I got a big monster box of foamies from some industrial supplier on Amazon. 33 NPR.

I also made a set of Radians - you can mold your own and they're pretty cheap. the rating is lower, but still nice protection and they stay flush to your ear. not disposable like the foamies though. I also noticed there are mixed reviews on them - some people can't get the mold to harden. worked fine for me though.

 

On short rides and commuting to work I wear the three-band soft rubber style they sell at Home Depot and Lowes, with the plastic string to hold them together. Makes them convenient to pull out at stops and just leave them hanging around your neck.

On longer rides I use a set of custom molded ones. Don't recall the brand - had them done by a vendor at a bike fest a couple of years ago. I disagree with earlier posts - IMO they block more noise than the others I wear or the foam ones I keep in my bag for the times I forget the others. Mine are so good I have to be doubly observent - which is why I don't wear them commuting - too much traffic. They also do a much better job cutting the wind noise - the other styles stick out of your ear and can actually cause additional wind noises.

 

Ear plugs don't cut out the wind noise over your ears with a half helm. Just ordered these:
http://www.amazon.com/Vega-XTS-Half-.../dp/B002MQAX9S



Noticed by simply putting my hand to my ear, the wind noise stopped completely. Seems the turbulence over your ears is a lot of the problem, even with ear plugs in.

 

sams club will make custom ear plugs for about 45 bucks.

I wear surfire ear plugs though on long rides

 

I've been riding a long run to visit my family more recently, and was here looking for alternatives to earplugs. I'm curious if you actually tried these out, and what you thought of them.

 

Nothing fancy. I just use the foam ones because they are cheap and I don't have to keep track of them. Best thing is a dB rating decrease of about 30. That'll take 100 dB of wind noise down to about the same as riding in a quiet car. I have a dB app on my iPhone and my bike idling is 93. Mounted on a ram mount, I measured a max 104dB at highway speeds. Average was 100-103.

Sound energy doubles every three decibels.
Noise Thermometer from Honeywell (pdf download)

 

I use foam plugs for normal riding around, if I'm going on a long trip, I have a set of custom molded ones.

I wouldn't ride without hearing protection.

 

I use the motorcycle earplugs bought from here: http://www.earplugstore.com/foearplinlaq.html

they don't seal your ear completely which is a good thing as you do want to hear the different voices going on around you including your pipes. They are very good at reducing the wind and pipe noise to a level which won't damage your ears. And if you want to cut noise more, just push them in a little bit more!!! They have a ergonomic shape which fits your ear and doesn't slip or come out.

 

Just a heads up about those three band rubber ones. My wife used pairs of those for years...until the third band (the one furthest into your ear canal) seperated from the others. It was too far in for me to get with my tweasers at home and ended up paying a couple hundred dollars to have it removed at a clinic. So just watch out that you replace them often as the bands can get torn off one another.

 

I use regular foam ear plugs even with my full helmet on. Definitely helps the hearing, bought a huge bag at walgreens for like $5. Will last me a long time.