| Author | Message | ||
     Davefla |
I'm looking for any advice I can get from fellow Badwebbers concerning hearing protection. Thanks in advance! I always wear disposable foam plugs, but lately, it seems as if nothing I do will cut down the wind noise inside my helmet. Last Sunday, my ears rang for 5-10 minutes after I finished a two hour freeway ride. I currently have an XB12R, a Zero-G +3 windscreen, and a Nolan N100 flip-front helmet. I've also recently added the LSL Superbike bar kit, so I sit fairly upright and the wind blast hits my shoulders. None of the changes has made any difference- I noticed the same loudness when I had a Double-Bubble and the stock bars installed. I've ordered a set of reusable Jelli plugs to try, as well as a Saeng Wing-Tip. But I need a real solution for this. It's exhausting to ride for only a couple of hours, and I'd like to do much more than 130-150 mile days. | ||
| Jeremyh |
i always wore the same foam plugs on my bolt and never had ringing. they had to be wedged in there pretty good though. (straight piped exhaust). | ||
| Bake |
I tried Zero g's touring screen and a new Icon helmet {stock pipe)and I wear earplugs for the highway! | ||
| Captainplanet |
You might want to consider a different helmet. The difference in wind noise in one helmet to another can be pretty huge. My shoei tz-1 is the quietest helmet I have ever owned. I wasn't familiar with the nolan so I looked at some reviews here http://www.motorcyclegearreview.com/reviews.php?prodID=12 It appears that wind noise is a common complaint about that helmet. | ||
| Whodom |
Davefla, You are right to be concerned about the ringing in your ears. Ringing = permanent hearing loss and if it happens often enough, the ringing becomes permanent. Experimenting with different foam plugs is a good idea. I ordered an assortment from this outfit: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/earplugstore/trialasandki.html and then ordered a case of the ones I liked best. Also pay careful attention to how well you are inserting the ear plugs; that can make a huge difference in how well they work. Another gizmo worth trying is a "helmet windblocker"; read about it here: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/windjammer/helmet-wind-blocker.htm I notice the better helmets seem to have better sealing around the neck which may be why they're quieter. If you have a cheaper helmet, this may help. They come from the UK, but cost is reasonable (~$20 IIRC) and shipping is quick. They help make a noisy helmet quieter. I bought one a few months back and use it for long interstate trips and it seems to help my HJC helmet, but it does cut down on ventilation somewhat and makes getting the helmet on and off more difficult. (Message edited by whodom on August 25, 2005) | ||
| Rr_eater |
I agree with the captain, helmet helmet helmet!! ANY flip front helmet will not be as quiet as a similarly shaped solid face helmet. Every crack, every seam, every edge will change the attenuation, harmonic, and so the noise level in the helmet. You should be wearing a helmet that fits snuggly around your cheaks and temple, but not tight, as this is where most of the wind noise harmonizes in the helmet, just in front of your ears obviously. I wear a Shoei X-11, considered one of the "quietest, best ventilated" helmets on the market. It is by no means truely quiet, but definately better then AGV or HJC. With foamies, it is very quiet, so quiet I can hear my heartbeat when im pumping through the corners. As of late, I have been wearing CEP earbuds, probably the BEST money I have ever spent on hearing protection/earphones ever. I ordered a set for my MP3 player, and am getting another set for my cell phone. Go to http://www.cep-usa.com, and look for the "lawnmower" CEPs, they are standard stereo earphone plugs, and they ROCK. Again though, just my .02 Bruce | ||
| Odie |
Davefla- if you contact CEP ask for Victor and tell him you are "aquainted" with me thru this forum. He's their head engineer and a good friend. He'll get you what you want/need. Odie | ||
| Jugallo94 |
How much are the lawnmower cep's? I am looking for a decent pair of headphones for my mp3 player. | ||
| Davefla |
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. Captainplanet: I've been shopping for a better helmet; guess it's time to get serious about a purchase. I originally bought the Nolan for commuting, for which it is an excellent choice. This morning I noticed that it's quite the whistler at anything above 45 mph. Guess I hadn't been paying attention. My commute is only 6 miles and about 12 minutes, usually not freeway. Whodom: Thanks Hugh, especially for the Windjammer II link. I'd been wondering if anyone still made those things, but hadn't seen them lately. I've noticed that hunching my shoulders seems to cut a lot of noise, which must mean that the seal around my neck could be better. Bruce: The CEP stuff looks interesting. I couldn't find a part number for the "lawnmower" set, though they do mention they're planning the product. I supppose the web site needs updating. Have you tried Etymotic ear speakers? I've been looking at them and wonder how they'd compare. Odie: Thanks, I'll tell Victor you said 'hi' if I talk to him. Thanks again everyone! | ||
