Ear Plugs / Tinnitus

[LongRanger_imp]

I'm a firm believer in using ear plugs but am beginning to think that what might work for one person may not work for another.

In my case, I've settled on custom-molded silicon earplugs. They fit well, last forever, are easy to clean, and seem to work better than disposable foam earplugs.

Before you resort to the unthinkable, remove your windscreen. Try riding the bike naked again. I think you'll be surprised at how much its absence will clear up most of the wind noise you suffer from. My naked CB1100 is the quietest bike in my stable -- even quieter than my R1200RT with fully adjustable windscreen.

Also, I've found that Schuberth makes a very quiet helmet. Try a C3-Pro for size and see if it doesn't help. I used to wear Arai and Shoei helmets and found them to be very noisy.

You can't make blanket statements like that. Any little air gap will affect noise levels greatly.

Go to http://www.LidPicker.com

You can order a kit with calipers to measure your skull. They use these measurements to give you a chart of helmets and how they all will fit you. They apply the cost towards a helmet purchase once you have the results.

Very interesting to see the results. That site is the entire reason I bought the Qwest, which I had not been looking at before.

It fits better than any helmet I have ever had otherwise so the site works well apparently. I did purchase the next thinner set of cheekpads afterward to swap in- but that is not part of the measurement process so just a little bit of a personal preference tweak to take some pressure off my gums.

Thanks to whoever first posted lidpicker on this forum when I found it. I am happy to be able to pass on the tip.

You can't make blanket statements like that. Any little air gap will affect noise levels greatly.
It's not a blanket statement, it's an opinion based on personal experience.

I understand a lot of riders have no issue with the fit and noise level of Arai and Shoei helmets. They're fine products, and I agree that if they don't fit properly, they can be noisy. I've simply found something that works better for me, and I'm sharing my viewpoint.

[the Ferret]

funny when my brother was looking for a new full face helmet he started out by reading some reviews. He settled on the Qwest, however the reviews on it were just like the reviews on everything else..my brother and I call them the "best I've ever used, worst thing I've ever used" reviews. It's why things get 3 1/2 or 4 stars, cause someone thinks it's comfortable, someone else thinks it's not, someone thinks it's quiet, some else thinks it's noisy, someone thinks it's light and someone else thinks it's heavy. It's with that about everything we read the reviews on..motorcycle related or not. He did buy the Qwest and he is happy with it, but not because the reviews made him feel overly confident about the purchase.

The Schuberths were the most uncomfortable helmets I have ever tried on, slightly ahead of the Bells. I put on a HJC and just say AHHHH. They fit me like a glove. Must have an HJC head that's all. Fit is everything.

[emptysea]

So...back to noise. My Shoei X14 has cutouts in the liner for speakers, but they fill them with thin foam pads in the absence of the speakers. I think a lot of helmet liners are designed this way. It occurred to me this afternoon that a person might buy some foam rubber that is a bit more dense, cut it to fit the openings and could wind up with a bit more sound deadening. Of course, this isn't a replacement for earplugs, but perhaps it could enhance the earplugs' effectiveness. I'm going to experiment with this....maybe I have something around the house that I could trim to fit.

[LongRanger_imp]

I believe it was Scorpian Helmets who several years ago came out with air-inflatable cheek pads. Absolutely brilliant idea. I only wish their shell shape was compatible with my melon.

[PowerDubs_imp]

Saying Schuberth makes a quiet helmet and others aren’t is 100% a blanket statement.

Don’t get mad, just realize others reading such things may not put any thought or experience into it- a new 18 y/o rider reads such a thing and blindly buys what he reads as truth.

Everyone’s head is different and that makes a huge difference.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Also don’t take offense. I am probably on the spectrum- I am 100% logical in thought process with probably very little emotion.

I consider it overall a benefit but am well aware it is not normal, and often has negative results. A life of constant struggle not just with others but within. Sorry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[suhawk305]

Prior to getting my CB1100, I used to buy helmets from clearance tables with no clue how to pick a proper fitting helmet. So wind noise was normal for me. After my accident a year ago, I knew I should replace the HJC I was wearing. I went to the dealer where I bought my 2 CB1100s to checkout their stock. At the dealer, I was taught everything you guys are talking about. The dealer encouraged me to try on variety of helmet brands and models. When I put on a Shoei GT-Air, I knew it was the helmet made for my head, uniformly very snug around the circumference of my head that broke-in perfectly = a lot less noise and very comfortable.
My advice to people like me, it may be worth trying on and buying a helmet where they have people to help you pick a helmet that fits you correctly.
BTW, with the discount the dealer gave me, the Shoei was close to the price I seen online.

