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I hate my helmet...HELP

Spence

New member
I'm a brand new rider after a 40 year lay off and I hate my new modular helmet. It fits great but the wind noise is just too much to take. I have even tried ear plugs but no help. I'm not ready to "dime" the maker yet because it just may be my fault. First it is a major manufacturer and I only paid $160.00 for it new so maybe I didn't invest enough money. I went back to the shop to ask what I could do and was told that modular helmets are like this. I've tried to adjust the windscreen on my 1150RS and this helped a little but seemed to add more buffeting. I don't know how I could take several hours of riding at cruise speed and not go crazy. I bought the BMW because of the smooth sound but I can't hear anything. Please help the new guy.
Thanks Spence
 
I use custom fitted earplugs, but foam used to work well too. Have used a modular helmet style since 2000. They are not silent, but no helmet is or should be - you have to hear other traffic.

I remember riding my Triumph 900 back from a charity rally. A black BMW with single wheel trailer went by and all i heard was tire noise. Perfect.

Got my R1200rt on a test ride. Said no quieter than the triumph, ... Then thumbed the button to raise the screen ... Just tire noise!

Yet, my helmet could still be quieter, fit better, have places for speakers and microphone, ...

Try some others, every persons head seems to need a different fit.

Once, ski boot fitting used foam for a custom fit - maybe this would work for helmets?

We all suffer a bit.
 
Spence, what oil do you like to use??? LOL
This is going to start a firestorm...there are as many opinions out there as there are helmets.

Personally, I just bought a Vmar full face and paid just about what you did.
I'm amazed at how quiet it is, and I ride an R1100RSL, same bike as you.
(I evenhave an 1150 windshield) The cheekpads fit like they were custom made for me, and the ventalition is great! I"ve never riden with a modular, but have heard that they are noisier. (is that even a word?)

The RS model is not going to be as quiet as an RT or an LT by the nature of the design.
personally, I usually run the windshield all the way down to allow the wind to help support my upper body. If there are lots of bugs out, it seems to funnel them right at my face so I'll raise it some to deflect the airflow over my helmet.

Ken
 
I'm a brand new rider after a 40 year lay off and I hate my new modular helmet. It fits great but the wind noise is just too much to take. I have even tried ear plugs but no help. I'm not ready to "dime" the maker yet because it just may be my fault. First it is a major manufacturer and I only paid $160.00 for it new so maybe I didn't invest enough money. I went back to the shop to ask what I could do and was told that modular helmets are like this. I've tried to adjust the windscreen on my 1150RS and this helped a little but seemed to add more buffeting. I don't know how I could take several hours of riding at cruise speed and not go crazy. I bought the BMW because of the smooth sound but I can't hear anything. Please help the new guy.
Thanks Spence
Hi Spence, if you are curious about the modular due to the "cracks and crevices" where it moves-you can put it on and then use electrical tape to go over the cracks and make the outer shell "smooth" to the wind. That will give you an idea if the mechanism is increasing the noise.
I'm going to move this to the Gear section for better visibility. Good luck. Gary
 
I don't mean to sound demeaning, but are you sure you have installed the earplugs properly. I have trouble getting the foam ones into my left ear canal, and if I don't get it into the ear canal properly, it really doesn't provide much protection. So, make sure you are getting the foam ear plugs installed properly. I really need to roll them tight and install them relatively quickly or they expand too much. Any that's my $0.02.

Also, foam earplugs come in different sound varieties (probably not the best way to put this), but some block out more sound than others.
 
The Price is the Predictor

I'm a brand new rider after a 40 year lay off and I hate my new modular helmet. It fits great but the wind noise is just too much to take. I have even tried ear plugs but no help. I'm not ready to "dime" the maker yet because it just may be my fault. First it is a major manufacturer and I only paid $160.00 for it new so maybe I didn't invest enough money. I went back to the shop to ask what I could do and was told that modular helmets are like this. I've tried to adjust the windscreen on my 1150RS and this helped a little but seemed to add more buffeting. I don't know how I could take several hours of riding at cruise speed and not go crazy. I bought the BMW because of the smooth sound but I can't hear anything. Please help the new guy.
Thanks Spence


Spence, there are many modulars that are good with sound. MAX WAX or foam help offset wind noise. I am looking to go Scherbutheee C3 - $699, but the helmet is good with noise and major brain protector. Est it might also give me a more hip look as I get old.

