Riding to music

[jcupit69]

Just wondering how many other riders ride with music on, and what other riders think about it?

Personally ever since i started riding iv always listened to a cd player or mp3 or something, and most of the people iv riden with are the same. I figure on my bike i cant here much over the engine and wind so it doesnt make much difference??? Although sometimes i like to jus take out my music and here that 2stroke scream :D Some cage drivers have there music up so loud i can still here more than them anyway.

Also wondering if anyone knows if there is a law around this??? I'v never had a policeman say anything, but wondered if anyones ever been pulled over for it or anything???

[Wiki Drifter]

Plug in the 'ol mp3 around town, but any ride >30 min I wear ear plugs.

[beyond]

Couple of points.
In a standard helmet at 100kmh the decibel rating is 90-95db. After 15 minutes of that you are suffering hearing loss. To hear music over that combined with that wind noise you are damaging your hearing how much more quickly?

I now ride with ear plugs as every 10kmh over 100kmh has a logarithmic progression on hearing loss. It took several weeks to get used to riding with earplugs and now I feel really weird when riding without them.

It sounds like I'm flogging the living daylights out of my bike without them in.

Having said that, any other noise now bcomes a distraction and when riding I like to concentrate 100%.

[Mully]

Trouble with it is, anything louder than ~80db for 15 minutes will damage your hearing. Most lids at 100km/h are louder that 80db, so earplugs are a good idea.

Music, not so much. You'd have to have it so loud to hear over the wind noise, you'd be likely to damage your hearing.

[UberRhys]

When riding longer distances I plug in ye olde ipod and listen to some good tunes to get me where I'm going in good spirits.:headbang:

Today I even fitted a RAM mount to hold the ipod safe and sound and keeping it accessible while on the road. Combined with some hook-type earphones it becomes quite bullet-proof. :niceone:

Round town it's just not worth the hassle as you may not be able to hear dirty cagers sneaking up on you or any other noise which may help you survive. :no:

[UberRhys]

10 characters

[James Deuce]

If you MUST do it, spend proper money on decent noise canceling ear buds.

[Big Dave]

I always ride with music.

[skidMark]

I used to....

But it was a distraction, made me ride like shit.

wrong lyrics at wrong times etc...

ie....

linkin park hit the floor

"everytime you hit the flooooorr!!!!"

As i'm going round a 65 at 120 with the arse of the bike drifting....going.....ah fuck.

i use earplugs now.

i do love riding with music. but it is very distracting.

and can make me ride way to fast, gets me too pumped up on the bike.

i just found i was changing song way too much because there were some i ddnt like.

when i had my ipod it was good because i could set up playlists. that was okay. still when something goes wrong, last thing you need is music in your ear. Always had way more oh fuck moments when listening to music.

[Jiminy]

Using headphones while driving/riding is forbidden in some countries. The main rationale is that you don't hear the environment as much (traffic, emergency vehicles, etc), so it's dangerous.

I have never done it because I don't want anything to distract me out there on the road, especially music.

I didn't realise the risk of hearing loss without ear plugs. I will have to think about that, but I'm still concerned that it might cover important noises that I want to hear.

Did anyone experiment with different types of helmets and has some idea about which ones are the most sound-proof?

[Big Dave]

I used to....

But it was a distraction, made me ride like shit.




....tempting..............nah..........I'll let it slide.

[skidMark]

....tempting..............nah..........I'll let it slide.


Faster than you old fella. :innocent:

**takes the bait**

[skidMark]

Using headphones while driving/riding is forbidden in some countries. The main rationale is that you don't hear the environment as much (traffic, emergency vehicles, etc), so it's dangerous.

I have never done it because I don't want anything to distract me out there on the road, especially music.

I didn't realise the risk of hearing loss without ear plugs. I will have to think about that, but I'm still concerned that it might cover important noises that I want to hear.

Did anyone experiment with different types of helmets and has some idea about which ones are the most sound-proof?

Over time helmets gets loose though anyways. well for me they do...must be all the g forces **tui**

ear plugs let you hear the bike and everything...cut out wind noise....makes you ride alot better with them.

wind is a major put off for me...with plugs in....

find some nice twistys.....and let her rip.

means you can concentrate on what the bikes doing alot more.

[Mikkel]

Ear plugs are good for you...

