View Full Version : Ear Plugs
Jelster
31-03-06, 08:23 AM
I was reading another thread about a particular lid to which some say is "noisy". I can't believe the amount of people who are saying "I'll have to wear ear plugs"...
Don't people realise that you should ALWAYS be wearing them, the noise associated with riding a bike (especially with an aftermarket exhaust) can permenately damage your hearing ?
I've worn plugs virtually since I got a bike, it's no hardship, you get used to them and I'd rather save my hearing. In fact at the NEC I got some of those moulded ones. Expensive I know but they're very comfortable once they soften up and they cut down so much noise.
Why don't you wear ear protection ??
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GSXR Carlos
31-03-06, 08:27 AM
i work in construction, so i've got loads of the standard pairs at home, must admit i wear them on longer journeys or when i'm concentrating, but sometimes its a pain when you're trying to talk to someone with them in
I always wear earplugs, and the V2 is still noisy ;).
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Flamin_Squirrel
31-03-06, 08:29 AM
Which moulded plugs did you get Jelster?
I wear them for long rides, or motorway work. I also wear them whenever I travel (plane or train). They help make you less tired.
Just bought a box of 200 pairs - better value.
Oh yeah, if you drive a lot, you can wear earplugs and crank up the radio. Viola, no more road noise! :wink:
furrybean
31-03-06, 08:29 AM
I totally agree! Had a safety update meeting at work and they concentrated on Noise Induced Hearing loss as I work on some big machinery. They threw some figures at us and a motorcycle can easily exceed 100db. We are advised to use protection above 80db!
Anyway I stole a few pairs of these (http://www.arco.co.uk/cgi-bin/arcobvp.dll/Arco/controller?event=product&BV_EngineID=cccfaddhghihlegcflgcefkdfggdfon.0&OID=49316&productcode=241800&takemeto=241800/url) from work and they help loads and very cheap!
I wear ear plugs, though I have been know to leave them out if I'm trying to figure out wear that odd noise is coming from.
Though I have a Old Caberg J1 and I'm not sure how anyone could wear it without ear plugs.
I did get some moulded one, but there ****, waste of 60 quid.
If you look on the main site links pages theres a link (http://www.members.aol.com/lucydellearplugs/) to someone that sells plugs by the bag.
I did get some moulded one, but there sh*t, waste of 60 quid.
A little research beforehand would have told you that plastic is a better material :lol: .
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Halonic
31-03-06, 08:56 AM
I have a Schuberth S1 lid, turns my bike into some sort of executive car, the only way I can tell its running is by the bar vibrations.
add to that several years playing in Death metal bands, hearing is not something I have to think about anymore
I did get some moulded one, but there sh*t, waste of 60 quid.
A little research beforehand would have told you that plastic is a better material :lol: .
. =;
Mr Toad
31-03-06, 09:02 AM
Well reminded :thumbsup:
with as little as 20 mins on a bike at 80mph, the noise from the windblast past the helmet can induce permanent hearing damage . . . and it's cumulative, so every time you do that, you get a little deafer . . . EH WHAT
My neighbours parrot needs earplugs - I've just fitted twin unbaffled Scorpions :twisted:
I've just fitted twin unbaffled Scorpions :twisted:
Blimey, that must be loud :lol: :thumbsup: .
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Jelster
31-03-06, 09:24 AM
Which moulded plugs did you get Jelster?
Mine come from "Custom Made Ear Protection" who are down in poole, Dorset. 01202 666 762.
I want a 2nd pair for backup, so when I go down to Poole Quays I'm going to go early and drop off the moulds and then pop back later and pick them up.
Toady, that bike must sound fantastic....
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Mr Toad
31-03-06, 09:43 AM
Blimey, that must be loud :lol: :thumbsup: .
Toady, that bike must sound fantastic....
EH, WHAT, YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP !
:lol:
I bought some a couple of years ago at the NEC. Comfortable enough - but I found I was over-revving like a bastid for the frist few miles.
That soon stopped as I ripped the buggers out and threw them in a ditch - I was riding fine after that!
Ear protection was occasionally worn if you were working on the street with a pneumatic drill when I started riding! 16 years (then) of ear damage from bikes and working in nightclubs - I kinda figured what the hell, I'm a lost cause. :oops: I s'pose I'll try to get used to them for the EuroTour - but they may well end up in a German ditch!
I've got so used to riding to the tune of my bike I can't get used to it without. Clocks - pah! My bikes are like the London Philharmonic - you don't need to look at them to know when they're playing the 'National Speed Limit Overture'. 8)
Edit - Hmmm, I wonder if this is why some riders nowadays are 'clock obsessed' when it comes to knowing what speed they are doing? They've never really listened to their bike through always having worn earplugs.
Only use em on motorway journeys, just find them annoying on short trips..
If my hearings gonna go it'll be from the clubs/concerts not the bike
I use moldex spark plugs, dirt cheap if you buy in bulk from here:
www.simplyworkwear.co.uk
online store > personal protective equipment > hearing
I use moldex spark plugs, dirt cheap if you buy in bulk from here:
www.simplyworkwear.co.uk
online store > personal protective equipment > hearing
Eh? Must make your ears sore, or is it the voltage that you need? Franken penguin
I dont like proper ear plugs as they cause my ears to get blocked up with wax and I had to have one syringed some years back.
Since then i shamefully confess to using cotton wool as it allows my ears to breath although I know it isn't anywhere near as good at blocking sound.
Mind you even if I forget to put them in at all I still don't get that ringing sensation after riding that you get for about a day after coming out of a night club?!
Can you get more breathable proper plugs or does the breathability defeat the object...?
I wear ear plugs pretty much all the time, only if doing a tiny journey do I not bother.