T
 
Get the airflow off the helmet and the noise will mostly go away. This may mean a taller windscreen, laminar lip, or just adjust the screen you have.

And earplugs are a must, soft foam works best for me. Howard Leight. I like the pink and yellow ones. :thumb
 
Thanks for all the quick replies. I'm going to try the tape idea and see how that changes anything as well as better ear plugs. I didn't know they came in different DB ratings. I was flying with a friend yesterday who had a new set of Lightspeed S2 noise cancelling headsets. Nice! I wish they had something like that for MC helmets.
Thanks Spence
 
When inserting your earplugs, after mashing them try wetting with a lick of the tongue and pull up on the back of your ear when inserting. Wetting them a little sounds gross, but reduces the friction and they seat better.:dance
 
Spence, much of the noise can be caused by wind blowing up the neck. Quieter helmets will have a tight neck roll and a chin curtain. Try to close up those areas or keep those areas out of the air flow and see what happens.
Good luck.
 
I have a helmet known to be noisy. I purchased some etymotic earplugs. The wetting technique outlined above works well. If you like them, they make headphones that fit about the same. Sometimes I use one, sometimes the other.

I did test ride the shuberth, it was nice and quiet. $700 quiet? Not today, not in my families budget. You may try a different lid and see if you've got one that doesn't make sense for you.

Or you can try and cut the wind. Maybe the screen is dumping all the wind in a bad spot for you. Lowering my screen and installing a laminar lip helped with the noise tremendously. Seems counter intuitive, but anyway...
 
When inserting your earplugs, after mashing them try wetting with a lick of the tongue and pull up on the back of your ear when inserting. Wetting them a little sounds gross, but reduces the friction and they seat better.:dance

And hold them in place as they expand, otherwise they will move out of the canal and out of the optimal deep canal seal area. If they stick out of your ears like Frankenstein's bolts they are not properly fitted.

Also, sometimes the issue can be where the wind hits you. Try raising or standing up to get your head in clean air.
 
I had to wear company provided foam plugs and never cared for them under a helmet as they do take some practice to get right.
If you are wearing any brand helmet and no hearing protection, you are most likely pushing the safe decibel limit for hearing health.

I have these to use now when I am not wearing earphones:

Etymotic ER-20...comfortable under a helmet...seals everytime...last a long time for the $12 price. Can still hear horns and sirens... They have different sizes.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044DEESS...and=491796210345783456&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=
 
There is just a lot of noise out there. Ear plugs are a necessity. Of some type, and I have also struggled to get the right ones.
They say the most noise comes from tire noise. That will never go away, unless, as they are supposedly doing, they come out with quieter tires.
The new Schuberth S2 full face is advertised as quieter. It's about $750.
Perhaps closing the air vents cuts down on some noise. I never tried that. But I do get less if I close the visor.
dc
 
I humbly suggest that you get what you pay for.

I've accumulated 70,000 miles of riding over the past six years since re-entering motorcycling. My first 60,000 were while wearing my Shoei Multitec flip-face, and for the last 10,000 miles, I've been wearing a Schuberth C3.

The C3 is the only helmet on the market that is quiet enough inside to not need earplugs. It doesn't buffet - at all. It's also the lightest flip-face on the market, which makes a difference on a long day. My prior Multitec didn't have an integrated sun shield. The C3 does, and I'll never own a helmet again that doesn't have this feature.

I've seen that Shoei has released a new flip-face helmet that looks like a direct competitor to the C3. Were I in the market today, I'd certainly compare the new Shoei to the C3.

Yes, the C3 is a $700 helmet, and I'm guessing the Shoe is a $500+ helmet, but it's what goes on your head every time you ride. For me, price was far below fit, comfort, quiet, and useful features on my priority list.
 
I don't mean to sound demeaning, but are you sure you have installed the earplugs properly. I have trouble getting the foam ones into my left ear canal, and if I don't get it into the ear canal properly, it really doesn't provide much protection. So, make sure you are getting the foam ear plugs installed properly. I really need to roll them tight and install them relatively quickly or they expand too much. Any that's my $0.02.

I have to wear ear plugs at work... there is a "proper" way to insert them.

WARNING: TURN OFF YOUR AUDIO before watching this video...


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I had a modular helmet by a major manufacture, found it too noisy, so went with a similarly featured standard full face by the same brand and it is fine. My Arai is louder than the one I wear now, it all has to do with proper fit and as most mentioned above, airflow.
 
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