Indeed and I have been bad lately though it isn’t that long at 60-70mph for the morning commute and in the afternoon, well never going fast enough for them.
I do find them excellent at filtering out the wind noise without killing the sound of traffic.
eta @jlw try buying in bulk boxes meant for industrial placement they are a good deal like $20 for 200 pair.
eta like these
I’ve been on the hunt for the best inexpensive earplug. I’ve tried the custom molded radians, and they were hard to mold in such a way that they actually plugged the ear canal. I also recently tried the heat molded Decibullz, with the foam tip. They worked great, unfortunately, the foam tip split after a couple weeks of wear. I seem to always end up going back to the classic 3M foam earplugs.
Motorcyclists need ear plugs.
So do many people unfortunate enough to be around them. Why oh why do they usually have be so damn loud?!
One of the concerns about muffling noise while riding a motorcycle is not being aware of traffic hazards. I wonder if some noise-cancelling earbuds might be a good idea - sure they’re pricey, but probably worth it.
I recently became aware of these Etymotic earbuds designed for gun ranges - they seem perfect, though they cost $300.
They should not be. There is no reason for even the harley thump thump. They will be louder than good cars as the engine is exposed but I have seen bikes zip by me when I was walking that were no louder than a sewing machine would be.
Yep, all the more reason for me to wonder why so damn many of them are so damn loud. And it ain’t just the Harleys, far from it.
I will admit mine is a bit noisy but it is a 400cc single cylinder so it sounds a bit like the go karts at a theme park. Louder than a car but not that it would wake you up.
Hmm - for the helmets that cover the ears, maybe the could include built in electronic earmuff. The kind that amplifies when quiet, and shut off when loud. They make some super comfy gel filled ear pads now. I like to wear ear muffs when I use a riding mower.
My Airheads are generally like that. Even my Scrambler with the 2>1 pipes isn’t stock Harley loud.
Pinlock (the dutch makers of the fogproof visor) have a new earplug that has passive frequency dependent sound suppression. The idea being that most of the noise we need to hear happens across a relatively short frequency band. Not sure if it works, as it isn’t available in the US yet, but it’s expected to cost ~$30.
I had to call my insurance company while driving the other day (no, not car insurance) and I could barely hear them. After I hung up I realized their phones were not the problem. My little car is loud when it goes fast, and I never noticed.
Came here to push the same bulk box. I bought a box of these exact ones from Amazon 4 years ago, and am just now running low. We use them on airplanes, at concerts, using loud tools in the shop, even occasionally to block the noise from a snorer. Very happy with the purchase.
Mine is seriously quieter, in my modern car, with the oil in the upper 1/2 of the fill range.
I occasionally ride an electric bike to work and was just thinking that even at only ~30 MPH the wind noise was loud enough to be doing some damage.
I’ve had riders try and convince me that the noise is good for their safety. It’s nonsense, and there’s no reason these bikes can’t be quiet except that LOUD is what the buyers want. Harley has engineered their modern engines for their “trademark sound” at least as much as for their performance.
I don’t ride a motorcycle, but occasionally do other loud stuff, and I use cheapo foam earplugs. The secret to a good fit (for me, anyhow) is to pull the top of your ear up and back before inserting them.
(You must also roll them between your fingers, to make a smaller cylinder which will expand in your ear, before insertion, but you probably already knew that if you have used them. And hold them in place for at least a few seconds after insertion to secure them while they start to expand.)
same here. i’ve tried the etymotics, maybe they just don’t fit for me, but foam ones seem to be better. they’re cheap enough that after a couple uses i don’t mind if i lose them, and they do a great job.
You probably don’t notice the quiet ones (which are most of us).
