Question about earplugs and freeway riding

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Skier
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#21 Unread post by Skier »

A friend of mine who has been riding cruisers with loud pipes most of his 50-year-or-so life and I talk back and forth just fine with fullface helmets and earplugs in. Maybe it's because we think the same way ("Yes, we should take the long way home, forget work tomorrow!")?
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Sev
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#22 Unread post by Sev »

Work? What is this word "work"?
Of course I'm generalizing from a single example here, but everyone does that. At least I do.

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#23 Unread post by Skier »

Sevulturus wrote:Work? What is this word "work"?
This thing I do to pay off my precious 599. ;)
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#24 Unread post by ElektraSpitfire »

i usually always wear earplugs..yesterday i took a quick ride without them and boy was the wind bothering me. the wind noise was very distracting, not a peaceful ride at all. once u get earplugs you'll never go back!! :laughing:

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#25 Unread post by Sev »

To redirect the question a little, who here would wear earplugs for riding downtown? Personally I'm scared enough riding around those yahoos that I'd like to be able to hear them coming.

Though I do keep a set of earplugs in my jacket, for highway times when I'm not using my noise cancelling earphones.

*note* I'd never wear the headphones through the city.
Of course I'm generalizing from a single example here, but everyone does that. At least I do.

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#26 Unread post by dieziege »

I wear ear plugs in city traffic... never been a problem... you can still hear cars, trucks, airplanes, and everything else just fine.
Ride it like you think owning it matters.

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#27 Unread post by ElektraSpitfire »

hm...i wear earplugs to keep the wind and loud constant engine noise out...but in stop and go traffic i like to be highly aware of my surroundings, and there's no wind/constant engine whir that bothers me. so i usually save the ear plugs for freeway or long rides that dont involve stop and go traffic in the city.

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#28 Unread post by KarateChick »

ElektraSpitfire wrote:hm...i wear earplugs to keep the wind and loud constant engine noise out...but in stop and go traffic i like to be highly aware of my surroundings, and there's no wind/constant engine whir that bothers me. so i usually save the ear plugs for freeway or long rides that dont involve stop and go traffic in the city.
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Bike ear plugs

#29 Unread post by M109R »

I think it all comes down to what kind of bike you are riding, type of helmet and how fast you are going.

On a typical Honda or other quiet bike, ear plugs are probably a moot point riding thru the city or town. On my old Honda's I never wore ear plugs and didn't have any issues with ringing in my ears etc... On my Suzuki M109R it is a noisy bike to ride. The pipes are loud and I do mostly highway riding speeds. It did affect my hearing (ringing in ears) after riding without ear plugs.

If you are riding above 50 mph for a long period of time, you should always wear plugs because the wind noise will damage your hearing over time. This is documented and proven..check out some sites on hearing loss if you are interested in the information.

I would say if after a long day of riding, go into a room that is quiet (no background noises) and listen. If you hear a ringing noise in your ears, you need hearing protection.

Also, it is a myth that ear plugs block out sound. The sounds are all there just a little quieter. Plus the highest db rating I could find was 33 and most were in the 20's. That is really not a major lowering of volume considering a normal conversation is 60 db and a bike with loud pipes is 90 db.
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#30 Unread post by smakawhat »

I did the earplug on my first long distance highway ride (120 miles).

I noticed a huge difference and it took a short while to get used to. I have an Arai Profile helmet which is VERY quiet to begin with and with the plugs it was like shutting off the world. Took a little time to get use to it but once I did it was really comforting.

If I am going to hit high highway speeds for a long time I am always going to use them, but not for in town getting around traffic intersection stuff.

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