Trust me, a noticable hearing loss at 27 is NOT that fun.

Having to ask: excuse me? What? You were saying? every 5 minutes at the pub isn't that fun to be quite fucking honest (TBQFH)!

[skidMark]

Ear plugs are good for you...

Trust me, a noticable hearing loss at 27 is NOT that fun.

Having to ask: excuse me? What? You were saying? every 5 minutes at the pub isn't that fun to be quite fucking honest (TBQFH)!


Yeah had that happening too thusi got earplus...my bike is stupidly loud though. Running a ZX9R racecan, it's blardy loud.

Since ive been off a bike for ages, it has come back a bit. find myself not saying "whatttttt!?!?!?" every 5 mins.

[Highlander]

If you MUST do it, spend proper money on decent noise canceling ear buds.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=53429 These guys do a great product. Money well spent.


Using headphones while driving/riding is forbidden in some countries. The main rationale is that you don't hear the environment as much (traffic, emergency vehicles, etc), so it's dangerous.

I have never done it because I don't want anything to distract me out there on the road, especially music.

I didn't realise the risk of hearing loss without ear plugs. I will have to think about that, but I'm still concerned that it might cover important noises that I want to hear.

Did anyone experiment with different types of helmets and has some idea about which ones are the most sound-proof?


With the Plugz 4 Lugz set up that I use, I have my ipod turned down to all but the minimum volume, as the wind noise is almost eliminated (I would guess it is quieter in my helmet than in the car).
I have no trouble at all hearing the emergency service vehicles if they have their sirens going.

Most of the time I can hear the other bikes around me over the noise of my bike and the music I have playing.

I find background music is soothing and helps me get a rhythm going, though I don't usually bother for cross town rides, just more than say 1/2 hr.

[faredce]

nah im a fan of having music gets u pumped, and iv never had many oh shit moments yet. i think by the sounds of it people seem to have helmets a tad to large they shuld be cutting down a large portion of wind noise specially at 100k
i may try earplugs just to see wots its like. it wuld prob be disconcerting to begin with but may be worth it in the long run huh

[Boob Johnson]

If you MUST do it, spend proper money on decent noise canceling ear buds.
One word............the ONLY word in earphones/plugs......


Sennheiser :headbang:


The audiophiles weapon of choice. I recently turned a mate onto them & he freaked @ how good they are & surprisingly not over priced. Good ol fashioned German quality.


In saying that I like to hear everything around me & don't like the distraction of music, for my personal riding style which is reasonably aggressive (on long rides) I like to have everything working for me to stay up right. But I guess if I was riding at a normal pace then music would be fine.

[P38]

Wow! if you guys got hemets that run 80db or more under normal use then somethings gotta be wrong there.

Noise induced hearing loss is a certainty at those levels.

But dont worry it's not painfull, you wont notice it at all.

Hearing loss is silent and cumlative.

I've never measured the db rating inside my helmet but I would be surprised if it is anywhere near that. Must do that on my next trip away.

I always plug in the tunes on rides longer than around town.

Never had any problems with distractions, but then my riding style can only be described as relaxed. No need for pumping when your cruising.

I currently use the ear bud type phones and voulme from these does not appear to be excessive @ 100kms.

Would be keen to try out the earplugs though, just to hear the difference.

I'm currently importing a Nolan N-Com helmet so I can run the tunes, phone etc from my GPS and ditch the wires completely.

Will be interesting to test this as well.

[puddytat]

I heard somewhere that it can take up to a 3rd of your brain capacity processing sound,& usually I cant spare that much when riding....
Usually if I need music I find a tune in my head ...bugger when I get stuck on Boney M's "Brown girl in the ring" though.

[jcupit69]

If you MUST do it, spend proper money on decent noise canceling ear buds.

Exactly what i did, other than that you have to have it so loud its not good. My ear phones are really good they cut down the wind noise, but i can still here police cars etc and my engine. Got quite atune to picking out noises that arent my music, cus i usually listen to the same songs.

Maybe im just odd but i find it helps me concentrate n relax and makes me ride better...or maybe its just cus thats how iv always riden?? Might have to give ear pulgs a try though.....

Got an agv helemt at the moment, find it quite noisy. Had an arai, hjc and a shoei, gota say the arai was the best all round, love the agv except fo the noise.


