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jstark47 wrote:

superskip wrote:I've tried a big windshield and that is effective if I hunch down behind it - but hunched posture is miserable for long trips...

Cut the windshield down to get 'clean air' on my helmet - worse.

Was thinking about this some more. Are you sure the cut-down windshield was putting your head in clean air? The worst (most noisy) place is the "boundary" between the air down behind the shield and the undisturbed air over top the bike. If that boundary is right at your head height, it's going to be noisy. And if the bike has some kind of fairing, you still might not have been in really clean air, even with no shield. I have this problem myself with my Triumph Trophy - unless I duck down, my head is right in the worst part of the airstream.

What you say appears to be the case - the boundary is on the helmet. And since its a small bike there's not much leeway to change sitting position . There's no fairing and noise is much less without the 'shield, but I do like the bug protection on long trips ...

Anyway, got my new helmet - less noisy than the old; of course the fit is tighter as it is new...

And ordered more different kinds of earplugs so I think more long distance trips are in my future without too much hearing loss.

I have the 3/4 faced helmet and notice a lot of wind noise. The other night, I grabbed my son's full-faced helmet simply because it was closer than mine which I left in the house. Much less wind noise. Although, I do have to kind of admit that I like the wind noise. Part of the experience of being just you and open road!


Rhonda

Get a BMWR1200RT - quietest bike I've ever owned. But my EXO-700 helmet is still noisy! Earplugs help - not much. Yup, helmet design has a way to go - but I love the neon colour of mine!!! People actually notice!!!

Custom ear plugs rock!!!!!!

There are plenty of acousticians out there that will make you custom plugs. They have the capability to cater for your specific requirements according to your sport. Maybe that's where you have to spend the money

If you can't find ear plugs that reduce the issue to a acceptable level, have you tried a tall windshield? It forces the air above your helmet so the wind hitting you isn't 65 mph.

I've ridden a bike with a standard height windshield that kept the bugs off my helmet but still buffetted my head at highway speeds. My current bike has a tall windshield which forces the air above/around my helmet so less forcefull air. It works for me.

More about windscreens: the size is not what is significant but the shape. How it deflects the wind and where you are in relation to the wind flow can make huge noise differences. On a previous bike I bought a Laminar Lip which attached (easily) to the stock windscreen and made an enormous reduction in both buffeting and noise. On my current bike I got rid of the stock Triumph screen and replaced it with a Clearview screen ($200) and the difference again was tremendous. Personally I don't want too quiet an experience. My bike, for example, has no tachometer, so I shift based upon engine sound. I find that when I use earplugs in addition to my helmet it makes things too quiet in terms of engine sound and I fear I might not hear something approaching which might crush me. I'll second the comments about modular helmets being noisy. I used an RF900 for years and then moved "up" to the Shoei Multi-tec, a modular helmet. While much more convenient than a full face helmet it is much, much noisier. If I hadn't plunked down $400 for the Multi-tec I would go out and buy a new RF1000 today. If I were in your shoes today, however, the least expensive and likely most effective modification you could make would be to buy the Laminar Lip for your current windscreen.

I wonder how much of this has to do with the windshield? Granted, my windshield is huge, but I can ride without ear protection in relative comfort sitting up straight and looking over the top at 80mph. I wear earplugs, anyway, because it is a lot more comfortable. Without the windshield, it's a completely different story.

since my last post, i installed a chin curtin on my helment. no wind come up into my face now. also put lower chaps on .

On shorter rides, hot-"O Ring" days etc. I wear a modular, kinda wind-noisy helmet, but on long rides or in cold air I wear a
Shoei full face thingy. All I hear with that diving-bell helmet on is me talking to myself. Kinda odd, but when I was young I never wore a helmet and don't recall the wind noise ever bothering me. Rode across country twice even. ('67 305 Honda Scrambler/'69 BSA 650 Lightning. I guess was pretty numb back in those days. -dayll