He man flees NYC....sort of!

[muskrat]

if you do that ride at night watch out for deer!!!!!!!!!!

[He Man]

im actually trying to avoid riding at night by waking up early.

i put some 300 mile days in to make it easier instead of just average it out.

[xsephirot]

I advise you not to rush things for long distance riding. Just plan some safety days in your schedule should anything happen or bad weather days where you can just relax and enjoy the neighboring towns and what they offer to see.

[mysticbluex3]

Normally I recommend taking I-80 instead, just to avoid Kansas entirely.

Anyway, enjoy the ride, and make sure you wear earplugs.
For God's sake, don't ride a single leg of the trip without earplugs in.
And I don't mean headphone earplugs, either.

BC.

I guess its a good think I'm not passing by Kansas.  Any other place you would avoid?  This is my route
http://g.co/maps/8qu2t

Also, why no headphones earplugs?  I was planning on using headphones during my trip.  Is its just the noise problem?

[Dirty Duc]

Also, why no headphones earplugs?  I was planning on using headphones during my trip.  Is its just the noise problem?

Two reasons... well, really one reason with both short and long term effects.  Wind noise on a motorcycle is loud enough to damage your hearing especially at highway speeds. 

Short term effect: You get off the bike after a 500 mile day and your ears are ringing.  With earplugs, I don't get as tired (why wind noise = tired is somebody else's argument) and can remain alert on the bike longer.

Long term effect: What?  Speak up, son!

From personal experience, those headphones with the foam that act like earplugs are nowhere near as comfortable under a helmet for 14 hours than cheapo foam earplugs from the hardware store.  I get better sound with helmet speakers, and my ears don't hurt.  Plus the headphones ones don't block as much of the wind noise as you'd like.

I don't mess with the music controls while riding, though.

[ducpainter]

legit question!

there are hardly any cops in north and south carolina on i95 and i pretty much did 95 the whole time till i made it to gerogia.

Buckethead, that would be great, I wanted to get a bit further than Kansas city so i was a tad closer to denver for the next morning. Nightlight and glamour? Whats that? (im stuck in school 80 hours a week!

I just found it amusing asking if there were cops in Kansas.

They're everywhere you know.

[mysticbluex3]

So what is the solution to protect your ears from wind noise yet be able to listen to music?  Were you suggesting use ear plugs with in-helmet speakers?

[Zulu]

  Were you suggesting use ear plugs with in-helmet speakers?

Yep.

[NAKID]

Custom earplugs with integrated headphones...

[Buckethead]

Are an option, but ridiculously expensive last I looked.

Seriously, foamies will cut down the wind noise to the point where in-helmet speakers will actually work better.

And yes, you NEED earplugs on a ride like this.

[NAKID]

Are an option, but ridiculously expensive last I looked.

Seriously, foamies will cut down the wind noise to the point where in-helmet speakers will actually work better.

And yes, you NEED earplugs on a ride like this.

I wear earplugs even on short rides with my setup.  BoomTubes are LOUD!!!!

[Buckethead]

Same. If I one of my earplugs isn't seated correctly, that ear will be ringing by the time I get to school, which is less than 2 miles away.

Even with the "medium" baffles, yes, BoomTubes live up to their name. 

[NAKID]

I ran with no baffles for a while....

[Monsterlover]

I run these

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0036RDVU0

They block as much noise as my custom (non musical) molded ear plugs and sound good enough. I can listen to music at the same volume riding as walking.

The trick is to pull off the foam donuts (they're tapered) and flip them around. That keeps them from working their way out of your ear.  I also loop the wire over my ear so they run down the back of my ear. That way if something catches the wire while riding it tugs on your ear instead of pulling the out of your ear.

Great solution for $20

Big Ear quoted me 3 or 4 hun

[Dirty Duc]

So what is the solution to protect your ears from wind noise yet be able to listen to music?  Were you suggesting use ear plugs with in-helmet speakers?

yes