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Ear Plugs - Discuss.

Wear'em for 'bout everything: cuttin' lawn,, flyin', ridin'......

So I am not the only one that wears them for cutting the grass! Use them as well when I clear the snow with the snowblower. When I vacuum, I use my noise reducing headphones. I didn't have a proper fitting helmet nor proper fitting earplugs when I first started riding a few years ago but I did have a windshield that sent the airflow right up into my helmet. My right ear developed a bit of hearing loss. I consider it essential to protect all the hearing that I have left.
 
Wear'em for 'bout everything: cuttin' lawn,, flyin', ridin'......

:thumb

If you are exposed to a noise level of 82 dBA or higher you should be wearing some sort of hearing protection, and it would be better if you wear hearing protection at a noise level of 75 dBA or higher. But, it's your hearing . . .
 
I dont wear them. I tried wearing them once, the orange foam type that I use for other things. I dont like them. I don't like the sound I end up with, a low frequency thrum. THAT actually bothers my ears more than the wind noise (full face HJC helmet) which I don't find objectionable.

Ideas?

I find the low noise conducted through my bones when I am wearing ear plugs annoying...
I can see where it would be less fatiquing if I could get used to it though....
 
hearing aids are expensive!

Start saving up for hearing aids.


sorry, but I gotta agree. I rode for years in a full-face helmet and one day discovered that the ringing in my ears wasn't going away ever. not at night, not at lunch, not in the morning, not at the movies, not at a concert, not ever. And I couldn't hear worth a damn anymore either. High freq' loss. I now wear hearing aids. They were about two thou' a pop. Plus all the batteries. Plus I wear hearing aids. It's a PITA. I hear better than w/o , but still not so good. If you're good with that, keep riding w/o hearing protection.
 
I find the low noise conducted through my bones when I am wearing ear plugs annoying...

If worn properly, foam earplugs should be touching nothing but your ear canal, not even the inside of your helmet. I cannot imagine what "low noise" could be caused by the ear plugs that is not already there. Maybe you just cannot hear the "low noise" when not wearing the ear plugs because the other loud noises drown it out.
 
EAR foam plugs with a cord fill my needs when riding or shooting. Should have used them in the 60's, would not have tinitus today. The custom moulded plugs seem to be the best option in terms of comfort and noise suppression. Many gun shows have vendors that can make custom ear plugs on the spot. The cost averages about $50. :usa
 
check your local laws, I believe earplugs are illegal in California and other places. I wear them on longer rides, not for around town stuff, although the pipes on the beater are pretty damn loud.
 
Again, my complaint isn't that I can't hear the road or other noises, it was the din that DID accompany wearing them.

Does anyone know of any online outlets for buying ear plugs?

It really does sound like they didn't get into your ears properly. Sometimes a plug or kind of plug won't install as it should and the result is much as you described it.
 
I always wear earplugs, I value my hearing too much. So I have tried to get the five other riders in my office that ride to work regulary to at least try wearing them. I've used the analogy that was previously mentioned that it is like rolling the windows up on your cage. Needless to say I'm just the "BMW nut" that thinks too much about safety, wears protective gear, a full face helmet (fits correctly), and can't hear anything cause he has ear plugs in. Oh well, I'll have me hearing later in life and enjoy my rides more.
 
I wear earplugs anytime I'll be on a highway for longer than a few minutes. Two reasons: 1) most importantly, I value my hearing, and 2) on longer rides the noise adds to riding fatigue. About the only times I don't wear them is if I'm just going a couple miles on city streets to a grocery store, etc...

I get mine at a local shooting range. I buy reusable earplugs that cost anywhere from $3 to $10 a pair. I'll stop in once a year and buy a few pair. They usually come with a little case. They also tend to have a cord or string connecting the two. I yank the string out as it tends to get in the way when putting on and removing my helmet.

