When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Funny I came across this tonight, riding today with my new modular helmet and ear plugs for the first time. The wind noise was terrible without the plugs. I really enjoyed the ride, the wind just really starts to bug me before long. I still heard everything I needed and no after effects when I got home! I actually think the pipes sound better!
Always! Always! Always! Just like putting on my helmet and glasses. Gotta have my plugs! I was surprised at the number of you guys who don't wear them! Your stupid not to! My friends I ride with bust my ***** all the time for wearing them, but I don't care. One of my friends is only 35 and has hearing loss now and needs a hearing aid. Don't be stupid! Wear them! You'll thank me in a few years.
Last edited by Harleydaddy; Sep 22, 2012 at 12:54 AM.
That's right! Full face, 3/4, half helmet, salad bowl, doo rag, novelty helmet, long road trip or around town bar hoppin and runnin errands at 35 mph. Doesn't matter! You should ALWAYS wear ear plugs!
Its like wearing a condom...only takes a second to put it on, but it'll save you a lifetime of grief!
Last edited by Harleydaddy; Sep 22, 2012 at 12:56 AM.
It's not the noise of the pipes, it's the damage that the wind causes. If you want to keep your hearing and not have a constant ringing (tinnitus), you'll wear them. Ask any of us old farts.
Eeh? what ya say? Up front at concerts, working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, gunfire, etc. have all taken a toll on my hearing. I try to protect the hearing I have left.
Yeah, as somebody else said, they cut down the wind noise, but I can still hear the bike.
I wear them 90% of the time. Sometimes I will forget, or if I am riding on city streets where the speed limit is 30mph with frequent stops then ill leave them off. Pretty much anything over 40mph I usually wear them.
They are the best tuning aid invented! By reducing noise they also reduce tension and effectively increase the road speed we can travel at before reaching uncomfortable noise levels.
There was an article in the 1970s in a US bike magazine, publishing the results of a US forestry investigation into protecting workers' hearing. It was so conclusive about the need for us to protect our hearing that I have been frustrated ever since that the advice is not preached more loudly!
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.