• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

ear plugs

GERALD

New member
I am trying to find a good ear plug to kill the wind noise on my
R1150RT. I have tried some of the cheap foam ones and they don't work very well.

I saw the EAR.inc add in the BMWON and their nice one is a
little too pricey for me. Some local riders said that there is
someone at a lot of the rallies that does sell them for $50.
Can anyone give me a contact point on this vensor? Can
anyone that has these molded plugs let me know how well
they work?

Are there any good ear plugs out there that are not quite so
expensive?

Thank you,

Gerald
 
What I would recommend doing is a couple of things. You may just want to go down to the local pharmacy and try some wax plugs. I personally don't like the fit but other people swear by them.

I also purchased the Aerostich trial kit to see which ones I liked. That helped a lot cause then I went online and purchased in bulk.

Another option is to go to a rally and see who is making plugs on site. I really like the plugs I got from Bob Weiss, who is a BMW rider and part of B Cubed.
 
I got a set of molded ones made at the local AMA races a few years ago and paid about $30. You might want to check with your local shooting store to see if they can help you. Alternatively, you might want to find the local hearing aid guys and ask them.

There are all kinds of foam plugs and I've found the Hear-os fit my ears well. They're shaped like a little bullet with a flat end on them so you can pull them out. I don't like the ones with the sticks in them cuz they rub on my helmet and slowly drive me mad.
 
Gerald,

Just wondering if you are running with the stock windshield? If so, can it and get yourself a good aftermarket (I went with Cee Bailey's) windshield and the difference will be unbelievable. It sure was in my case. I still wear the cheap foam ear plugs, not out of necessity, but I like lots of quiet. Good luck.
 
Thanks for all of the replies, I'll need to go to work now and see
what fits me best.

Rich,

I am still running the stock windshield. I wear trifocals and for
me to see in the stock mirrors I have to lower my eyes and
head to the point I cannot see the road, thus I put some mirrors
from the R1200CL on my bike so that I could still see the road
when looking in the mirrors.

I have been told that these mirrors will not clear some of the
after market windshields when put in full lock position.

These mirrors are the oval ones with the black plastic fronts on
chrome mirrors. They are fairly low and cant out quickly so they
do not stick up a lot.

I still use the lower mirrors for a quick glance, but I do not have to
take the time to focus since I have the handlebar mirrors too.

Do you know of anyone who has used your windshield with the
handlebar mirrors and did they clear in full lock position?

thanks again to all,

Gerald
 
Go to a local safety supply store. You'll find them in most bigger towns. The few I've been in have bins of all sorts of different earplugs. I tried a couple of each kind of the foam variety before finally settling in on the Howard Leight Max Lite. I then bought a box of 200 pair for $20. These plugs, aside from color and price, are virtually identical to Hearos.
 
As far as I know,the fellow who comes to the rallies to custom fit ear plugs actually sells and fits only the molding material.You can order the actual plugs from him by sending him the mould.It works well enough for a short time but breaks down rather quickly.

I took the plunge and spent the big buck on custom made plugs,about $150 CDN.They work really well.They are a tight fit,not uncomfortable and they screen out wind noise,while still allowing me to hear conversations,and the engine/transmission noises.

I dont know...hearing is nearly as important as seeing .I wouldn't skimp on it.A lot of shooters I know use the foam plugs with ear protector muffs-the double protection is good-but there are a lot of hearing impaired people out there who didn't protect their hearing soon enough.
 
Gerald said:
I have been told that these mirrors will not clear some of the
after market windshields when put in full lock position.

Do you know of anyone who has used your windshield with the
handlebar mirrors and did they clear in full lock position?

Gerald

I can't help you there, Gerald, but maybe someone else will see this and add there eperiences with what you are describing. I guess you could take a digital picture of your setup and then email it to your choice of aftermarket supplier of windshields and they could sure help you out. I don't know how tall you are but I am 5'10" and the Cee Bailey sure did the trick for me. I am sure others out there are just as good. If you want to know the design I went with (there are several), email me and I will fill you in on the details. Or look for other members recommendations on what to buy. The stock shield just doesn't do the job, in my opinion.
 