I heard somewhere that it can take up to a 3rd of your brain capacity processing sound,& usually I cant spare that much when riding....
Usually if I need music I find a tune in my head ...bugger when I get stuck on Boney M's "Brown girl in the ring" though.

Hard one.....loadsa research says all different things...if you learned to ride with music you'll be better riding with music (learned behaviour/association), its an added stimulation that keeps you more alert, it takes up concentration like you said, its all over the place....but i mite have to try ear plugs for a while see if i can get used to it.

[PrincessBandit]

Interesting that most people have focussed on the mechanics of the sound -dB ratings and all that. I personally tend to go with what skidMark and puddy tat have mentioned that the distraction factor might be just as important, if not more so. Maybe I'm just weird, but music transports me (in a way different from my bike duh) and I can well do without that while i'm concentrating on riding. Having said that, it is quite common for me to get a particular song stuck in my head while i'm riding anyway and it drives me bonkers. So perhaps there's no real difference between that and listening after all.

[xwhatsit]

One word............the ONLY word in earphones/plugs......


Sennheiser :headbang:


The audiophiles weapon of choice.

Lol, are you being serious? They're like Bose -- expensive crap marketed to people who don't know better.

Etymotics or Shure are the business when it comes to canalphones (noise-insulated earphones).

That said, Sennheiser do make a good pair of budget earphones -- their CX300s, which are a rebranded Sharp MD33 (and Creative EP630 -- all the same thing). That said, yet again, you can get the Creative EP630s for about half the price, the rest of the money just goes on the Sennheiser name and packaging.

I ride with my cheap EP630s in on long rides, I value my hearing. Not as good as proper construction-worker earbuds for blocking out the wind, but still reasonable. Also, I get my Coltrane crystal-clear. Sometimes wear them for the commute, but it's mostly 50kph so wind noise isn't too bad, and I like having good hearing for encroaching cagers.

[Highlander]

Hearing loss is silent and cumlative.



:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[WasPhantom]

Ear plugs are good for you...

Trust me, a noticable hearing loss at 27 is NOT that fun.

Having to ask: excuse me? What? You were saying? every 5 minutes at the pub isn't that fun to be quite fucking honest (TBQFH)!

Yeah, I couldn't agree more eh, I have that now, and it really sucks. I have kitted myself up with the Plugs4Lugs crew's ear plugs, best money I've ever spent I would say. Like most senses, hearing doesn't come back once it's gone.

[Colapop]

One word............the ONLY word in earphones/plugs......


Sennheiser :headbang:


The audiophiles weapon of choice. I recently turned a mate onto them & he freaked @ how good they are & surprisingly not over priced. Good ol fashioned German quality.


In saying that I like to hear everything around me & don't like the distraction of music, for my personal riding style which is reasonably aggressive (on long rides) I like to have everything working for me to stay up right. But I guess if I was riding at a normal pace then music would be fine.
What he said. I have a pair of Sennheiser coming from ebay that cost $30 NZ and virtually no shipping (have a mate that travels regularly) so I haven't found them overly expensive. I've found that having music on helps me to concentrate better on my riding without over analysing things like cornering.

[Mikkel]

Since ive been off a bike for ages, it has come back a bit. find myself not saying "whatttttt!?!?!?" every 5 mins.

Good for you that it isn't chronic. Mine isn't so bad it's a real problem - just an annoyance. It's weird how it works - I hear noises and such just as easy as anyone else. It's extracting one particular noise (or voice) from the general murmur of a place like a pub (or e.g. hearing the TV when other people are cooking in the kitchen...)


Yeah, I couldn't agree more eh, I have that now, and it really sucks. I have kitted myself up with the Plugs4Lugs crew's ear plugs, best money I've ever spent I would say. Like most senses, hearing doesn't come back once it's gone.

Where are Plugs4Lugs situated? What's the best place for such earplugs near Christchurch?

[faredce]

i just have a flat pair that slips over my ears but i like the sound of the in ear

headfones can they be piked up on trade me or are they sold in stores becuse

they sound like there worth investing in..never seen them before so not reali sure wot im trying to spot on the shelves

[Colapop]

Just email them (Plugs 4 Lugs) off their profile page or PM them. They are at most meets so will probably be down your way soon

[Highlander]

Where are Plugs4Lugs situated? What's the best place for such earplugs near Christchurch?

