No it's not. You may think it is, but I guarantee you've experienced permanent hearing loss.

But YOLO right...

 

I couple youngen's (20s) stopped by to see my wife and I last month. Friends of our (late) son. The one rode up on his GSXR, the other was on a borrowed cruiser bike. The cruiser has straight pipes, ridiculously loud. The kid has a tee shirt, a bandana, some gloves that stop at the knuckles. That's it. No gear, no helmet, no ear plugs.

My wife and I were cringing. She asked him about ear plugs. "I don't need them, it doesn't bother me." Ironically, he works in healthcare.

 

I also have Tinitus, (marksmanship instructor in USMC), I ALWAYS wear ear plugs. Like many others, mainly for wind rather than loud pipes. Also wear when using lawn mower and power tools.

 

Never ride without my ear plugs. At Bike Week, I rented a Street Glide. I'm not about the music when I ride. Regardless, even with my ear plugs in, I could hear the radio just fine.

 

I wear ear plugs on long rides and trips.

 

Always! I don't have tinnitus and feel that the earplugs have been the reason. The wind will do more damage to your ears than the pipes.

 

Sometimes... on longer rides, typically I do.

 

That seems to be the typical response. Youngins think they're invincible and can't see the future past the end of their noses. But one day they will end up like some of the older folks in this thread, wishing they had taken better care of their bodies and not worried so much about looking like a tough guy.

I was one of those kids who saw the toll taken on my father, grandfather, and their friends from not protecting their hearing. So ever since I can remember I've always worn some sort of hearing protection when I was around loud noises. And even avoided certain things in order to eliminate the hazard all together. I learned from their mistakes. I've been in the Marines now for almost 20 years and my hearing is just as good as the day I joined, according the my annual audiology exams. Every year they're blown away that I haven't suffered any notable hearing loss. My motivation is my dad and my Marine peers who walk around with little plastic roaches on the backs of their ears in order to hear what I can hear with no assistance.

 

What type do you mean if I may ask?

 

Probably Surefire. They are awesome and only cost $15