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Another company that is good is Fit-Ear. I believe the owner was originally co-owner of Big Ear with his brother then started his own company. Have always been impressed with how he treats his customers. http://www.fit-ear.com/
The custom plugs i had made came with with little filters (orange discs) you can still hear all the frequencies, but they just knock the sound down 15 dbs. They make different disc filters to knock down the db's 15, 20, 25, etc. Jeff Beck was in Pittsburgh last Saturday and they worked great...it was REALLY f-ng loud, LOL. I'm glad I brought them along....worth every $
I just got some Westone units and the audiologist charged me $85 out the door. She said these were recommended for motorcycling. I've only ridden with them a short while but they seem to work. I wish I was wearing them the day my new Road King (stock exhaust) gave me tinnitus. It's been 6 months now and the ringing isn't getting any better so I guess I've got this for the rest of my life. Surprising how the this happened with the stock mufflers but it's true. I wish there were some kind of exhaust that was quieter than stock. I hate to think this bike might have to go. It'll cost me a bundle to trade it in after only a few months.
I don't use custom earplugs, but only because several people I know who have them haven't got on with them. I have however been using the foam type since the late 70s and use them for all but the shortest trips, also on long journeys in the car, on plane flights and at concerts.
There was an excellent article in the 70s in one of the US bike mags that described in great detail the sorts of noise we riders are subjected to and the damage it can do to our hearing. I am still amazed that over thirty years later the message is not getting out there!
Wife and I picked up the custom ones from our bike week event. I believe we paid 50 bucks. Wear them all the time. Some of my buddies still ride without ear plugs. Do not know how they do it.
Shop around but by all means, start wearing them. Hearing loss comes on slow.
Good luck -
I use http://earfuze.com/ custom plugs. I've tried Cabella's (ok, but you need to provide your own earphones if you want audio). I've tried the Radians mentioned earlier - pure crap, shrinkage after 3 week rendered them totally worthless. Been wearing Ear Fuze plugs for 2 years now and haven't found anything better.
The ear ringing you're experiencing may have nothing to do with the stock pipes, but rather the wind noise, which any basic foam ear plug on up to the expensive ones you're looking at will resolve. Best of luck.
www.westone.com
They've been around for decades........i use the 4rt model,very comfortable. i got a full hearing test ,ears cleaned and custom plugs for $140
Ditto on the westone custom fits. I got them from my ENT for I think 100 bucks but comfortable enough to wear all day and can still hear the wife and the radio just fine.
The ear ringing you're experiencing may have nothing to do with the stock pipes, but rather the wind noise, which any basic foam ear plug on up to the expensive ones you're looking at will resolve. Best of luck.
Yep...I agree. With all the research on tinntus & motorcycling I found it is the wind and the buffeting. With all my years of riding, it has finally caught up with me. The high frequency ringing in my ears has been permanent for the last year. i've been to the ENT and there's not much you can do but learn to live with it and do what you can to keep it from getting worse. I put the taller shield on the SG and use the plugs especially on long highway runs.
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