Ear Plugs -who wears em when riding a bandit?

[Slider]

I have trouble getting Helmets large enough and the right shape to fit my cranium. I asked the salesman in our little burg whether he thought it was due to a swelled head or a fat head? To his credit, he didn't take the bait.
Still, I'm stuck with a cheaper helmet that I can afford... usually.
Even so. I have had many helmets, even a Shoei and Bell and I find them all NOISY on naked bikes or even my current Bandit S1200.

Who wears ear plugs on long trips? 

Does anyone have a quiet Helmet? 

There's too dam much snow to ride here guys. Help us out with a few winter tales to help the site stay alive. 

[txbanditrydr]

Anything further than 1/4 mile....  I've got earplugs in.  Trying to save what little hearing I have left.

They really help filter out the "bad" noise (aka: wind) and you can actually hear the subtleties of the "good" noise (rpm range, sweet pipe, etc.)

[wizzobeer]

I wear them on anything outside of the city. In town I find them too restrictive

[PitterB4]

I don't ride a Bandit but I'll chime in...

I've gotten lazy.  When I first started riding my B4 years ago, it had a LOUD D&D and I wore them.  When I swapped out that pipe for an quieter M4, I stopped.  This past season, I rode the Kawi quite a bit - commuting on the bike when ever I can on my 53 mile (each way) country road ride for a total of around 6K miles - I've noticed my ears ringing from wind noise when I get off.  I definitely need to get back in the habit.

What are you guys using - just the little, cheap cone-shaped foam things? 

[txbanditrydr]

What are you guys using - just the little, cheap cone-shaped foam things? 

Pretty much....  I get the 80 pack (orange and purple) from Lowe's for about 16 bucks.     They start losing their effectiveness after a few days.  On trips I treat myself to a new pair everyday - nothing like a new pair for sound attenuation.

I've tried the more expensive "Hero's" and a few other foam ones (E.A.R.?) but they are either too pricey or uncomfortable.  I'd like to pony up the bucks for a custom set (ear molded) but would hate to find out they weren't any better.

Sometimes I think earplugs are better suited for city riding - especially with those freeking diesel pick-ups running the huge fart cans....   

[Red01]

I use 'em 99.9% of the time.  Wind noise is still there, even with the quietest helmets I've ever tried, and I'm trying to keep what little hearing I have left from getting any worse.  Fortunately for me, my employer always has an ample supply of ear plugs due to the noisey work environment - and they encourage us to take them home for activities that may need them (safety glasses, too, fwiw).  We always have several brands around and my favorites are Howard Leight MAX and Moldex Pura-Fit 6800, both with a NRR 33 rating, which is better than any custom molded plugs I've ever seen advertised or at bike shows.  On trips, I usually carry some of each brand because it seems that day after day of constant use, one kind will start to bug me, but if I alternate between the two, I'm OK.

We also regularly have the E-A-R Classics, but I don't find them to be very comfortable and their NRR 29 rating isn't good as the two above.

[Sven]

I don't wear them in-and-around town, simply because I'm not on for more then 25 minutes.  But I do when I'm just joy riding outside of the city.  I use various foam ones, and I like the ones that are like those corn-based packing/shipping kernels...one of the Quiet! branded products.  I also have those rubber ones made to fit at a bike show, and they are great.  My usual helmet is the Shoei Syncrotec, which doesn't seem noisy until I ride with earplugs and then without.  I can wear earplugs and still hear the comm set speakers, so that works well.

[pmackie]

I use them on all out of town trips, which is 95% of my riding. Like the guys above, I want to save what's left of my hearing. I should have used them back in my loud electric guitar days...

Anyway, I've had several different full face helmets, and don't find any of them to be quiet enough to take out the wind noise, so it's ear plugs all the way.

I don't care which kind I use, so usually the cheapest I find. Like Red01, my employer (me) buys them by the box, so I always have ample supplies.

[jwray76]

I haven't gotten my Bandit yet, it is on the way though  Anyhow I don't know if my helmet does a really good job with wind noise or what but with my old CB750 (naked) I never wore plugs and had no problem. Maybe I am already deaf   

This is the helmet that I have http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/bell-zephyr/ Hard to beat for the money imho

[TK421]

I wear them nearly all the time.  I ordered one of the sample packs from Earplug Superstore and found what I worked best by trial and error.  Incidentally, my ear canals are not the same size!  I use Moldex PuraFit 6800s in the right ear and Moldex Sparkplugs in the left.

BTW, I found that the most important factor is correction insertion (add your own joke here.)  You have to pull the ear with the opposite hand to open the ear canal and get a deep seal.  It does get a bit wearisome on trips when you are stopping a lot, and I am thinking of getting a custom-molded pair.  Anybody have any experience with those?

P.S.  Lately I have been using Etymotic ER-6 earphones on longer trips, which do a pretty good job of noise attenuation and allow me to hear music and the GPS.  I don't find them all that comfortable though, so I have yet to find the perfect solution.

[Vidrazor]

Wear 'em all the time. I haven't had a problem with Hearos. Don't know why people find them uncomfortable, they're the softest I found. I don't wear the odd-colored stuff you get in places like Home Depot or Lowes anymore, as I've had some of that color stay in my ears! I get the "flesh" colored ones:

All day comfort with these.

[LowRyter]

disposable foam type (white or yellow).  I just don't throw 'em away.  Yeah, I know, gross, huh?

[Red01]

disposable foam type (white or yellow).  I just don't throw 'em away.  Yeah, I know, gross, huh?

Not really... most of them are washable.  I just don't bother since I always have plenty of new ones.

[Vidrazor]

You could get ear infections from re-using them too many times. As long as you keep your ear canal relatively clean, you can use 'em two or three times.

[jimmym1296]

I wear the foam ones most of the time. I usually regret it when I don't put them in. It's one of those habit things and a good one at that.