I had a scare last summer - rode all day in an Arai, got home & it was like I'd been to a rock concert - at night it was deafening. The following day though it wasn't any better! Took about a month to return back to what I now call normal... the scary thing is it could be just me getting used to it.
Always use foam earplugs now, & the Arai stays on the shelf for long journeys. Use my Shoei instead.
Good luck....

Tim

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Wow.....Splat!

I find that with an Arai MX helmet and goggles that the wind/engine noise is fatiguing if i don't wear Earplugs.I sometimes forget them, so I put a small container o the Keyfob to remind me to fit them

I have had the westone # 4 RT for two years.They are small and work great. go to
www.earmold.com
click - earmold info
click - navigation (near top of page left)
click - hearing proction and recreation
click - no 4 RT

Tim:

I know what you mean about the Arai's and wind noise. I have two Arai's - I like them because they are lightweight and well ventilated - but earplugs are an absolute must, even for a 5 km trip to the milk store down the road.

I think there is a very clear tradeoff between a helmet that is light and well ventilated, and a helmet that is quiet. Sort of like this: "lightweight, well ventilated, quiet - choose any two of the preceding three".

Since I always listen to good advice.... I got myself some earplugs. Very handy when the son of my neighbors gave a party last week

Maarten

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maartensworld.com
beyond-anywhere.com

Has somebody tried this already:
using the classic foam earplugs and having speaker build in to your helmet. Can you listen to music like this without having to put the volume way to high?
If Paneuropean is right that the foam earplugs only 'filter' the sound I guess it should be possible. Looks like the ideal solution to me. The earplugs with build in speakers are expensive and I don't find them handy.
Other question: if I build in speakers into my helmet what should I know about the speakers?

fireboomer, fwiw - Personally I don't recommend this - the sound has to be seriously loud to hear it, and the distortion and sound quality is then so bad, I don't want to listen to it. Unless you have an expensive stereo and high quality speakers... oh, right, the problem with the ear plugs was the price. hmmm....

Good ear plugs are worth it -I'll never go back to foamies. Just takes getting used to.

ymmv

------------------
Grant Johnson

One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

The earplugs I prefer are these ones: E·A·R®Classic®. The best way to buy them for motorcycle touring is to get the uncorded plugs in individual poly bags, their product code # 312-1201. A box of 200 sets is CAD 25.-, and that will keep you going for at least a season (figure two uses - meaning two insertions - for each set before you toss it). The reasons I like the Classics in the poly bags are:

1) they fit me comfortably and don't irritate.
2) individual poly bags take up the least space - a box of 200 is smaller than 6 cans of .
3) the individual poly bags keep the earplugs clean when packed in saddle bags, etc. - no worry about dirt and so forth.



You can buy these things anywhere on the planet. Go to Aearo's website to find an automated applet that will locate a vendor in your country.


[This message has been edited by PanEuropean (edited 02 April 2002).]

Hi all,

My experience is that the foam-type earplugs that expand in your ear, start to irritate when you use them for longer periods. They also put pressure on your ballance-organs wich are also located in your ears! I stopped using them for that reason and you also have to bring a whole load of them on your trip since it's not very hiegienic to re-use them.

The type of plugs that are molded to the shape of YOUR ears (otoplastics) don't put pressure on your ears, you can clean them so you need only one pair, and they come with different 'filters'.
These filters let sounds through of certain frequencies (such as the freq. of human speech) yet they stop the freq. that damages your hearing (like the freq. of windnoise). This makes it possible to have a normal conversation with someone with your plugs in and hear that siren comming.

Remember that hearing damage is is a one-way thing, damaged eardrums and hairs don't grow back!! And you don't notice it until it's too late..

Otoplastics are expensive indeed but so is your helmet, boots, gloves, ect and they all protect things that are more likely to be 'fixed' in hospital or grow back..

Ride save,
Jeroen
(who allready has 30% hearingloss because of riding bikes for 14 years)

agree with Jeroen, also made the natural progress from foam to the ones made to fit (molded?) to my inner ear. Always got the foam plugs on me as a backup, coz once you got them its hard to ride without any hear protection. its soooo loud!

Must say they cost a bit but worthwhile in the end, they are a lot more durable... and can still hear things when im 80

see

http://www.earmo.com/

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Amsterdam-Australia 2007-201x Amsterdam-Capetown 2002-2003

Hey Jeroen,

Where can I buy these earplugs that 'filter' the sound and not simply block all of it? They really interest me a lot!
I am from Belgium and wouldn't mind making the trip to Holland to get them. If you can understand somebody who is speaking while wearing them I gues you could also listen to music from build in speakers. Looks like the ideal solution too me.

Pieter.

Hmm,

Just had my ears syringed but have to go back for more next week (and put more oil in my ears until then). I suggested old engine oil (of which I have a lot) but was advised to use olive oil instead.

The syringing was a bit wierd, interesting, but ok.

Once they're done I'll get the molds created and the plugs made by Spud's recommendation: http://www.hearingprotection.co.uk/

Thanks, Spud

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Jerome

fowb.co.uk

the guy who moulded my plugs for me - Ian from Eryri Audiological Research, very good - says that different grades of foam can be used according to which frequencies you want to filter out. Bikers plugs are generally designed to let you hear sirens and car horns whilst filtering out the harmful frequencies - generated by wind noise - which even a good full face helmet will often AMPLIFY. If you really want ear plugs which cut out all sounds - perhaps for sleeping in noisy environments - you just specify a different type of foam.

Having already damaged my hearing I now wear plugs all the time, even in town. I'm thinking of getting some with built in speakers for travelling.

Oh, and if anyone wants a quiet Arai I can strongly recommend the new Astro. Lots quieter than the RX7.

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If a thing is worth doing, it\'s worth doing to extremes.

Hearing protection is important, but so is music! I suggest using both speaker mounted sound systems and ear bud headphones, just not at the same time. When riding with other people and using a bike to bike communicator, it is fast and easy to take your helmet off and on if it has a system built in. Then you don't get tanlged up in cords or have to put things into your ears every time you stop. When you don't need to talk to anyone, try using a set of SONY ear plugs/headphones. They come with three different sizes of soft plastic plugs, and the headphones fit through the middle of the plugs. They play great music, and cost about $45 USD. You can get them at a good stereo store, and dont take any space on the road. Beware of any "EAR BUDS" that just fit into the outside of your ears, because they get uncomfortable and usually fall out when you are trying to get your helmet off and on. These SONY headphones fit into the narrow part of your ear canal, blocking out noise and producing great sound. I don't have the model info, but I can get it if anyone needs help finding them. They are the only thing that I have found to block noise and to keep me happy with my favorite tunes! Happy travels.


Check the link for sony headphones a few messages down from kurt206. These are the ones. GOOD STUFF!!!

[This message has been edited by chuck (edited 12 February 2003).]

I read in BMW MOA a while back that a typical bike at highway speeds will cause the rider to experience sound levels that OSHA believes would begin to damage hearing after 8 hours, so earplugs would be a must for anyone doing any extended riding.

Koss makes some ear bud speakers which can be fitted with earplugs by modifying standard plugs to fit their 'speakers'. You can listen to music at fairly low sound levels then and block out the 'noise'. However, if this is safe, I couldn't say.

Kurt