[Offroad]

I use a modular HJC that fits really well but very noisy. I've tried a lot of different ear plugs short of the custom made ones (on my list).

I do use the Bose Comfort noise canceling like Cormanus mentioned (my christmas present to myself) and they have been the most effect so far! Battery life is reasonable, 2-3 hours. They don't last on an all day ride.

https://www.amazon.com/Bose-Quietcontrol...comfort+30

I've always wanted to try these inflatable ear pads, thinking they would be like true noise suppression ear muffs used for shooting gun or running chain saws, etc but I'm afraid I'll mess up my helmet with a failed installation. I wish they would just do it for me ;-)

https://www.quietridemuffs.com/order_now.html

If any tries them, please report back.

[Cormanus]

I use the QC20s which do last all day.

[emptysea]

I found another thread about the Bose units, but I would like a little more information: First, how difficult is it to keep them lodged in your ears while donning your helmet? Any tips for making this process easier? Second, I'm unclear about how one uses them in conjunction with a Bluetooth communicator such as a Sena 20s. Do the QC20s or 30s replace the Sena's speakers or do you use both? How do I listen to music, cancel unwanted noise, and communicate with my wife (and the last two are mutually exclusive)?

Thanks.

[Cormanus]

EmptySea, I'll try:

1. It's easier for me to get my helmet over my ears when my hair is a bit longer. If the sides hang even a little bit over my ears, the helmet slides on without pulling down the tops of my ears. If it doesn't slide easily, earplugs and the Bose buds can get pulled out. My permanent solution is to wear a very thin merino wool skull cap which just covers the tops of my ears. It makes putting on the helmet easier and the ear buds stay in place.

2. I'm going to work into this as I don't have a Sena unit. The Bose headphones have a unit containing a battery and the electronics that generate the white noise that cuts out sound very close to the 3.5 mm plug that connects to your phone or mp3 player. Originally, I came up with all sorts of tricks to connect it to the phone which I had/have mounted on the handlebars. The best of those methods meant the box of electronics was actually inside my jacket and protected. You switch it on just before you take off and it works its magic. In this method, adjusting volume requires accessing the buttons on the side of the phone or wearing thin enough gloves to be able to work the little control unit where the cord splits. Unless you manage to get that control unit inside your helmet, there's no real way of taking calls as you don't have a microphone.

3. Hang in there. Phase two was discovering an early iteration of the [url=https://griffintechnology.com/intl/itrip-clip-bluetooth-headphone-adapter]Griffin iTrip Clip which allows a bluetooth connection to the phone which means you don't have to find a way to plug the cord in directly. You can control volume, pause, skip tracks and take calls, but the latter only if you can get the iTrip inside your helmet as that's where the microphone is. I don't want to take phone calls, so I don't worry about that aspect. You can also turn it on and off on the fly to conserve battery life when you don't want to be listening to anything.

4. I've investigated Sena units and, if you want to make them work with the Bose headphones, you have to have a model which will accept a 3.5mm headphone jack. There are some; I'm pretty sure the 20s is one as are the 30 numbers. I assume plugging earphones in cuts out the speakers (like plugging headphones into a portable radio) but I don't know that. Maybe they both work, or maybe you don't have to plug in the speakers. In any event, you listen through the earphones not the speakers and the Sena does everything it ordinarily does, including provide the bluetooth connection, controlling the volume, working the phone, etc. This goes for other bluetooth communication products made for motorcycles. Remember, though, they must have a 3.5mm headphone socket or you can't connect the earphones. Many don't.

5. The one downside seems to me to be that you have to deal with the heaphone cable and I reckon you would find you would also need an extension cable so you could make sure the box of electronics at the end of the earphone wire was in a pocket somewhere. Without a Sena, I keep that bit in my pocket and plug it into an extension cable that runs under my jacket to the iTrip Clip which I hang off a waist strap on my jacket. I can reach it there easily and (mostly) manage the controls. If I ever upgrade to the Sena (and I think I will one day), I'll run the extension cable from my pocket to the Sena's unit and thence to the headphones.

6. Frankly, I suspect that will end up being more cumbersome than just using the Sena speakers and earplugs, but the sound may well not be as good and, if the hearing protection is not as good, it's worth the inconvenience.

7. As to issues of inter-spousal communication, may I refer you to a counsellor?