Based out of Rotorua but keep posting here http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=41 as to their where abouts. I see they are heading to Dunedin shortly.

They made mine at the Gun club at Papamoa, takes about 20 Minutes, custom made for YOUR ears.


i just have a flat pair that slips over my ears but i like the sound of the in ear

headfones can they be piked up on trade me or are they sold in stores becuse

they sound like there worth investing in..never seen them before so not reali sure wot im trying to spot on the shelves

I have tried the ones that hook over your ears, and some others that had little silicone cups that fitted in my ears. They were ok, but the Plugz 4 Lugz are by far better than anything else I have found.
At first I thought they were expensive, but realised that I 'd spent more than that between the others that didn't work all that well.

[Mully]

i think by the sounds of it people seem to have helmets a tad to large they shuld be cutting down a large portion of wind noise specially at 100k


I'm not sure loose helmets are the issue.

There is an interesting study done in England about helmet noise:
http://www.isvr.co.uk/reprints/inter96mc.pdf if you are interested.

IIRC, Shuberth (sp??) helmets claim they are the quietest full face lid at around 85db at 100km/h. Still plenty loud enough to permanently damage your hearing after 15 minutes.

I'm with people here that is is distracting. Maybe Plugs for Lugs are a good idea if you want to listen to music. TBH, I tend to prefer listening to the bike and for sirens rather than music. The cheap orange foam ones will take the worst of the noise, but still have you able to hear.

Mind you, I'm a bit of a nana. I tend to wear earplugs when i mow the lawn (lawnmower is rated 96db) as I like my hearing too much.

[titirangi]

always worn ears plugs. the cheap orange 3m ones from placemakers. filters out all the crap and allows you to focus on surroundings. commuting in AKL would be 10 times more dangerous with sounds on. go the plugs.

[fliplid]

Always wear ear plugs- it seems less tiring on long trips and helps being able to hear afterwards. Remember to chuck them into a small container to keep them clean while they're in your pocket though- ear infections can be nasty! Old style film containers (pre digi cameras!) or small medicine containers from the local pharmacy are quite good for freebies!

[kanny]

....tempting..............nah..........I'll let it slide. Oh .... go....on:lol:

[kevfromcoro]

[QUOTE=kanny;1431117]
slide or skid?

[WasPhantom]

I'm with people here that is is distracting. Maybe Plugs for Lugs are a good idea if you want to listen to music. TBH, I tend to prefer listening to the bike and for sirens rather than music. The cheap orange foam ones will take the worst of the noise, but still have you able to hear.

I find the Plugs for Lugs brilliant (note I do not have them for listening to music). I can still hear my 'bike reasonably well, certainly not as well as I would with no plugs, but well enough to pick up any weird engine/drive-train type noises, and I definitely have no problems hearing sirens, or other traffic. It really surprised me at how it seemed to take away the bad noise, but you can still make out all the good. It isn't complete silence at all.

[JATZ]

my 2 c
Wouldn't go for a ride without the option of listening to some some tunes, helps pass the time on long straights. I don't have it loud though,just loud enough to hear lyrics, and not while riding on gravel, don't know why. I seem to ride faster when I'm wearing just ear plugs. Led Zep through the Buller gorge, Frank Sinatra down the Coast or Rage on the Takaka hill, they just fit.

[Wingnut]

my 2 c
Wouldn't go for a ride without the option of listening to some some tunes, helps pass the time on long straights. I don't have it loud though,just loud enough to hear lyrics, and not while riding on gravel, don't know why. I seem to ride faster when I'm wearing just ear plugs. Led Zep through the Buller gorge, Frank Sinatra down the Coast or Rage on the Takaka hill, they just fit.

Dito - without the Frank Sinatra though:yes:

[JATZ]

Wouldn't listen to F S while having a few beers but some times it fits the mood. Tell the truth, I have no idea whats on the mp3, be cruzing along and thinkin "where the f**k did that come from, must be one of the kids tunes, don't rememeber puting that there":confused:

[janno]

It all depends on how your brain is wired, imho.

I'm one of those people who has to study and work (writing) in silence. If any music or noise eg tv is present, I feel like 3/4 of my brain is not on the job. But other people find the right music helps them concentrate and perform better.

