Tips to reduce noise level in helmet

[specialist8]

Hey Veech, just PMd you. Having that box could help me out!

[specialist8]

FYI, this is now for sale if anyone's interested: http://cb1100forum.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6628

[Rebel73_imp]

Just FYI, apparently there's a right way and a wrong way to insert earplugs. I didn't know that until recently. It involves pulling at the top of your ear in order to open up the ear canal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsu7WitBPYw

[kmoney_imp]

Just FYI, apparently there's a right way and a wrong way to insert earplugs. I didn't know that until recently. It involves pulling at the top of your ear in order to open up the ear canal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsu7WitBPYw

Learn something new every day -- apparently I've been doing it wrong for 15+ years.

[Rebel73_imp]

Yah, me too, lol. But I'm sure doing it wrong is still better than not doing it at all.

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

[the Ferret]

I have known the correct way to insert earplugs for years... I just never do it. I know I should, but I just don't like what I hear when I put them in, which is my ears ringing lol

[LikeAfox_imp]

The Vortex has (unnecessary) vents just below and behind where your ears are. I removed the liner and blocked those vents with duct tape then replaced the liner. I feel it reduced the noise slightly. Not a huge improvement but a noticeable one. I imagine if you were to take the added step of adding some foam in the area of the vents, then taping them up, it would help even more.

That helmet is noisy by design, which is a poor design in my book. I've gone though a few vanity helmets over the years, and this is one of the bad ones. God rid of it just a few days later. It helps to buy helmets in the store, so the exchange process is fast and painless.

My current winter helmet is Scorpion EXO-500, and while mediocre at best, it's surprisingly quiet and warm. Clearance price under 100.

[AzBob_imp]

Geezer, I usually can't wear earplugs as I'm either listening to music, gps, or using my intercom. I paid way too much on my Sena to not use them most all the time

I have a Sena 20S and wear NRR 31db foam earplugs 100% of the time. You can hear the Sena just fine with ear plugs in because you don't hear all that wind noise. Of course, you'll need to raise the volume, and the quality and total loudness depend on the source material/media device (the radio on my Trophy is quite a bit louder than my phone). I can have full on phone conversations with my earplugs in without any trouble.

I have a decent amount of hearing loss at only 41 years old and there's no way on Earth I'd ride without ear plugs.

[emptysea]

I wear earplugs with my bluetooth system as well. I also wear either a balaclava or a Buff. I find that a buff around my neck and pulled over mouth (and sometime nose) deflects or diffuses enough of the air coming into my HJC helmet to make a significant reduction in noise. That's without even covering or plugging my ears.

[Inhouse Bob]

I tried several types of earplugs and wasn't pleased until it got the No-Noise plugs. I got them from RevZilla, but they are all over the web.

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/nonoi...protection

The silicone material lasts forever, is easy to clean. They contain a ceramic insert that blocks specific frequencies while allowing others to come through. There are a few different "tunings" available, for shooting, sleeping, etc. Now, I don't know much about all that, but I can say that they block a lot of the wind noise while allowing me to hear my bluetooth clearly and I can have conversations at red lights with riding buddies without a problem.

Two considerations...
1) Some complain that they can't remove them easily because the "stem" is a bit short and they can't grab them with their fat fingers. I haven't had that problem because I have scrawny fingers.
2) The ones I have are clear and if you drop one, it's gone forever. They have made day-glow colors and RevZilla shows bright orange ones on their site, but when I have ordered them, they have come in clear. I called to fuss and they said that stock is stock and they can't control what color they have on the shelf. They were willing to take them back, but I am living with them.

I almost always use them now. It took some getting used to not hearing so much of the engine, etc, but I adjusted pretty quickly.

Interestingly, I find that I ride differently when wearing them. Without all the noise, I shift at higher RPMs than without the plugs. This was more pronounced with my hi-vibes KLR650, but still true with the CB. I shift based on the "feel" of the bike, rather than the "noise" of the bike. If that makes sense.
I can also ride for much longer without needing a break because less noise means less stress. And at the end of the riding day, I feels much less "jangled" than I did without the plugs.
Your results may vary