I now have three sets of custom molded plugs. 2 plugs and one in-ear monitor (All from EAR, Inc.). Custom molds are great, but to be perfectly honest, I ride with my Howard Leight "Leight Sleepers" the most. These are H-L version of the SOFT foam sold by many vendors, but the actually have the MOST attenuation of any of them (30db). They are flourescent yellow and pink, hard to miss in a tankbag. They are readily available at any Walgreens and probably any other phamacy. Comes in handy when you lose one at a gas stop in a stiff wind. But they come in packs of 12 with a handy tank bag-able container.
I only use my in-ears if I want to listen to music.

HEY! How did I become a "rally rat'? I didn't do that, I'll change it after the 200.
 
dlearl said:
I now have three sets of custom molded plugs. 2 plugs and one in-ear monitor (All from EAR, Inc.). Custom molds are great, but to be perfectly honest, I ride with my Howard Leight "Leight Sleepers" the most. These are H-L version of the SOFT foam sold by many vendors, but the actually have the MOST attenuation of any of them (30db). They are flourescent yellow and pink, hard to miss in a tankbag. They are readily available at any Walgreens and probably any other phamacy. Comes in handy when you lose one at a gas stop in a stiff wind. But they come in packs of 12 with a handy tank bag-able container.
I only use my in-ears if I want to listen to music.

HEY! How did I become a "rally rat'? I didn't do that, I'll change it after the 200.

Yep.
That's why I gave up on custom molded plugs. When I tried out a pair a few years ago, their NRR was markedly lower than that of the foam plugs.

Having said that, Brad recently told me that the molded plugs have gotten better in recent years. I might have to give them another try. It's just hard for me to rationalize trying them again when the el cheapo foam plugs are all of 10 cents a pair. :)
 
I use both. For me, the custom molded work better but only use on longer rides. I use the disposables for the local rides where I know I will be taking the plugs in and out a lot, and losing them a lot.

The biggest complaint I have is trying to find in helmet speakers that are thin enough not to be painful and squish my head.
 
Gerald, Here is the sure fix, Go to your local hearing center and get professional molded ear plugs made and for a few bucks more you can have them install tiny little speakers for your music as well. I paid $80 dollars for basic plugs "The sure fix" and I ride an RT

bmwmon@earthlink.net
 
Consider

From personal experience, I used the disposable plugs for a while, still use them at work on occasion. However, on a long tour, in warmer weather, after a couple days the inside of my ears would get irritated, making for an aggravating ride. So I went for the custom plugs. Found a vendor at one of the bike shows made them right there, came back in an hour and they were finished. Also ordered up a set of the molded speakers, which seem to work well as plugs, too. Yes they are a little pricey, but I don't have the earritation any more.
 
knary said:
Go to a local safety supply store. You'll find them in most bigger towns. The few I've been in have bins of all sorts of different earplugs. I tried a couple of each kind of the foam variety before finally settling in on the Howard Leight Max Lite. I then bought a box of 200 pair for $20. These plugs, aside from color and price, are virtually identical to Hearos.

I use the Howard Leight plugs as well. I find that they work just as well as anything else on the market. My dad gets them from his factory job for free. ;)
 
I should also add:
Since they only cost 10 cents a pair, I discard them as soon as they're remotely dirty. Why stick something nasty in your ear?
 
I wear electric plugs ($350 a pair)

They are hooked into my Gerbing heated vest which is in-line with my radar detector which flashes directly onto my left contact lens which is wired in sync with my MPC/GPS/BMF system somehow hooked into my CB/Sat-Cell/DVD transponder remote laptop link to the tire pressure monitor which works in conjunction with my pre-warmed gel seat with breath activated bun pressure activation.
Ear plugs? Huh? What? Why? Huh?
 
knary said:
I should also add:
Since they only cost 10 cents a pair, I discard them as soon as they're remotely dirty. Why stick something nasty in your ear?

That could easily turn into 7 worst bands ever list.:p
 
Thanks for all of the replies, I haven't been on this forum long,
but I love it already. I got some Super Hearos at the BMW
dealership in Bentonville, AR while on a quick trip to Springfield,
MO this past weekend. I haven't tried them yet, but will tomor-
row.

The Leight Sleepers will follow as soon as I can get to Walgreens.
I am planning on a few rallies this years so I'll look for a vendor
that molds the ear plugs at these events.

Cliffy777,

Man, you're not only wired for sound, but just about everything
else. How are the electronic ear plugs? Are they enough better
than the molded plugs to make them worth the difference in
cost?

Thanks again to all,

Gerald
 
Back
Top