[1hr_ride]

Here are some good ear plug comparisons.

The Best Motorcycle Ear Plugs

Your bike is making you deaf. That is, of course, if you don’t wear any form of hearing protection while riding. Just an hour on your bike at motorway speeds is enough time to cause hearing damage. 'I'm just nipping out on the bike for an hour to damage my hearing, love. See you in a bit.' It’s...

bikerrated.com

Prevent Hearing Loss With the Best Motorcycle Earplugs

If you ride without earplugs, you could be risking permanent hearing damage. It's time to protect yourself.

www.thedrive.com

At 70mph, your hearing can be damaged in 4mins

The science behind earplugs and which are the best

www.bennetts.co.uk

Evidently in some states riding with ear plugs is illegal, and others only designer ear plugs are legal. What is this world coming to?

 

[TheUX31EGuy]

If it's only in-town riding on the agenda (getting milk from the grocers'or grabbing some artery clogging goodness from the fast food establishment) I don't utilize ear plugs. If it's an all day/highway ride, then I do. Some sitautional awareness is taken away wearing them. But for the long highway/freeway stints, I'd rather maintain whatever hearing I've got left lol

 

[tcullum1995]

I wear cheap foamies all the time but after this last moto trip I got inner ear and ear “skin” infections, most likely from the plugs. The final time I pulled out my plugs out when I got home, I drew blood. Used a new set each day and made sure my fingers were clean when I rolled them, but it was hell on that last day. It’s been a week and finally its clearing up.

I’m going to start looking for some custom silicone plugs in the future. Something smooth and non porous.

 

[kenors]

I find the soft silicone plugs work very well for me. I find them easier to deal with than the soft foam plugs, although, I've never had an issue with pain/infections with either plug, even on long hot summer rides. A bit of hot water and maybe a touch of soap cleans them each night.

Earplugs for Sleeping Noise Cancelling, Reusable Ear Plugs– Super Soft, Silicone Ear Plug, for Sleeping 2 Pairs(S/L), Swimming, Snoring, Concerts, Work, Noisy Places (Color) : Health & Household

Buy Earplugs for Sleeping Noise Cancelling, Reusable Ear Plugs– Super Soft, Silicone Ear Plug, for Sleeping 2 Pairs(S/L), Swimming, Snoring, Concerts, Work, Noisy Places (Color) on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders

www.amazon.com

Like some others, I'll go without plugs for short local slower rides mostly to hear if anything strange is making noises I'd miss otherwise. You can see elsewhere my rants and preaching about hearing protection. Between tinnitus and hearing loss I could be the poster boy for what happens if you abuse your ears with loud noises for long periods of time.

 

[Riv]

So far been using the Eargasm plugs that reduce -21 dB but allow in sound. Nice to listen to Cardo music and engine sound. Wonder what other models are out there that people recommend.

Eargasm website

 

[rcannon409]

Riv ,have you ever seen how the -21 is calculated, or what it really means? I learned about it in a mining class. Go figure, but it isn't as straight up as it sounds like it would be. Odd because our government and OSHA/IMSHA are usually so straightforward, simple and easy to understand.

If you are looking at numbers, you would think there was a 100db noise source. My ear plugs reduce this by 20. At 80 db I would be safe. Sorry, but no....that would be way too simple and easy.

With the wind noise being as loud as it is, it's difficult to stay in a safe level for an all day ride.

Noise Reduction Rating: Do you know the easy NRR equation for hearing protection?

Understand how hearing protection works with this easy NRR equation. Don't rely on Noise Reduction Ratings alone when selecting hearing protection for your workers. Be a multi-tasker and protect workers’ precious hearing and your bottom line by providing the right hearing protection.

www.quadcitysafety.com

 

[kenors]

Riv ,have you ever seen how the -21 is calculated, or what it really means? I learned about it in a mining class. Go figure, but it isn't as straight up as it sounds like it would be. Odd because our government and OSHA/IMSHA are usually so straightforward, simple and easy to understand.

If you are looking at numbers, you would think there was a 100db noise source. My ear plugs reduce this by 20. At 80 db I would be safe. Sorry, but no....that would be way too simple and easy.

With the wind noise being as loud as it is, it's difficult to stay in a safe level for an all day ride.

Noise Reduction Rating: Do you know the easy NRR equation for hearing protection?

Understand how hearing protection works with this easy NRR equation. Don't rely on Noise Reduction Ratings alone when selecting hearing protection for your workers. Be a multi-tasker and protect workers’ precious hearing and your bottom line by providing the right hearing protection.

www.quadcitysafety.com

Interesting. I had to delve into this to see where the ratings came from. "A" weighting in the sound measurement is the key to the 7db subtraction. See more about it here:

Earplug & Noise Reduction Ratings Explained

Cooper Safety Supply is committed to providing ANSI & OSHA Certified ear plugs, ear muffs & noise reduction products for industrial & commercial applications.

www.coopersafety.com

Regardless, high level noise is fatiguing and causes damage that is cumulative, progressive and, as of yet, irreversible.

 

[rcannon409]

Ken, wish you were in that class. The instructor was unreal. According to him, he is a mine inspector, an electrician, a coal miner.....wildlandfire fighter, and several other real, 30 year careers. I guess he teaches classes in his free time? Plus he was about 5"4" and talking about fights....??

So, with that in mind, he goes off on this hearing thing, and damned if it's not legit.

It made sense. We always wore ear plugs and ear muffs when we dumped out giant cryo tanks. The noise was scary,and we had several police and fire crews show up as they thought we were blowing things up.

The two layers helped, but not as much as the -21 and -24 added together. This explained why. The best solution was the Bose noise canceling stuff. I never saw anything compact enough for a helmet or ii would have bought them. The expensive headphones worked so well it was difficult to comprehend.

 

[rcannon409]

There is no Bose noise cancel headphone that fits in our helmet, is there? Do you guys know of anything? Have you ever used them? It would have to fit tight against our ears. My Bell Helmet might even work?

You would have a battery to deal with, but it would be worth it. We had two sets. You could stand by our most noisy machine. It showed about 125 db on our phone apps.

No idea how accurate that is, but even at that high noise level, we could swear at each other at normal conversation levels. The software was smart enough to cancel the machine noise. It worked so well it felt like someone was playing a joke.

I'm very sensitive to loud noises. Like a PTSD type sensitive. These headphones made troubleshooting so much easier, for me. My stress level was so much lower. Ours were 350.00. Expensive, but worth 10x that once you used them . You should get a demo if you see them at a store. What store? Music Land? Blockbuster Video? K Mart? Skaggs? Woolworths? I don't know what store even sells them now.

 

[kenors]

Roland, they make noise cancelling earbuds that might very well fit in a helmet. I haven't tried any but they look like there's no more projection from the ear than the speakers that mount inside a helmet from comm units. Bose even makes them.

https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-noise-cancelling-earbuds

 

[rcannon409]

I should buy the Bose set. 199.00 on Amazon. Even if I didn't use them on the motorcycle, they would still be worth it. Use them while I sleep, if nothing else.

I know so little about the names, or technology I'm probably paying 50% more for the Bose name, but the the set I tried was so good, it was comical.

 

[Riv]

You might like this,
If your running JBL 45mm speakers on a cardo you can add these ear pads and make a pretty good seal when you helmet is on. For 9 dollars worth a try. Using it on mine atm.

Amazon ear pads

 

[rcannon409]

That's a good idea,and definitely within my budget if I use the finance option.

 

[Riv]

Hehe layaway option too