Without earplugs, my pipes are fairly loud at low speed, and at higher speeds the wind drowns them out. With earplugs, the wind noise is cut drastically and my pipes are nice and mellow.

 

For those of you wearing ear plugs, can you still hear sirens and or honking horns?

I've never been bothered by wind or pipes, thankfully.

 

I wear my earplugs solely because of the damage that the wind can do and not because of the pipes.
And yes there is no problem hearing a car horn or emergency siren.

 

just posted this in another thread about this subject worth repeating
wind noise equals approx 103 decibels ....
http://www.hearingtestlabs.com/motorcycle.htm

regarding pipes i am running straight pipes.... very loud if you are behind me ....however i am of the opinion that the noise of pipes is coming out the back in rearward motion i am at the front going in a forward motion.... never the twain shall meet... but that wind was something i was not aware of!

 

Can't stand riding without them, and the exhaust has nothing to do with it.

 

Maybe I should have worded the title differently. Most any but stock pipes are loud to me. Mine are V&H True Duals, not drag pipes or gutted pipes, and I don't gun it in town. They aren't bad crusing at lower speeds, but going down the highway near those concrete barriers in the fast lane is the worst.

 

I can still hear everything around me just fine. Including my radio.
I used to always wear Earplanes which are mostly hollow. They seem to let most of the sound in but stop the wind.
I just bought something called Etymotic ER-20xs High-Fidelity Earplugs.
Supposed to be for musicians that still need to hear everything but don't wanna go deaf.

Like several others have said, it is more the wind then anything else that is the problem.
All that I feel I lose is that top end sewing machine sound, which is a good thing to be blocking.

Hearing damage isn't something that you can tell is happening till it is too late.
Please wear some kind of earplug everyone.

 

I just started wearing the disposable ones this season.

 

My loud bike is a Big Dog with Vance and Hines big radius 2 into 2. At 80 mph it is impossible to hear much of anything but wind and exhaust...so I wear custom-formed earplugs and a full face helmet. One time I had a Trooper in Tennessee chase me 5 miles with lights and siren because I didn't see him or hear him...he was pissed!!
If you talk to any Otologist or Audiologist, they will tell you that it's the loud sustained noise that causes the long term hearing loss, and our exhaust and wind roar qualify. Most of the serious loss comes from damage to the the inner ear.
I am on my second set of $2,700 hearing aids, and will not get on my bike without earplugs.
I feel bad for the guys who think this won't happen to them, because it is so easily preventable.