Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Andrew wrote:Anybody know if that's the case in TX?

If that's the reasoning, wouldn't it also count out ear plugs?

We never woer headphones while driving, we *thought* it was illegal but I've never actually looked it up. Dad certainly would have had our hides if we tried to wear them while driving.

I was riding today with my earbuds in, and was passed by a pack of tourers, a couple packs of crotchrockets, and a pack of cruisers. Either stereos and/or exhausts from each completely pack drowned out my tunes. Straight pipes on the cruisers actually caused pain.

Shorts wrote:We never woer headphones while driving, we *thought* it was illegal but I've never actually looked it up. Dad certainly would have had our hides if we tried to wear them while driving.

While driving is one thing, but riding on a motorcycle is a different story.

I'm going shopping for a pair that combines both plugs and phones. With my current ear phones, no matter what kind, in order for me to hear the music over the wind I have to turn the volume all the way up, and it's just a little too loud. I ride 90% on the interstate so wind noise is significant. Thanks for all the ideas though.

The plug style phones will cut out the windnoise so you will be able to keep the music at a lower volume.

I am getting myself an MP3 player for next riding season and a set of plug style phones, will make those interstate rides more pleasant

Yep, wearing headphones while operating a motor vehicle on public streets is illegal in Texas. Maybe in the lawbooks it dosn't state Ear plug types as headphones... but your gonna be fighting an uphill battle anyways... if you do have a case. Pretty much from their viewpoint, its the same. It "blocks" the soud of incomming emergancy vehicles, and the like.

Do I agree? No... but it is what it is.

what you really want to look for are noise-canceling ear-canal style earbuds. they are gonna cost you more than $50, but they will work beautifully.

Jthmeffy wrote:what you really want to look for are noise-canceling ear-canal style earbuds. they are gonna cost you more than $50, but they will work beautifully.

I'm shopping around.


If headphones aren't legal, where do the communication systems on some bikes fit into the picture? They have to have some sort of speaker/headphone, and I know some of them can be used to play music.

I used to wear earbuds under muffs when I worked in a factory. Without the muffs, I couldn't hear the music. I could also hear audible warning systems others couldn't, even with the music on. The people who didn't wear hearing protection and had been there a while couldn't hear snot, and always yelled when speaking to one another, even in the quiet of the break room. The factory was not loud enough for hearing protection to be required by OSHA, but it didn't miss by much. Those who spoke especially loud were the ones who blared radios all day (the radios were hidden away during the OSHA noise tests).

What it all boils down to is the difference between background noise and relevant sound. If background noise is high, adding earbuds without hearing protection just makes the noise level higher. If hearing protection attentuates 27db, and the earbuds are only 10db greater than the apparent background noise, then the ear is still exposed to 17db less than the unprotected year, and thus would more easily detect audible warning systems better than an unprotected ear.

I like the idea of earbuds that also attentuate sound. Who makes them?

Andrew wrote:If headphones aren't legal, where do the communication systems on some bikes fit into the picture? They have to have some sort of speaker/headphone, and I know some of them can be used to play music.

Generally it's a thing where you can't have BOTH headphones on at any given time. Speakers generally don't apply either.

Communicators generally use one side, or speakers, or one side and speakers.



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There are no restrictions on helmet speakers in Texas.

http://home.ama-cycle.org/amaccess/laws ... p?state=tx

I have used helmet speakers in the past but now I use in ear speakers and have no problem hearing noises around me. I never wear them in town, usually only on long trips.