I have a MP3/FM radio I use sometimes. I can still hear sound 'around' me.

I don't use it when I'm riding in a group. only when solo riding.

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That way everyone at stoplights, etc. can enjoy your taste in music.

 

I actually turn it down. Ive got my woman trained to talk to me at stop lights and gas stations on the bike and during commercials when we watch tv.

 

I wear buds in both ears.

I use the sound reducing ones that are like ear plugs you can hear music through. That way I hear it great without turning it way up.

 

On longer rides I use one ear bud in the right ear. I have the kind that seal the ear like ear plugs; That way it doesn't have to be super loud.

 

I used to ride with one earbud, which worked okay except I had to start out with it fairly loud so when I hit top speed I could still hear it over the wind noise (no helmet). When I did use a helmet, sometimes the earbud would dislodge, and I wouldn't have museic the rest of the ride.

Then I got a SG so don't need any earbuds to enjoy my music at all times.

 

Not me...I like the sound of the engine, enjoy listening to the cadence coming from the pipes, and other sounds of being out there on the road. Since I don't wear a lid, and sometimes ride with a mini fairing...other times no fairing...I have the wind rush.

Besides..."hearing" my surroundings if almost 1/2 of my senses of what's happening around me. Intersections, stoplights..even just riding down the road..even though my eyes pretty much catch it all, I want my hearing at 100% to "catch" that rare thing that is sneaking up on me that my eyes may have missed. Not having hearing would lower the effectiveness of my 360* radar system.

If I wanted music on the bike...I would go with a headset in a helmet...but then I don't wear one. But at least that would allow other outside sounds to come in, versus earbuds. Or...I'd have to get a bike with a full fairing..so I could do a stereo system on the bike. But I can't stand thumping ground shaking blasting music when kids pull up to stoplights in their urban mobiles forcing everyone in a 3 block radius to hear their music...so I'd be worried about an exposed stereo system on a bike doing similar things to the people unfortunate enough to be stuck next to me at a stoplight.

 

Me neither, the only noise I want to hear when I ride is my engine, what's going on around me and the quietness of my thoughts....If I want to arbitrarily ride with music, I'll jump in my cage...That's just me.

 

I will not ride with anyone if I can hear music playing,Period! Not the place for it as far as I am concerned,the wife feels the same way.To each his/her own.

 

have ridden with music but chose not to anymore, why? I really enjoy the sound of the motor with the whole bike working together. The current craze is music but to me it just adds another reason for general public to complain about the loudness of bikes when that goofy pirate on the loud bike with the crapy sounding music blasting away, borne to be bad.....