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Need a quieter Helmet

Try a hearing specialist

As someone who has hearing issues, I suggest you get an evaluation from an audiologist or other hearing specialist. You indicated having the problem when the engine puts out certain noises. The hearing specialist may be able to identify what frequencies are giving you issues and and recommend solutions.

Other than that, be sure your ear plugs are rated 33 or 34db (or NNR 32 in Canada). Many of the ear plugs sold are only good for 20db and the difference is substantial.

After using machinery, riding motorcycles and being a musician for more than 30 years and rarely using ear plugs, I now wear hearing aids.

A different helmet may or may not help. Please get yourself checked out by a professional.

George
 
Hi Gents
I own a 1978 R/80 and have ridden it for 5 seasons now. One nagging issue I have is that under some high power conditions the the engine noise sets up this resonance in my ears that is hard to handle. I have a Bell full face helmet and always use new earplugs. I want to keep the bike but I need to get a handle on this painful noise problem. I'm looking for a new Full face helmet with the best noise reduction out there.Any suggestions? Do riders ever install a BOSE noise canceling headset in there helmets?
Thanks in Advance

What kind of noise is it? A piercing tone, thudding beat on the ear or general braodband noise? I assume that the noise is always a function of speed. A piercing tone is likely a shedding vortex produced by an edge that's standing proud to the flow. You can likely isolate the feature by rotating the helmet relative the flow. A thudding beat is likely a too tight fit in the ear cavity which presents a vibration path from the helmet shell to the ear channel or the ear plug itself. A broad band noise has no identifiable tones (frequencies) and should be treatable with ear plugs.

If by resonance, you mean a cyclic "whoop, whoop, whoop" noise and high power means high speed............you are dealing with a wind noise issue and not an engine noise problem. Do you happen to have a fairing on this bike?
 
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Something that i have been experimenting with is a small air foil on the top center leading edge of my Parabellum windscreen.

I wear a set of custom made ear plugs ,but still got more noise than i thought I should and the attendant head ache .

I took a piece of clear fuel line, about 12 inches long, made a slit in it length wise and beveled the ends at about a 45 degree angle. Slipped the piece over the top center of the screen . The pressure of the line holds it just fine.

I find this small tweak not only changes/ lessen the noise , it also eliminates a small amount of buffeting that i got at times.

I figured if it works on F-1 cars it might work in my application.:usa
 
Something that i have been experimenting with is a small air foil on the top center leading edge of my Parabellum windscreen.

I wear a set of custom made ear plugs ,but still got more noise than i thought I should and the attendant head ache .

I took a piece of clear fuel line, about 12 inches long, made a slit in it length wise and beveled the ends at about a 45 degree angle. Slipped the piece over the top center of the screen . The pressure of the line holds it just fine.

I find this small tweak not only changes/ lessen the noise , it also eliminates a small amount of buffeting that i got at times.

I figured if it works on F-1 cars it might work in my application.:usa

The phenomenon is sheet vortex shedding and typically characterized by the Strouhal number which is trailing edge geometry dependent. You changed the edge geometry of the windscreen and therefore shifted the shedding to a different frequency. When a designer is really lucky, the shedding frequency matches the resonance frequency of the structure. That's when things fall apart.
 
My 2 cents on Helmet Fit and Ear protection

I use the Big Ears, they are built from a foam casting of your own ear canals.
http://www.bigearinc.com/Contact/Contact.aspx

Most of you are probably already aware that Arai (I do not know of other brands) have different thicknesses of pads to custom fit your individual head shape. This made a big difference in fit the for my wife and I. We both wear Arai Profiles but require different pad configurations.
I learned of this at a bike show a couple of years ago. The factory trained salespeople were very knowledgeable which resulted in a great fit, this is a much better approach than buying a helmet off the shelf at a dealership, but the helmets without ear protection are still too noisy for the two of us.

Hope I helped
 
A review of the Shoei Neotec is now available @ Webbikeworld.com.

Sounds like they were impressed.
 
Neotech

I was out at my friendly local dealers yesterday. He said the Neotech was due to be shipped at the end of next week.
 
Sooooo I found the ultimate noise fix for me! I installed a 1990 K 75RTunder my rear end in place of my 1978 R80/7 and the noise issue vanished! I'm still going to upgrade my helmet thou. Boy oh boy at moderate speeds that K 75 is so quiet.
Cheers
Nick Kennedy
 
Schuberth C3

Another vote for the Schuberth C3 here. It is the lightest, most quiet and well ventilated helmet I've ever owned. I'm planning to add the SRC unit to complete
the package. Very pricey, but a really nice helmet. Don
 
Sooooo I found the ultimate noise fix for me! I installed a 1990 K 75RTunder my rear end in place of my 1978 R80/7 and the noise issue vanished! I'm still going to upgrade my helmet thou. Boy oh boy at moderate speeds that K 75 is so quiet.
Cheers
Nick Kennedy

Nick,

Wait until late summer before you get too ecstatic about the K75. The residual radiator heat provides a nice sauna effect for the groin. However, the RT fairing is a sure cure for long distance wind load and noise.

Enjoy
 
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The Shoei Multitec has always worked for me; actually my favorite helmet of all time but wished for the integral sunshield. Pre-ordered a Neotec and am hoping for the best...will advise.
 
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