Anyway, I have a pair in each jacket that I own, etc... My favorite are a pair of blue Howard Leight earplugs (not sure exactly what they're called) that I bought at the shooting range a couple of years ago. I keep them in their little plastic case in my tank bag. As I remember they were around $5 or so, like all the others. Every now and then I have to scrape off the wax or whatever nastiness builds up, but otherwise they're holding up well. I have several pair of reusable Howard Leight earplugs, and they seem to make a quality product. Here's a pic of a pair of $4.95 Howard Leights that look a lot like them (might be the same ones):

003565.medium.jpg


One thought about buying earplugs at a shooting range. Make sure they look small enough to allow your helmet to go over them without knocking them out. I made that mistake once. No big deal as they only cost a few bucks and when the helmet knocked them out I just tossed them into my shooting gear. But think about it when you're shopping. If they look too long they probably are.
 
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Been using them for the last 18 + years.

Having had the pleasure of purchasing hearing aids for my wife I can attest that they make BMW prices seem absolutely cheap! They are small but quite expensive.

Should hearing aids be added to the ATGATT?
 
I guess I'm going to have to look around some more and find something that will work for me.

Aerostitch actually sells a 'trial pack' one pair each of something like a dozen disposable ear plugs. They offer a set with tethers or without.

I find the cylinder shaped ones become painful for an all day ride, so I prefer the bell shape. My local shop just started carrying a new, softer "light" foam plug - its bright green. I've got both those and the orange ones so I can switch.

P
 
owl wings

The wings of owls are serrated in a way
that makes them very quiet in flight. It
helps them with grocery shopping(hunting).

I've got a face shield that is getting kind
of scratched and I am thinking of using
it in an experiment on helmet whistling.
My idea is to file teeth into the outside
edge of the top and sides of the shield to
see if this breaks up the flow enough to
quiet the whistling. Has anyone done this
or anything similar to prevent the noise
rather than deal with it?
mXa
 
blueseal

sounds like a good start. I wear ear plugs 90% of the time.

This is my first time on a forum and I'm trying to learn how to use it.
 
old dog new trix

Unfortunately, I've been one of those who also didn't find wind noise "objectionable" I knew some riders used earplugs, but I did not research and I had the fears of missing needed or critical sounds. I also worked as a musican for a number of years (w/o ear plugs) so I had previous hearing loss. I assumed the acceleration of that which I've experienced over the last couple years was simply aging process, now I know better. I've only just recently began to look closely at this forum, but I am very glad I have; it's a wonderful resource. I am waiting for my beloved K100 LT to arrive in Denmark, and rest assured, I'll be wearing ear protection for our "reunion ride." Keep the info coming!
 
OK OK OK! UNCLE!

Actually, just got a "trial pack" of QuietEar plugs from the EarPlugStore.com
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/quietnrr14.html

They are the bell shaped, soft rubber type. Their trial set consists of 3 pairs in sm,md,lg. My wife and I tried them this morning over coffee. The large works for me (although the md or average as the call it fit as well), the mediums fit her and the smalls will be perfect for my 9 year old.

I used them on the way to work today. Definitely a difference from the orange foamy type. They cut the noise way down, changed the sound I hear from the bike but didn't completely block everything, leaving me alone with the sounds in my head. I could still hear a little helmet/windshield whistle although it was very muffled. The high and low ranges of the engine sounds were cut, leaving just a mid range at a muffled level.

So, not objectionable. At least not for the 7 minutes I wore them this morning.
 
OK OK OK! UNCLE!

Actually, just got a "trial pack" of QuietEar plugs from the EarPlugStore.com
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/quietnrr14.html

They are the bell shaped, soft rubber type. Their trial set consists of 3 pairs in sm,md,lg. My wife and I tried them this morning over coffee. The large works for me (although the md or average as the call it fit as well), the mediums fit her and the smalls will be perfect for my 9 year old.

I used them on the way to work today. Definitely a difference from the orange foamy type. They cut the noise way down, changed the sound I hear from the bike but didn't completely block everything, leaving me alone with the sounds in my head. I could still hear a little helmet/windshield whistle although it was very muffled. The high and low ranges of the engine sounds were cut, leaving just a mid range at a muffled level.

So, not objectionable. At least not for the 7 minutes I wore them this morning.

Congratulations! It "sounds" like you found the correct shape and fit for your ears. :thumb
 
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