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Helmets...and WIND NOISE!

flyrider

Morning Person
I used to ride a Suzuki back in the 1980's, with a $100 Bell helmet. I don't recall being bugged by noise.

Now I ride a BMW F800ST with a Shoei Multitec helmet (not cheap) and I am dealing with wind noise. I use ear plugs, and just ordered a new windscreen that hopefully will help.

But...is the helmet part of the problem?
 
i'm not a helmet expert but I did some SHOEI shopping this year. I believe the Neotec was designed for a more upright seating position.

while the st is not a completely forward seating position your head might not be at the angle intended for the helmet design

i ended up with the rf1100 which wasn't intended for the upright position of my bike but after a test ride i knew it was the right helmet for me.

i could be way off on the helmet design thing but...
 
I have noise with the new model Nolan n104 riding a 1200GS with stock screen. Earplugs eliminate pretty much all noise.
 
My new Scorpion 1100 seems pretty noisy too. Even with ear plugs in it seems abnormally noisy. I'm going to try a couple other helmets to see if their the same.
 
I used to ride a Suzuki back in the 1980's, with a $100 Bell helmet. I don't recall being bugged by noise.

Now I ride a BMW F800ST with a Shoei Multitec helmet (not cheap) and I am dealing with wind noise. I use ear plugs, and just ordered a new windscreen that hopefully will help.

But...is the helmet part of the problem?

I had a similar experience. I started riding motorcycles in the 70's in North Dakota. I only had an open face helmet with a face shield, I never used earplugs of any kind. Never remember having an issue with noise.

Flash forward to the late 90's/early 2000's. Nolan N100 flip that was a noise generator in the wind. Foam plugs remedied the problem, but I couldn't help but wonder if my memory was bad or what.

Some flipups can be noisier than a solid full face. At least my Nolan N100 was a LOT noisier than my HJC, which is frankly, a much less expensive helmet.

So, to answer your question, your helmet *might* be part of the problem, as might the wind buffeting off your windshield. I'd use earplugs no matter what. There are MANY threads that discuss earplugs.

But I can't help wondering if that old open face sealed out the wind better, or if I was just a kid that ignored the wind noise and recovered quickly because of my age.
 
Those old bikes and traffic were a bunch slower than you probably ride now. And remember that you're also used to a car that is much quieter than cars of 30 years ago.

Helmet total aero matters a lot. In general, the Italian stuff is relatively noisey as are most but not all of the cheap ones. The fit of the neck roll, interaction with your shield (if any), angle of your head while riding, etc all have big effects.

Even reading the reviews at webbikeworld means only a little- they will be on a different bike and fitted to a different head so may not apply directly to you.
 
Never had much wind noise when I had a Bell Magnum open face with a visor.

I HATE the low rumble I constantly have to deal with even with ear plugs in my full face helmet. (MUCH quieter with the front half flipped up) and it's hotter than hell in summer.

I'll be switching to an open face after winter. ATTGAT be damned, enough is enough. :banghead
 
I used to ride a Suzuki back in the 1980's, with a $100 Bell helmet. I don't recall being bugged by noise.

Now I ride a BMW F800ST with a Shoei Multitec helmet (not cheap) and I am dealing with wind noise. I use ear plugs, and just ordered a new windscreen that hopefully will help.

But...is the helmet part of the problem?

You mention NOISE, not BUFFETING as the issue. While I've certainly had windscreens increase the latter, never the former by much. But here are a few things to try:
1. Be sure you are inserting the foam plugs correctly (moistened in your mouth, rolled tightly, inserted deeply while pulling up the top of your earlobe with the opposite hand, held in place with your index finger until fully expanded so not sticking out of your ear canal.) Pull out forcefully on the helmet straps as you don the helmet so it doesn't dislodge those carefully inserted earplugs. Take a few "marching steps." If it sounds like there is a bass drum in your head, the ear plugs are doing their job. I don't mean to be insulting, but I've seen many people install foam plugs in a way they can not possibly do their job and I've slightly dislodged enough of my own plugs with the helmet to develop the "tramp test."
2. If the problem persists, try standing on your pegs where it is both safe and you can ride fast enough to have a real problem in your normal riding position. If all you hear is soft wind noise, try angling your head your head down to your normal riding position. Any change? If both positions are quiet, your helmet is not the problem. If both positions are still noisy, it IS the problem, not your windscreen.
3. That "clean air" when standing on the pegs IS slightly quieter than in my normal riding position on my bike.

Please give my suggestions a try and report back. Many of us believe that a quiet ride is not only important to your hearing but to pleasure and safety on the road. We will help you solve the problem.
 
Fit

My Nolan flip makes a lot of noise; but the same helmet in a size smaller, makes little noise. I wear the smaller size in the winter; but I need the larger one for summer because of ventilation.
 
Maybe that's why Harley riders don't wear helmets, on account of the noise a helmet generates. :whistle
 
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Never had much wind noise when I had a Bell Magnum open face with a visor.

