Ear plugs?
Road Captain
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 528
Likes: 0
From: Bel Air, MD
I buy boxes of the Moldex Pura-fit disposable and keep spares in the saddlebags. Get them on Amazon or eBay. I use them for everything, riding, cutting wood, weed trimming and especially a day on the old John Deere bush hogging! You guys think Harley are loud you should sit on an old JD for a day!
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 811
Likes: 53
From: Emmett, Idaho
If you have any sense at all, you will wear ear plugs of any sort beneath your helmet. Hearing loss is always permanent. Wind is likely the most damaging irritation when riding but I certainly believe that exhaust noise contributes significantly to hearing loss.
I am an old timer from the days when hearing protection was never given a thought: chainsaws, open-platform farm tractors, blasting rock and roll music, diesel engines of all sort and yes even lawn mowers. When I wised up about noise, I have forever since used ear plugs for all engine operations--even to include running the weed whacker.
Everyone with whom I ride now uses ear plugs. The older you get, the smarter you become. Any sustained sound over 87 decibels (I believe) will cause hearing damage.
Can you hear me now?
I am an old timer from the days when hearing protection was never given a thought: chainsaws, open-platform farm tractors, blasting rock and roll music, diesel engines of all sort and yes even lawn mowers. When I wised up about noise, I have forever since used ear plugs for all engine operations--even to include running the weed whacker.
Everyone with whom I ride now uses ear plugs. The older you get, the smarter you become. Any sustained sound over 87 decibels (I believe) will cause hearing damage.
Can you hear me now?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,650
Likes: 9,112
From: Snow Hill, NC
I buy bag full of them and put them everywhere....I use my Winchester Muffs for weedeating and mowing....My ears ring a bit anyway all the time but they ring a bit more after a ride.....
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,832
Likes: 127
From: Coastal Carolina
The wind will PERMANENTLY damage your hearing over time. (It has NOTHING to do with loud pipes.) You should always wear earplugs, no matter what kind of helmet you wear. (Google it. Many FF helmets have just as damaging wind noise.)
Some will undoubtedly post tough guy responses that they don't need no stinking earplugs. There is no such thing as tough cilia in your ears. You WILL end up with tinnitus eventually if you don't wear earplugs. It is inevitable. Ask any of us old farts. You do NOT want tinnitus.
I wear Surefire Sonic Defender EP3's. They are very comfortable all day long and are damn near invisible if you get the clear ones.
Some will undoubtedly post tough guy responses that they don't need no stinking earplugs. There is no such thing as tough cilia in your ears. You WILL end up with tinnitus eventually if you don't wear earplugs. It is inevitable. Ask any of us old farts. You do NOT want tinnitus.
I wear Surefire Sonic Defender EP3's. They are very comfortable all day long and are damn near invisible if you get the clear ones.
Last edited by TKDKurt; Apr 21, 2013 at 09:40 AM.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 349
Likes: 1
From: Central Florida
I always wear ear plugs on the FatBoy. Road/wind noise coupled with the Rush 2" slip-on's are a definite hearing hazard. E.A.R. Brand plugs are really inexpensive and occasionally if you simply put them in the pocket of your jeans when you wash them, they'll last a long time.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Harley-Davidson Needs to Fix in 2026
Verdad Gallardo
Southpaw Super Glide: A Left-Hand-Drive 1979 Harley FXE Built to Fit the Rider
Verdad Gallardo
The Best and Worst Harley-Davidson Moves of 2025
Verdad Gallardo
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 610
Likes: 82
From: Indiana
I use MotoSafe from Alpine Hearing Protection, they are great. Come with three filters to adjust the amount of noise attenuation you prefer. Cuts way down on the wind noise but you can still carry on a conversation with your passenger and hear your pipes as well. Do not give you that "cone of silence" feel like regular foam shooting plugs do. When I wear high attenuation foam shooting plugs it seems to screw with my sense of balance a bit. They also filter out any annoying top end engine noise. Check them out:
http://alpineearplugs.com/prod_motosafe.htm
http://alpineearplugs.com/prod_motosafe.htm