my right ear from having a tire explode in my face when I was an apprentice mechanic 15+ yrs ago.. its very sensitive to loud nosie... aka bikes, concerts, car stereos... so I am forced to wear plug. I am used to it now, its almost second nature. Just wish I could have my hearing back... hearing loss is absolute shit.. and Im still relatively young (34) hopefully they will come up with some good way to fix hearing in our lifetime...  But for those with 100% hearing, protect those ears... you have no idea what it means to lose your hearing

[WhiteStripe]

I have become so used to them now i have a hard time riding without them.  I hear all kinds of 'unimportant' noises and can't focus on the more pertinent things (like engine rpms).

Give them 200 miles and i guarantee you will be hooked AND be thankful in 10 years.

[bikepilot]

I always wear them.  I find I can hear things that matter better as they seem to filter out a larger % of wind noise than other noises.  That and hearing damage will occur without them (no way around that one). Hearing damage probably occurs even with good ear plugs, the the rate of damage is dramatically reduced.

I also find the ride more pleasant without the deafening (literally) wind noise and, depending on bike, somewhat loud exhaust noise.

My fav plugs are the blue foam ones from walmart, rated for 33db (EAR brand I think, but I may be wrong on that).  Comfy and quieter than anything else I've tried. 

[He Man]

dont forget to shop around for different brands. its like trying on a shoe and saying shoes suck if it doesnt fit. there are different shapes and sizes.

[Artful]

I just use the 29dB disposable foam variety from Harbor Freight. $4 for 50 pairs? Yes please.

I wear them every ride now after not wearing them for many years. I don't know how I did it without them anymore. I had to ride home from DC to Baltimore last night and I had lost one earlier in the evening. The wind noise in one ear was absolutely deafening, and I could hear everything much better out of the plugged ear because the ear plug works like a high pass filter.

[csorin]

Like a few others have pointed out on this thread, the filtering is the added bonus to protecting your hearing.  Without earplugs, sounds like the valves clattering can be very distracting, and in my opinion detrimental to the sonorous exhaust note you paid so much to hear. 

With earplugs, you can really hear the engine rev and the exhaust open up.  Not only that, but other speed indicators such as wind noise become more of a gradient rather than an overwhelming white noise above 40 mph. 

I firmly believe that earplugs have improved my awareness of all aspects of riding.  Earplugs are not only a high pass filter for sound, as Artful pointed out, but in turn are a high pass filter for your brain.  Less distractions mean more concentration.  I've been wearing plugs for over a year now and will never go back.

[VisceralReaction]

I've not posted in this before just because I didn't think I had anything to say. then I thought of something 
When I purchased my ST back in 06, I picked it up in Modesto CA for about a 900 miles drive home to North Idaho.
I brought my earplugs and have worn plugs for years. in the excitement of loading the bags and signing the paperwork
I didn't think to put on my earplugs. i pulled out and hopped on I5 headed north with a full tank.
In the excitement the noise didn't bother me, but 200 miles later as I neared Redding and needed to get gas
I pulled of and into a station. I got off the bike and had a pounding headache and felt like I had been worked over
in a very bad way. I rested for a half hour and had some aspirin and had some water.
I recovered and put in my plugs and ran the rest of the way to Eugene OR. What a difference plugs make. The whole rest
of the trip I felt great when I got off the bike, all due to earplugs.

[ChrisH]

I wear some Winchester ear plugs when I remember to. I used to be much better about it. I just seem to forget to put them in for my morning commute quite often.  the ear plugs seem to work pretty well, I originally purchased them for the shooting range. I like that they are corded, washable, and have a little case to put them in.

[lawmaster891]

i have never wore earplugs, i have chopped d&d exhaust. i have though about it but i have a bluetooth helmet with built in speakers so plugs would interfere with me hearing the speakers