Biker hearing problems.

[China_Racer_1]

my 2 cents is this; I worked in the oil refinery fields for years and we are required to wear them when ever we cross the line in to the active plant. anything above 80db and we are required to wear them.

They help i lot. I use them when I race (Now) and it helps block out a lot fo the B.S. noise and you can still hear the bike.
But this is a race bike and race situation.

I don't have to worry about ambulances. If I hear one of them at the track, I am most likely in a prone prosition anyway ha ha.

I have a ringing in my ears as well from years of Iron working and soldiering with out use of them. My bad then, but its a problem now.

I would urge the use of them. I like to hear my children when they talk.

[tommyj27]

I had molds made for custom plugs at the rally today. $60 for custom plugs with earbud connectors built in. Hopefully the finished product will be worth it; the molding material felt very comfortable while the guy had it in my ears. The guy was from Starkey laboratories, a local hearing aid manufacturer. I was talking to him for a while and he said that for disposable plugs, the Howard Leight brand ones are about the best out there. Those are the ones I use now and they are very comfortable.

[ian]

I used to use them back when I cleaned the offices at a cardboard plant nearby. They had dispensers full of them so I would just grab a handful and take them home with me. Sadly I can't do that anymore.

[RCPlayland]

I wear some foam earplugs when I ride (mainly on long rides or when I remember). I have 20% hearing loss I think in my left ear.

I really need to find a helmet that reduces the wind noise. I don't mind the exhaust or engine noise... it is the wind that deafens me.

[Dr Rockso]

i have the stock pipe on my fizzer , i have to take my helmet off to hear it anyway , i'm not worried .

[YAM93]

After riding MX with my new Bell Moto 8 yesterday, I will DEFINITELY be using earplugs from now on. Jesus Herbert Walker Bush.... It sounds like an F-14 Tomcat coming up behind me at anything over 35 mph. I was looking behind me like WTF ????

Vents a LOT of LOUD air. Sounds like rushing vortex of a jet engine I swear. Plus I never realized how LOUD my exhaust really was. HOLY CRAP !!!

-Bigger & Deffer

[Baghr]

I've worn earplug on and off for the last five years when riding, and it can make a big difference when touring long distances due to the wind noise. I have damaged my hearing from years of playing in bands and working in/around factory noise then younger, and its no fun. On another note, I have noticed that long exposures to wind noise can fatigue me just as much as fighting the wind will without a windshield. (I have others bikes, most notibly a 2002 Harley Davidson Roadking that I put about 5-8K a year on touring to base my theory on)

I have an Aria Quantum 4 helmet that is actually louder due to wind noise than my 1/2 or 3/4 helmets I own, so regardless of the helmet I wear, I still grab a set of foam plugs if venturing out over 60 miles or so from home. If I lived in a larger city and most of the riding I did was in an urban setting, I'd probably not wear them as much.

The thing about hearing loss is it will sneak up on you and come back to haunt you when older. I sure wish I would have taken better care of my hearing when younger. I now have a constant ringing in both ears due to neglect.

[YAM93]

Contributors to my hearing loss-
Mike & The Mechanics, The Outfield 1989
Gloria Estefan 1989
KISS 1990
Tears for Fears 1991
Van Halen 1991
Aerosmith 1992
Foreigner 1992
Damn Yankees 1992
Richard Marx 1994 x2
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant 1995
Tom Petty 1998
Stevie Nicks 2002
Lou Gramm 2007

Those are the most memorable anyway.