Hearing Protection

[scott]

I started wearing ear plugs about 4years ago,now I can't ride without them.To me it just makes riding more enjoyable when you cut out all that wind noise in the helmet.I just use  the orange foam plugs and it seems after a while you just get used to wearing them and the ears don't hurt after hours of riding with them.Ive even guilty of just wearing them around the house when the kids are a little juiced up on sugar,plus the old excuse "sorry honey I didn't hear you tell me to ________ (you feel in blank...cut grass,take out trash,wash car)I was wearing my ear plugs

[pawnee]

I, myself have never used earplugs when riding. Tight fitting helmet works good for me. Might try using them soon, though, to see how they work out.

[Barbarian]

I got the test results, and things are in general pretty good.

They tested tone in addition to speech, and speech over static -- hard to do speech over general conversational drone.

Overall things are pretty good, although I have a 3-6 dB drop in my left ear around 1K, and in my right ear around 4K -- but those are the low points of a wide V.

[B6mick]

Sorry, say that again I'm a bit hard of hearing.
Alright no need to yell at me.
Yes I suffer from hearing lose, but it may not from loud motorcycles me thinks.
Worked in rock and roll for too many years, sound production.
Therefore loud bikes don't bother me I can hardly hear them.
Aye whats that ya say

[Vidrazor]

>>Worked in rock and roll for too many years, sound production. Therefore loud bikes don't bother me I can hardly hear them.<<

Continuous exposure to high sound pressure levels will continue to degrade your hearing, whether you're sensitive to it or not. So unless you want to lose your hearing altogether, it's time to ride with plugs.

I wear plugs whenever I go to concerts also, as well as nightclubs, and even movies (some theaters are painfully loud). Once your hearing is damaged (and mine has), it becomes that much more important to protect it.

[Barbarian]

I used to work in a recording studio and go to way too many concerts -- which is why I wanted the hearing test.

But the above guy is right -- hearing damage is cumulative.

[B6mick]

Sorry, say that again I'm a bit hard of hearing.
Alright no need to yell at me.
Yes I suffer from hearing lose, but it may not from loud motorcycles me thinks.
Worked in rock and roll for too many years, sound production.
Therefore loud bikes don't bother me I can hardly hear them.
Aye whats that ya say

Sorry guys to much tongue in cheek me thinks. My hearing is less than perfect, but still good enough for most of the time, allthough I do have troubles in loud shopping malls when the minister refuses to look at me when speaking. Sometimes very frustrating having to say pardon to ever second sentence.

[Red01]

I thought that was just selective hearing loss... pretty common after a few years of wedded bliss.   

Last time I had a hearing test @ work, the audiologist said my greatest hearing loss was "in the nagging frequency."   

[Scubadvr]

Last time I had a hearing test @ work, the audiologist said my greatest hearing loss was "in the nagging frequency."   

 

[tango59]

Found a generic Hearos at Walgreen's ($5 for a pack of 20) work great.  % bucks now or 3500 bucks later   

[Big Bo]

I wear hearing protection while riding unless I am only going a short distance and no freeway riding. At speed the wind noise is painful. I guess having a big head lets lots of air into the helmet.

[AL0404]

you only get one set of ears. protect 'em! find something that you can wear, and wear 'em!
my so snores, so cheapy orange ones for night, but they hurt when I'm awake.
swimmers flesh tone silicone work great for riding. use 'em always. the "clear" ones seem to get stuck in my ear.
i should say that i already have mild tinnitus, but that just means i'm never alone!

[sealface]

Does anybody know if in ear earbuds work as well? (Skullcandy, etc)

[Big Bo]

Does anybody know if in ear earbuds work as well? (Skullcandy, etc)

I use JVC ear buds from Walmart, cost $20.00.

[asskickinpeanuts]

My 2 cents...
Having worked my whole life since college in steel plants, I am aware of some of the implications of loud sounds and hearing loss.  And the implications of hearing, being based on a logarithmic scale, having an engineering degree.

Yep, you never get "used" or immune to loud noise.  If it is loud enough to cause hearing damage, that damage happens every time exposed to it.  (Kind of like friends come and go, but enemies accumulate? , or something like that, but I digress).

The sound level, as well as the amount of time time exposed (Time Weighted Average), is what counts.  IIRC, over 80dB constant for 8 hours, potential for hearing loss.  And 80dB is about when you need to raise your voice above normal speech to be heard.  (Is the sound in your helmet louder than your normal speech?  Or would you have to raise your voice to be heard?)  Again, IIRC, 90dB you are limited to 4 hours exposure (or maybe 2?), and I am guessing here.  THe point is, the louder the sound, the shorter period of time before permanent loss occurs.  I believe OSHA web site has more information, too, if you want to look.

Enough babbling for now...