SuzukiSavage.com - Earplugs while riding

bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: Earplugs while riding Reply #15 - 04/17/11 at 03:56:32 JohnBoy wrote on 04/16/11 at 21:00:51: ear plugs just may get you killed! + 1 on that
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kimchris1 Serious Thumper Offline Pink Posse Rider... Posts: 2135 Belfair, Washington Gender:	Re: Earplugs while riding Reply #16 - 04/17/11 at 04:24:35 Myself, I don't wear them I wear ff flip helmet and that seems to keep the noise down to a minimal.. My friend Rita wears them and says they help with the noise. Of course she rides a Yamaha.. kim
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bluesrockdoc YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 42	Re: Earplugs while riding Reply #17 - 04/17/11 at 05:05:01 uh,,, thought's, or voices?
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Gyrobob

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Re: Earplugs while riding
Reply #18 - 05/13/11 at 06:47:41

With the noise levels present in a helmet just from wind noise at 70mph, anyone who thinks his ears are not being harmed is a fool. I shudder to think what the Harley types are doing their ears, since you are not allowed to drive a Harley without getting rid of the stock exhaust system.

I've lost a lot of hearing, especially in the left ear,.. mostly due to too much time in F-4s. So,.. I am very concerned about not losing anymore. I researched it a lot, and got some opinions from doctors. My only action available is to lose the rest of my hearing as slowly as possible.

The ear plugs with the best protection are the soft foam kinds that roll up skinny, get inserted, then expand. I use the EAR plugs that have a 33db reduction. These are also the most comfortable and have the best frequency attenuation curves -- meaning they don't change much of what you hear, they just lower the decibel level. This is important to me because I can better hear the bike, traffic, etc.

Often I see people using the foam earplugs with 3/4 of the plugs hanging out the side of their head. Worthless. The DB reduction when used like this is about 2,... about the same you'd get by sticking a post-it on your ear. When used properly, the outer end of the foam plugs will be fairly flush with the outer ear,.... in other words, fully inserted.

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mscepu101

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Re: Earplugs while riding
Reply #19 - 05/13/11 at 07:12:37

I cannot agree more!

It takes an extra 2 minutes to get earplugs inserted properly but the difference is huge!

The wind stress goes way down and I still hear everything. As a matter of fact I was able to hear a small exhaust leak that was causing backfiring that I could not detect due to wind noise without earplugs.

I will alway put on the plugs.

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kng254 YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 11	Re: Earplugs while riding Reply #20 - 05/15/11 at 22:35:05 I always wear my ear plugs when I ride been using them for at least the last ten years. If I don't have them in I feel naked. When I ride to work I put in my earphones so I can listen to sirius radio(130 miles round trip). I can hear my bike sounds more clearly also.
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Fish

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Re: Earplugs while riding
Reply #21 - 05/17/11 at 17:18:45

I got myself some Hearos ear plugs. I am SO glad that I did. I wear a full face and at highway speed the wind noise rushing around it just sucks. I pop in my plugs any time I'm going to be hitting the highway and it is such a much more comfortable ride. I couldn't imagine taking the 150 mile (each way) ride I had for Mother's Day without my ear plugs. 130 of those miles were all highway. I don't use them while in town, but I don't feel the need. At city speeds my helmet does well enough to keep the noise down to a decent level.

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Boofer

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Re: Earplugs while riding
Reply #22 - 05/17/11 at 18:26:39

JohnBoy wrote on 04/16/11 at 21:00:51:

ear plugs just may get you killed!

I can actually hear better in ambient noise with ear plugs. I like the foam ones by E A R. They come in a cardboard sleeve. They are in the shape of a straight cylinder and are not slick, so they stay put. I don't like the tapered ones for my use. BTW they are rated at NPRR 29.

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Gyrobob

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Re: Earplugs while riding
Reply #23 - 05/17/11 at 20:31:51

Boofer, ditto. I can hear better for safety purposes with the plugs in while suffering through a noisy environment.

Every few years, I buy a big box of the 32db versions (brite yellow and tapered slightly) that come in flimsy plastic sleeves. The only thing I don't like about them is that after you use them about 50 or 60 times they start looking a little yucky.

(jk)

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« Last Edit: 05/18/11 at 11:33:58 by Gyrobob »

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Boule’tard

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Re: Earplugs while riding
Reply #24 - 05/18/11 at 06:26:33

I also cannot afford to lose any more hearing (thanks to a pistol range and ineffective plugs) so I use silicone earplugs around anything loud. The best-per-dollar ones I've found are the "Mack's" swimming plugs. Washable, durable, and they block the high frequency wind noise to where you can hear other things better than with no hearing protection. I don't use them around town, only for high speeds. They also go into your ear easier than foam plugs. Wal-mart, Target and most any drugstore have them.

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redwolf YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 20	Re: Earplugs while riding Reply #25 - 05/18/11 at 11:20:22 I've worn earplugs every time, ever since I've had my bike.
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Starlifter Serious Thumper Offline It only snows seven months of the year here. Posts: 3746 Eastern Michigan Gender:	Re: Earplugs while riding Reply #26 - 05/18/11 at 20:48:14 "Ear plugs just may get you killed!" Not true, all noise levels are reduced equally so no sound comprehension is lost. In fact, studies suggest that sound comprehension / identification is enhanced with ear protection.
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