| Odie |
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| Henrik |
Dave; As mentioned, how you insert (and I guess how far) ear plugs make a huge difference in how well they seal. For foamies, I roll them up into a thin cone and insert the cone as far as I can, while I'm pulling my outer ear up and back with the other hand. Pulling your ear will straighten the outer, moveable ear canal to be more in line with the inner, bony ear canal. This helps greatly getting the plugs in far enough to seal well. Now, of course you don't want to shove the plugs halfway into your brain. And you want to be able to grab the plug when you go to pull them out etc. etc. You get the picture. But try experimenting with plug insertion. That may make the difference. Henrik | ||
| Bakadoh |
Shoei x-11 and custom earplugs (such as you'd get from an audiologist)  Both are expensive options, but for hearing protection they are the best. Just don't do both at the same time, first time out. First time out with my earplugs... couldn't hear anything! Same with the shoei... took three days of riding before I could hear street noise. Scary at first (like trying to hear your stock exhaust at freeway speeds) | ||
| Davefla |
Thanks, Henrik. I've tried just about everything I can think of, including mashing the foam plugs into the canal until my fingertip has pushed the end flush with the outer ear. This morning, I wore them reversed (with the thick end in first) after a suggestion on the WebBikeWorld page linked above by Hugh (Whodom). That seemed to work a bit better. I don't dare try that with a smaller size plug, tho... No one has mentioned Jelli plugs or similar, non-foam reusable types. I wonder if I'm going to learn that everyone else has already found them too uncomfortable! | ||
| Davefla |
Bakadoh: thanks, I've been shopping eBay for deals on X11s and Arai Quantums. | ||
| Bullen |
Try Arai or Shoei by far the best helmets i think! And wear earplugs and no flip opening. | ||
| Sweatmark |
I'll 2nd the notion that flip-up helmets are loud. I've got a Nolan N100 and a Schuberth Concept, and both work fine for low speed (or behind a windshield) rides, but SUCK (or should I say "howl"  when exposed to higher speed airflow. For road trips - Iron Butt rides! - I wear a quiet full face Shoei. You might order an earplug assortment to find optimum fit amongst the disposable earplug varieties: http://www.members.aol.com/lucydellearplugs/wbw.htm Got this link from Web Bike World, where some reviews of hearing protection can be found: http://www.webbikeworld.com/Earplugs/earplugs.htm I wear foam earplugs most every day for work, so I've found a few favorites among the plugs offered at my industrial cutomer sites. I have medium/large ear canals (is that too personal?!), and like the Moldex Pura-Fit for motorcycling. Lots of folks like the custom-molded earplugs, but I find them too hard for long duration use. For multi-day road trips, there's a certain satisfaction the comes from opening a new packet of fresh (and clean) foam earplugs each day. | ||
| Henrik |
...including mashing the foam plugs into the canal I realize you may be doing everything right, but just to clarify; the trick is to get the "rolled-into-a-thin-cylinder" ear plug smoothly all the way into the ear canal. Even with care, the plug will sometimes "curl up", and then it's back to square one. Once the cylinder is fully in, the gradual expansion of the plug will seal off the ear canal. I also bought a trial pack from the Earplug store mentioned above. I went with "the softest" pack, since the firmer foam will irritate my ears after awhile. The MaxLite works really well for me. I bought a case of corded plugs - since I use quite a few plugs for track days, they're easier to manage - just hanging around your neck. Anyway - I'm rambling. Hope you get it sorted out. Keep us posted. Henrik | ||
| Odie |
Davefla- just another note on CEP's. I fly Blackhawk helicopters as a contractor now and just retired last year from the Army. I put in a disability claim for bilateral hearing loss among other things that my body endured during my 21 years of service. From '83 til '89 went I went to flightschool I fired just about every WARSAW Pact weapon you could think of up to RPG-7's and 2's, jumped out of airplanes and helicopters, and operated noisey machinery. I rarely, if ever, used hearing protection. When I started flying in '83 I have used hearing protection EVERY time I go fly. I have used CEP's since '97 and my hearing claim was denied as my hearing is actually better than most 41 year olds. Most Aviators get 10% for their hearing. I feel the beauty of the CEP's is that you get protection but you also don't have to have the radios and intercomm system blaring in your ears as they amplify the sound coming in also. They have worked very well for me and literally thousands of other military aviators. I have over 4000 hours of rotary wing flight time and my ears are still going strong! And no, I don't get anything from CEP for telling you what a great product it is!! | ||
