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EARPLUGS

Traq said:
Don't worry, you'll be totally deaf soon enough! :twofinger

Earplugs do not prevent you from hearing anything important. They reduce the wind noise and let you hear things better. Eliminating that deafening roar also allows greater concentration (the first thing you do when you're lost is turn down the radio, amirite? :p) and reduces fatigue.

Of course that's all anecdotal...but what isn't anecdotal is that you are causing permanent and cumulative hearing damage without using them.


EDIT: But don't take our word for it...go Google!
Click to expand...

This.

Wearing them greatly reduces fatigue. They help me concentrate better in motocross and in my race car, and I started going faster and doing better when I started wearing them. I think it's safe to say that on the street they can save your hearing AND your ass. I prefer the el cheapo E.A.R. brand.
 
I wear em pretty much all the time.A friend of mine who used to race and had been riding a very long time got me started wearing them and I need them now.I buy the orange foam ones from walgreens in a jar
 
For those of you who think you don't need earplugs, you need to be aware of what will eventually happen. It's not just the hearing loss, but tinnitus that you want to prevent.

You know how your ears ring after being near a firecracker or near someone shooting a gun? Once you have tinnitus your ears will be like that all the time with no way to make it go away. I didn't wear earplugs during my first few decades of riding and now I'm stuck with that ringing. I can tune it out, but if I even think about it, like right now, there it is. I'm stuck with it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.

If you ride for more than 20 minutes without earplugs you'll notice a bit of ringing. If you ride for hours without them, it will be with you for a longer time. Do it long enough and it stays with you permanently.

Tinnitus never goes away - Protect your ears now
 
+1

I have tinnitus. It sucks and has led to many insomniac events. But it's never too late to start protecting your ears.
 
+ another 1

Anything is better than nothing. Mine ring all day and night too. I was too cool to wear protection while riding (in the no helmet days), hanging at races, concerts and dynoing Diesel engines.

Not too cool now...
 
does it help if i TALK LIKE THIS?!?!??!?!? :twofinger

thanks for all the replies peeps....
but does anyone have experience with custom plugs?
 
I accidentally put a set through the wash (they were still in the back pocket of my jeans) and they came out clean.

You could do that?
 
hyo650 said:
but does anyone have experience with custom plugs?
Click to expand...
Like I said before: I had a set made at the local motorcycle show a few years ago and was not satisfied with how well they blocked wind noise. They were fine for loud pipes, but clearly inferior to foam earplugs when riding 60 mph on the highway. I even went back to the same booth the next year to see if they could do anything about the problem. They put some kind of stuff on them and promised that they would work better. They didn't.

It's easier to insert custom earplugs than the foam ones, but if they don't block the noise that is damaging my hearing, they're no good to me.
 
ScottRNelson said:
It's easier to insert custom earplugs than the foam ones, but if they don't block the noise that is damaging my hearing, they're no good to me.
Click to expand...

yeah, the foam plugs i buy at walgreens work great, but A. its too expensive to buy them in bulk. This problem is fairly easy to overcome. and B. they are a real pain in the ass to put in.

Seems like most people have better results with the cheap ones, though....guess i'll just stick to that...
 
hyo650 said:
So, i've actually done a search and wasn't able to find anything substantial...or maybe i'm just doin it wrong.

Whenever I get on my bike, i'm pretty good about using some sort of earplugs...recently, i've just been buying them in bulk at a local walgreens and throwing them out when I feel i need to change them. But after a while, the cost does add up. I wanted to know if any of you fine gentlemem or ladies knew of a place to get some custom earplugs. The other question i have....which probably should come before my first one, is whether or not the custom plugs are worth the cost.

Questions? Comments? Concern? Dirty Jokes?
Click to expand...
I use a pair of rubber earplugs. They come with their own little case and everything. Do you have any friends that work in factories? Have them grab you a handful.

The rubber ones are great because I don't have to roll them up, so my hands don't have to be as clean in order to insert them.
If you go this route, make sure they are these ones. Some of the other rubber earplugs are hard and uncomfortable.

smartfit2.jpg


http://accurateshooter.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/smartfit-ear-plugs-recommended-new-product/
 
Last edited:
hearing protection

I was road racing for someone on his bike and they made me wear earplugs so I wouldn't be distracted by other bikes around me. That was in 1996, then I couldn't stand riding without them anytime, street riding or racing.
And to answer the original posting, I work in a noisy environment and the occasional pair goes home in a pocket, through the wash and into my Aerostich they go to become reCYCLED. And this is how I clean them so with this in mind a box of 200 would last a really long time. Today I never ride without plugs (the foam ones work great and you still hear the police sirens):laughing
 
I can definitely relate to this. I have tinnitus too from not using hearing protection in my early riding days and from firearms. It wasn't too bad before but it's gotten noticeably worse in the last couple of years even tho I always wear earplugs when riding now. It's damned annoying and there's no cure for it. It's to the point where I need background noise otherwise the ringing is extremely distracting.

A couple months ago I rode through to Ft. Hunter Liggett. I pulled over in a desolate spot with no traffic or animal or wind noise--nothing but dead quiet. What did I hear? That damn ringing!


ScottRNelson said:
For those of you who think you don't need earplugs, you need to be aware of what will eventually happen. It's not just the hearing loss, but tinnitus that you want to prevent.

You know how your ears ring after being near a firecracker or near someone shooting a gun? Once you have tinnitus your ears will be like that all the time with no way to make it go away. I didn't wear earplugs during my first few decades of riding and now I'm stuck with that ringing. I can tune it out, but if I even think about it, like right now, there it is. I'm stuck with it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.

If you ride for more than 20 minutes without earplugs you'll notice a bit of ringing. If you ride for hours without them, it will be with you for a longer time. Do it long enough and it stays with you permanently.

Tinnitus never goes away - Protect your ears now
Click to expand...
 
b534202 said:
Is 33dB the best you can expect from disposable foam ear plugs?

I bought a box of 200 of the EARsoft 33dB ones and frankly, wind noise is still noisy as hell. Its bad with my HJC AC-12 helmet, and even worse with the Shoei RF1000.
Click to expand...
Maybe you didn't insert the earplugs properly.

I use an RF-1000 helmet and with properly inserted 31 dB earplugs I can barely hear the wind noise. The earplugs need to go about 3/8" into your ear canal before they start expanding. They should be rolled to a point first.

If the earplugs are even visible when you look into a mirror, they probably have not been inserted far enough. If the earplugs can touch part of your helmet, they definitely are not inserted far enough.
 
These help too:
- balaclava
- chin curtain or scarf

Wearing a balaclava under the helmet increases the padding around the ears and muffles sound.

A chin curtain or scarf cuts the wind noise entering the helmet from the bottom.

It's a lot quieter after wearing these two things in addition to ear plugs.
 
b534202 said:
Yeah I figured that's part of the problem. Except I buy the biggest helmet and it is still squishing my ears.
Click to expand...

I had the problem of longer earplugs sticking out and shifting when I put on my helmet. The longer ones like the Purafit 6800 gave me this problem of poor sealing. Switching to the shorter Howard Leight Max solved the problem for me.

Odds are if it's loud as hell, you've got a bad seal. Maybe it's the technique or the earplug itself. After rolling and insertion, I hold my earplug in while it expands to ensure a tight seal. With the 33NRR earplugs, it's pretty much like helmets; fit and comfort are the difference between shapes and sizes.
 
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