Finding the right ear plugs for you, now thats a different story. I have always found the bullet shaped foam ones good for me, have masses of the things lying around. MT tip of the day - buy them in two colours, and use one colour for the left ear and one for the right, so you don't end up swapping germs between them. And replace them regularly.
I've also got a set of plastic ones on string with foam tips which are good if you are doing any work on the bike, since you don't have to roll them up to put them in. The rubber type step ones I find too uncomfortable, I've only got small earholes.
MT
goonrider
31-03-06, 11:57 AM
:o Moldex ones on site site look good, as a cheap option I just buy them from my local chemist.
99p pack of six foam plugs with two carry cases, I mark these L & R to avoid plugging mishaps.
I usually wear the same pair for a week's commuting before throwing away, but I wash them daily with anti-bac soap. :wink:
Seems to work for me ok
I wash my foam ones with anti-bacterial soap, and make them last about three months a pair :oops: :lol: .
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I use moldex spark plugs, dirt cheap if you buy in bulk from here:
http://spark-plugs.co.uk/
online store > personal protective equipment > hearing
Eh? Must make your ears sore, or is it the voltage that you need? Franken penguin
Sorry must have got my links mixed up
www.simplyworkwear.co.uk
:-dd :D :wink:
copper kettle
31-03-06, 02:37 PM
Hi Guys
Firstly I almost always wear ear plugs unless i'm popping to the shops. I spent ten years standing behind and firing very loud guns and i have slight problems with my hearing as a result (missus says its selective :lol: ). But i have to say that after about 20 mins on the bike the wind noise is defening. I have a shoei XR1000 and i think the wind noise is pretty bad from it. I think that as you get a bit older (I'm only 30) that bits start dropping off and i'll do my best to preserve them - So the plugs are getting my vote, although i only use the disposable (free) ones!
Dan
kwak zzr
31-03-06, 05:25 PM
i cant wear them i find them a pain, ive tryed them on long journeys but i find my sences seem all weird.
i'll have to try a couple of spark plugs. :lol:
after completing quite a lot of health and safety courses, and realising the serious damage that can be done to your hearing from sustained noise levels even over a short period, i hardly ever ride without them. windy days or motorway trips are a definite must.
when i say hardly, a quick trip up the road to local shops is probably the only time i dont use them.
come in real handy for visits from the mother in law though :shock: :D :D
thought should go into the type of helmet you use as well. money well spent if you get it right imho. worth doing your homework on.
goonrider
31-03-06, 09:45 PM
Anyone tried one of those Helmet skirts that fit around the bottom of your lids, they are supposed to cut wind noise alot. :?:
Trouble is, would this and ear plugs cut too much noise?.
Best to protect your hearing, Hearing=balance. Had an v.bad ear infection about a year ago, affected my balance & felt like I was ****ed for a couple of days.
Sounds great, it definately wasn't
I suffer with blocked tubes from my nose to my ears! (means i can't go more than 4 ft under water not much use for someone who wanted to scuba dive :cry: ) but i find that wearing earplugs affects my balance, I tried them on my bike last year but had to throw them away after 20 Min's.
MInd you i did notice a great improvement when i had my new Shoei XR1000 helmet.
chris
I used to be the company secretary of a construction company. I lost count of how many claims the company had for noise induced hearing loss - some of them dating back 20 years or more. It is so easy to damage your hearing permanently.
Me - yes, plugs all the time. Cheap ones from Boots, £2 for a box of 3 work fine. Unlke some on here no I don't wash them with AB soap, I throw them away :lol:
I always wear plugs but for small journeys that are typically less than 10 minutes (to the shops or a near by mates gaff).
My dad has hearing loss from exposure to loud noises. I couldnt beleive how a job he did 25 years ago for only 5 years effected him so badly now. it was so sudden, going from slight hearing loss at 50 or so to the loss of loads of frequencies by the time he was 55. Its got to the point where he has to read my daughters lips as he cant make out hear voice as its the high and very low frequencies hes lost. I can really see how much it frustrates him and would not wish it on anyone. My advice is wear earplugs for any journey longer than 5 mins. You think your ok but in 10 years time you could be deaf as a post.
Fizzy Fish
01-04-06, 07:43 AM
I've used these guys quite a bit for earplugs - they also do a trial pack with lots of different sorts so you can figure out which ones suit you best
http://www.earplugs.gb.com/
Can't emphasise enough how important it is to protect your ears. I've stuffed mine up a bit already from years of very loud concerts and clubs, and not wearing them for the first couple of years I rode a bike sure didn't help either. I find it harder to pick out words when there's background noise like in pubs, etc, but I also know people who have things like tinnitus which isn't good.
On the plus side, wearing earplugs helps you to focus less on the noise of the engine and more on the feel - reckon you ride better for it.
fizzwheel
01-04-06, 09:19 AM
I dont normally bother on my short commute to work as its only a few minutes ride. But otherwise yes I wear them. I noticed I would have a ringing in my ears after a long ride I find its more due to wind noise from my lid rather than the roar from the can.
I use Max Laserlites, I tried alot of different styles of disposable ear plugs, but these for me work best. Often if I'm out in a loud club I put my ear plugs in as well if the music's really loud.
Saint Matt
01-04-06, 09:35 AM
I dont bother if I'm going out for a blast, usually dont do mroe than 50 miles, I do on motorway journeys though.
On the plus side, wearing earplugs helps you to focus less on the noise of the engine and more on the feel - reckon you ride better for it.
See, I don't get this.
What's there to feel? (From the bike itself I mean. Apart from angles of lean and the road which I'm discarding in this instance as a given.)
I'm sitting here thinking really hard (yeah yeah :roll: ) and I still don't get it.
:oops:
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