| Bakadoh |
Davefla... I've owned both, actually all three of the helmets, quantum F, Nolan flip up and Shoei X-11. X-11 is by far the quietest helmet I've ever owned. But I must warn you you should try them on (the arai and shoei) they fit much different from the nolan (but similar to each other). I actually have a "customer" compairison on the webbikeworld review of the arai quantum page. I paid something like $465 for my bostrom rep during a "sale" at helmetharbor.com (who I highly recommend) but I have seen the norrick rep going for cheap on ebay. | ||
| Slaughter |
Zero Gravity Sport Touring Screen for the XB fairing!!! Forget the Double Bubble. I use the Sport Touring for the racebike and it is a big difference over the double bubble. Forget about stock. Hal's racing uses the Sport Touring on their racebikes too. Keep changing earplugs til you get some that work. I paid for the cast-in-place silicone jobbies and hated the way they felt and went back to foam. (Message edited by slaughter on August 26, 2005) | ||
| Cruisin |
$65 for the stereo CEP earplugs (comes with a tube of mix sized tips). I may just have to get a set. | ||
| Rr_eater |
Cruisin, you will NOT be disappointed. Just dont expect them to be audiophile quality. They sound great none the less though, and are very durable and small. As Odie said (who turned me on to them), I am in now way associated with them, other then a very happy customer!!!! Bruce | ||
| Davefla |
Slaughter- the Zero Gravity Sport Touring screen is what I'm running now. "Zero-G +3" was too slangy, I apologize. For $65, the CEP stereos are well under the price of the Etymotics or even Sony MDR active noise cancelling units. Sounds like it's worth checking out. | ||
| Kootenay |
I use either foam plugs or soft silicone ones. I find that I can insert a rolled foam plug into my left ear no problem, but not into my right (I think I may have a diminished ear canal size due to 20 years of cold water sports, or something). I find that the squishy silicone plugs are easier to get in, and work well as long as they stay in place (the drawback with silicone ear plugs is it's easy to lose them when they're not in your ears--I stuck a pair to my airbox cover the other day, then rode off without putting them back in and lost 'em). | ||
| Robxb |
I don't need to wear any with my Arai helmet, the pull out chin piece does a good job blocking the wind from getting under and into the helmet. | ||
| Davefla |
Thanks once again for all the responses. But here's a real brilliant thought I had this weekend: I suppose I could always close the (rather large holed) "Jet Stream Wing" vent on the top of the Nolan and see if there's less 80-mph wind noise!  I opened it for commuting a few months back and have just left it open of course; you can't easily close the d$&%ed thing one- or even two-handed while riding. I've also bought one of the "Windjammer II" wind blockers from Proline in the UK. Thanks again, Hugh. | ||
| Whodom |
Dave, Hope the Windjammer II works for you. I think mine arrived in ~7 days which was pretty impressive coming from the UK. It definitely helped my helmet, but I can still reduce the noise further by holding up a finger to the neck opening which seems to indicate it's still not quite "sealing" around my neck. It can be adjusted by slipping it up or down on the bottom of your helmet which will make the neck opening larger or smaller. I guess I need to tweak mine a little more next time I use it. | ||
| Davefla |
Update: I received the Windjammer II (in 2 days, the Brits used airmail!) and installed it on my new Scorpion EXO-700. This helmet is highly rated on that other web site, though some of the users mentioned that they found it loud. Anything would be an improvement over what I was experiencing with the N100, of course. And that's what I've found, a great improvement. I put my foam plugs in backwards, pulled on the EXO-700, and commuted to work via expressway a couple of times since Friday. I'm happy to say that it's really quiet in there! Now if I can just get the tunes, etc. going again. Thanks again to everyone who responded! | ||
| Brotherbuell |
You may want to consider having a set of molded ear plugs made. I shoot skeet for a hobby and I've found them to be the most effective and comfortable since they are molded to the exact shape of your ear. They cost between $50 and $75 and take about 30 minutes to make. You can check with a hearing specialist or your local fish and game club for a supplier. |