There's no right or wrong, it's just your make up. I can't have music when I'm on my bike, I get way too affected espicially some of higher bpm stuff, so I use that time for thinking and just being present (yeah, I know, hug the crystals and wave a tree).

But for others it would not adversely affect concentration at all, I'm sure.

[H00dz]

I tried riding with music just recently......I had planned a day ride with some mates and throught some music might be cool....It was going to be a reasonable ride (just under 400km) round the top of the North Island (Kerikeri,Kaikohe,Dargaville,Opononi,Mangamukas,Ka itaia,Mangonui,Matauri)

It started off ok but I soon found a bit distracting in some of the windy sections. I also noticed at times the type of music affected the style of my riding(one minute I'm cruising like a Nana and the next trying the tear all the rubber off my hoops) at a fuel stop my mate even commented on my somewhat erratic ridiing .........needless to say I went back to ear plugs and got on enjoying what turned out to be an awesome day!!!!

I think its a personal thing but I will think more a bout the type of ride I want and make an even song selection to suit.

I would probably leave it for solo or two up riding......(Its just too hard to trying to carve through the Mangamukas chasing ya mates with "Dean Martin crooning in ya ear' LOL)

Norfland HARD!! :headbang:

[xwhatsit]

Yes, music affects my temperament largely as well. Hence why I tend to stick to playing whole albums (rather than shuffle) at once. Most music since the 60s (Jazz or mainstream) tends to be based around an album rather than individual scattered songs. The rainbow-coloured prism in my avatar being a good example.

Sigur Rós's albums, especially Ágætis Byrjun, is fascinating and uncanny to listen to on a long ride. Definitely `zone' kind of music. Old favourites like Kind of Blue are good as well, and keep one fairly relaxed and consistent (take Blue in Green out of the playlist or you'll ride into a ditch). Nothing quite so odd and cinematic as hearing Sibelius's Symphony No.1 and 4 over the course of a ride, though. And his Finlandia seemed to cause an unusual cornerning style in the tight stuff on the way to Kaiaua.

[Waxxa]

I would'nt go riding without my MP3 ever! Long rides, short rides, no matter.

After several years I haven't noticed any hearing loss, I can still hear emergency vehicles and its so much nicer listening to tunes while riding.

My rationale is that in a car I would play music (sometimes loud) so why not listen to music on the bike. :whistle:

[Blossom]

I know I am going to sound like the safety police but being a sound tech by day and hearing impared for life I figure I can give my 2c worth.

It should be noted that in a cage the noise affects your ears in a different way to the ear buds on an ipod. If your volume is over halfway on your ipod and you listen for more than 1hr at a time then it is a matter of when not if you damage your hearing beyond what is the normal loss of hearing that comes with age.(10% loss by age 40 is considered normal btw)
I am however a musician and music obsessed and love my mp4 player like a junkie. I take it everywhere with me except on my bike or whilst driving the cage and never over half volume. I love it but not more than my hearing. Not to mention the errattic effects of listening to music has on ones driving.
I have no hearing at all in my left ear and so need to be extra vigilant on the listening dept, ergo I have no stereo hearing. So personally while I would love to ride along to the latest fav track I think it would be unwise and unsafe.
To each there own

[martybabe]

I never ride anywhere without ear plugs or earphones. The best phones I've found are waterproof ones,they block out wind and traffic noise but your still able to hear sirens and car horns and the mp3 volume can be kept low.

I don't find listening to music at all distracting, at a reasonable level,It's a skill learnt from years of listening to the wife but not really listening.It's a default setting, if you need to concentrate on something ,your brain automatically switches off the nagging...er music I meant music. :msn-wink:

[discotex]

Personally I do all the options even though my Shoei XR-1000 is pretty quiet.

Short trips (up the road etc no 100km/h areas) - I just pop my helmet on.

Medium trips by myself - Sennheiser CX300 headphones (http://www.ferrit.co.nz/5862382.html) with the iPod. Make sure the playlist isn't toooooooo agressive otherwise I find myself tempted to split at 150km/h on the back wheel.

Group riding - MotoSafe ear plugs (http://motoretail.co.nz/product.cfm?ID=570) - Can hear everything. They just cut out the wind. At $49 I should have just got the Plugs 4 Lugz ones (and I will) as the MotoSafe ones do fall out occasionally.