Earplugs and Helmets

[bricknerd]

Wait, how are you supposed to hear your RPMs when you have earplugs in? I don't like looking at the tach, it distracts me.

You can still hear it, but I think you actually 'feel' the Rpm mostly with earplugs in. If you ride a VFR though you might have a hard time lol.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Wait, how are you supposed to hear your RPMs when you have earplugs in? I don't like looking at the tach, it distracts me.

As others have said, you'll hear your engine just fine. As *I* have said in the past, you hear EVERYTHING better when you're wearing earplugs. When you aren't, your ears are overloaded with high-frequency garbage noise that blanks out everything else and damages your hearing. Earplugs cut that out and make it so that everything except the wind noise comes through much more clearly, from engine noise to music from speakers in your helmet to cops' sirens. There is *no good reason whatsoever* not to wear earplugs of some kind. It's not even like with a helmet where you could make some sort of wrong-headed, stupid, but sort-of defensible argument against wearing one (not sure what that would be). There IS. NO. REASON. To not wear earplugs. AT. ALL.

Thank you for your time.

 

[Abacinator]

I wear these
http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/super-leight
NRR 33, and Safeway carries them in a 6-pack with a little canister to store a pair.

 

[flying_hun]

I wear these
http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/super-leight
NRR 33, and Safeway carries them in a 6-pack with a little canister to store a pair.

You can buy them by the case at Grainger, then you're set for a long, long time.

FWIW, I find a strong interaction between earplug (dis)comfort and helmet shape. My HJC fits my big, square head pretty nicely, and I can wear the Howard Leight Max without any problem.

But I've got an AFX dualsport helmet that makes my ears hurt if I wear that helmet and plug combination, and then I wear the Max-Lite which are a bit smaller, and get less discomfort.

The moral of the story, as Chill pointed out earlier, is to try out lots of stuff until you find out what works for you.

 

[Abacinator]

Good call. IIRC there I'd a Grainger in Concord. Not far from me!

 

[Kenister]

I bought these on the recommendation of a barfer:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044DEESS/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

As a follow up I tried the first suggestion. These were perfect, the dampening isn't so much that I can't hear anything, which is good for hearing out my tiny 250 engine, but enough so that the wind noise from my helmet is reduced to a whisper. The stems never dislodged when putting on my helmet but that might be a per individual problem. They're comfortable to me but I've never had to ride for more than an hour.

I rode with these for the first time today and I have to say, I had so much more confidence on the freeway without that booming sound in my ear. I'm a believer. Earplugs are a must for highway speeds!

 

[hisg58]

I ride with earplugs on my way to work (237W, 101N, University Palo Alto exit) but leave them out on my reverse commute since traffic is intense and I'm usually splitting lanes and, as a new rider, just feel safer not having stuff in my ears in those situations.

 

[revnort]

As a follow up I tried the first suggestion. These were perfect, the dampening isn't so much that I can't hear anything, which is good for hearing out my tiny 250 engine, but enough so that the wind noise from my helmet is reduced to a whisper. The stems never dislodged when putting on my helmet but that might be a per individual problem. They're comfortable to me but I've never had to ride for more than an hour.

I rode with these for the first time today and I have to say, I had so much more confidence on the freeway without that booming sound in my ear. I'm a believer. Earplugs are a must for highway speeds!

Glad you like them.

If you kept them on the string let me suggest you pull the string through and add a couple more knots. Until you do the string will come loose often.

 

[Kenister]

I ride with earplugs on my way to work (237W, 101N, University Palo Alto exit) but leave them out on my reverse commute since traffic is intense and I'm usually splitting lanes and, as a new rider, just feel safer not having stuff in my ears in those situations.

That's a good point. I usually check google maps for traffic before commuting home. If I see red lines then I'll leave the plugs out as I won't be going fast enough for wind to hurt my ears anyway.

Glad you like them.

If you kept them on the string let me suggest you pull the string through and add a couple more knots. Until you do the string will come loose often.

Will do Rev!