Helmet noise

[Nortoon_imp]

I tried the ribbed style of shooter ear plugs. They did cut some of the noise, and were easy to insert after stops for breakfast and lunch. But they were not comfortable to wear all day, and would not stay put all day. Really annoying when you have to stop every 15 minutes, remove your helmet, and push them back into sore ears. Sometimes they would pop back out just putting my ear scraping Shoei helmet back on.

Wearing ear buds and playing music louder than wind noise doesn't sound like a good idea either.

The wax swimmers style of ear plugs were comfortable, but you could not hear anything while riding or anyone while stopped.

I tried them all before finding my 3M Yellow Neons. These ear plugs met all my requirements for comfort and safety. A box of 200 pair is only $40. I paid that for 2 pair of shooters ear plugs. 20 cents a disposable set allows me to hand a wrapped pair to curious bikers to try when they ask me about them.

[2017EX_imp]

http://earpeace.com

Thanks Memphismike, for the tip on earpeace.com . I had not heard of that brand before, and had been considering trying Nonoise earplugs I found on revzilla.com, https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/nono...protection . Interestingly, although Nonoise and Earpeace both use filter technology, Nonoise wants $30 for one set with ONE filter that has 6db less noise reduction than the max of the THREE filters included with the Earpeace brand. I was also pleased to see that free shipping is included with Earpeace, and a money back guarantee, whereas shipping is extra with Nonoise, and no money back guarantee. All of these differences make me more willing to try Earpeace.

[jitaylor_imp]

check on musiciansfriend.com . there are some filters made to work with very high noise levels, and still protect hearing.

[Roper_imp]

Here's what I use. They are disposable and inexpensive. I carry about 6 pairs in my tank bag. They are rated to reduce lawnmower-level noise to conversation level. The contour fits my ears better than other foam earplugs I have tried. Combined with my full face helmet, I can still hear road noise from passing traffic, but it's pretty quiet. I can still hear car horns.

[Houtman_imp]

When I bought a new Arai helmet last year I thought that I leave the chin curtain in it till the summer but the nose reduction was so good that I leave it in the helmet the whole year round.
It is probably a little hotter with it in but the helmet has good ventilation and so no problem for me , I still wear foam 33 NR plugs as well.

[Bheezy27403_imp]

Same here. I always remove the chin skirt but when I bought my Shark I left it on. Noticeable difference in noise....and temperature. Worth the trade-off.

[flynrider]

Houtman, I noticed the same thing with the chin curtain on my latest helmet. Thought I'd remove it for the hot weather, but the noise difference was very noticeable. It went back in.

I'm also using Hearos Extreme 33NR disposable foam plugs. I buy them in bulk on Amazon.

I spent all afternoon at 80 mph on the slab today and all I could hear was the faint sound of the engine in the background.

[KiowaEagle_imp]

I gotta be honest. Maybe it's because I grew up in the 70's and went to more than one Deep Purple concert and admittedly because of that kind of exposure and plenty of power tools over the years my hearing isn't the best. But I'm not bothered by helmet noise. As a matter of fact I like to crack open the visor of my Shoei RF1200 helmet sometimes so it's NOT so quiet. I guess I'm just different.

[tommymck]

I'm with KE. Anything under 60mph just isn't noisy to me. I have an Arai QuantumX helmet at the moment, and it's been years since I've had anything but Arai, so maybe there is something to the helmet itself. I'm just not bothered by noise though. I'll admit that I also have attended more than one Deep Purple concert...but my hearing tests fine (I was a Yanny by the way, so evidently my high frequency sensitivity is good also...)

For those who are bothered by the noise, at what speed does it typically start to become a problem?

[Roper_imp]

For noise, I think environment contributes as much as speed. Passing a tractor-trailer rig at 70 mph on a busy interstate is really noisy--18 wheels "sing" pretty loud. Plus all the other vehicles...

70 mph on a deserted two lane road is just some wind noise.