I HATE the low rumble I constantly have to deal with even with ear plugs in my full face helmet. (MUCH quieter with the front half flipped up) and it's hotter than hell in summer.

I'll be switching to an open face after winter. ATTGAT be damned, enough is enough. :banghead

Actually, the noisiest helmets I own are the full faced or worse yet, the modulars. 90% of all helmet noise (all makes) comes up from the neckline. The rest seeps in thru vents, shields, etc.

I too notice that when I raise my shield, I actually have less rumble and whistling then when enclosed.

Buying a good-quality 3/4 helmet may not protect your jawline, but you'd still be ATGATT, and with a whole lot less decibels to deal with.

Good Luck! :thumb
 
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There are collars that one can buy which help seal off the base of the helmet. This is supposed to reduce rumble and possibly other noise. Don't know if they work.
 
I rode in high school and college back in the 1980s, and then returned to riding in 2006. My first helmet in 2006 was a Shoei Multitec. I loved the helmet.

When the Multitec reached 5 years of age in 2011, I researched what was available and decided to go with the Schuberth C3.

The Schuberth C3 is several orders of magnitude quieter than the Multitec. In fact, when I was researching my purchase, I discovered that the C3 is the only helmet where additional ear protection (i.e. ear plugs) are recommended instead of required. If I recall the review/comparison in MCN a year or so back, the C3 was something like 20 db quieter than the 2nd quietest helmet.

As mentioned above, Shoei now offers the "Neotec". I think Shoei tried to include as many of the C3's features in the "Neotec", because the features list is very similar. If you like the fit of your current Shoei helmet, I'd certainly investigate the noise attenuation of the Neotec along with the C3.

The C3 is also the lightest modular helmet on the market, which makes your neck and shoulders happier at the end of a long day.
 
There are collars that one can buy which help seal off the base of the helmet. This is supposed to reduce rumble and possibly other noise. Don't know if they work.

I bought one a few years ago and haven't used it since. It really didn't make much of a difference, at least for me.
 
When I transitioned from a half helmet to a full face, I was shocked at the increase in noise. Even with custom-molded earplugs, a full face is substantially noisier. Modulars even more so.
 
I'm glad others have questioned helmets possibly being more noisy than back in the 70's. I think that too. My Nolan N103 is nasty loud. The Schubert C3 is way better. But, Not what I would expect. One of these days I'm going to take the time to work on the Schubert. I know for a fact that sealing the neck reduces the noise level. I can do so with my hand while riding.
That all being said. I ditched the earplugs and have gone to noise reducing Earbuds. They allow me to hear the phone conversation better than I could with the Scalia G9 speakers and foam earplugs.
 
All good stuff. My old Bell helmet was full face. But not modular like the Multitec. I've been wondering if the articulating ability of a modular is introducing more ways for wind noise to enter.

I've ordered a new windscreen and some new earplugs. Hope like hell these work. I can't use normal foam earplugs due to narrow ear canals. Like an idiot I ordered a box of 200 3M earplugs and spent two hours one night trying to get JUST ONE in my ear. Fuggedaboudit! Now I've ordered some Moldex Comets re-usable earplugs:

http://www.earplugstore.com/moldex-comets-earplugs-bx.html

Hope they work.
 
I'm glad others have questioned helmets possibly being more noisy than back in the 70's. I think that too.

Did you ride behind a windshield or fairing in the '70s? I've noticed that the same helmet is quieter on a naked bike than on a bike with a fairing and/or windshield. :dunno
 
Currently riding a 1998 K1200RS with stock windshield. Always wear earplugs if riding more than a couple miles.

Have been using a G Max full face helmet in the hot weather - bought it because of all the extra vents. The venting works very well, but it is noisy.

Weather cooled and I used my old Shoei full face and I was pleased with how much quieter it was. In addition the pitch of the noise was higher and less troublesome.

Have virtually given up using open face with or without a face shield. The windshield on the RS directs all the bugs at my face and at higher speeds the wind wants to lift the helmet off my head.

Removed an Aeroflow windshield that came with the bike...it was actually noisier for me than the stock.

When I had an LT, I could ride comfortably with an open face helmet. The huge adjustable windshield did it's job and earplugs were an option at 2 lane highway speeds. The airheads I had were a mixed bag depending on speed and crosswinds - had Vetter, Luftmeister and RT faring and stock windshields on those bikes.
 
Actually, the noisiest helmets I own are the full faced or worse yet, the modulars. 90% of all helmet noise (all makes) comes up from the neckline. The rest seeps in thru vents, shields, etc.

I too notice that when I raise my shield, I actually have less rumble and whistling then when enclosed.

Buying a good-quality 3/4 helmet may not protect your jawline, but you'd still be ATGATT, and with a whole lot less decibels to deal with.

Good Luck! :thumb

Of the evaluations of flip ups that I have read, they all list noise as a factor.
It's just not one solid piece but has seams, hinged places, etc.
I wear ear plugs all the time.
 
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