Ear plugs prevent permanent hearing damage [Archive]

Radar

3rd March 2008, 09:25

After riding, does your hearing sound muffled , or do your ears ring? If so, then you are suffering temporary hearing damage,
which, if repeated regularly, may become permanent hearing damage.

Read this article from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research:
http://www.isvr.co.uk/at_work/m_cycle.htm - Check out the photo of the dude on the police motorcycle - inside a wind tunnel.

I'm now using ear plugs on longer trips and I like the lower noise level.

HornetBoy

5th March 2008, 14:02

After riding, does your hearing sound muffled , or do your ears ring?

i think its too late for preventing that with me ,my old cb250ft hornet had extremly loud aftermarket pipes on it which over the period of a year gave me ringing ears that go on and off the bike :argh: didnt really notice till it was too late

now its just preventing further damage eh! going to look at plugz for lugz i think

DingoZ

5th March 2008, 14:58

Aye, ear plugs are the way to go. I don't ride without them..

FROSTY

5th March 2008, 15:05

which is why the team at Plugz for Lugs are our freinds

Mort

5th March 2008, 16:38

I never ride without them....Essential..... I got tinitus after riding for a year without them.

I buy them off EBay in the UK - there's a guy on there has a good range....

CookMySock

5th March 2008, 16:42

I'm now using ear plugs on longer trips and I like the lower noise level.ok I tried this on a long trip and I didn't like it. The wind noise sounded LOUDER and I couldn't hear the engine any more, both of which sucked. A lot.

What am I doing rong ?

DB

DingoZ

5th March 2008, 17:15

Radar

5th March 2008, 17:38

All depends on what kind of earplugs you are using..

I use the 3M Industrial Workplace ones. Orange in colour.

Roll them between thumb and finger and insert into ear. Hold in place until they expand (usually just a couple of seconds). Hey presto, no noise...

If you are still getting noise through, the plugs are not generating enough of a seal, or they are not the right kind...

:yes: Yep, my Hyo brother DingoZ , has it spot on. The ones I have now were purchased in a chemist shop - squash them up, insert, and let them expand in your ear to make a seal. Yesterday I did see some industrial ear plugs that were orange, as DingoZ says - these were in a plumber's supply shop and were probably only a dollar a pair - they were shaped better than the ones I got in the chemist.

Kirill357

5th March 2008, 18:27

Bought from 'plugs for lugs' guys but not satisfied with noise reduction, simple one which you need to squeeze and roll are way better, i'd say they reduce twice better

Badger8

5th March 2008, 21:04

Only tried riding once with plugs, just on the short commute home. Didnt like it at all.
BUT bear in mind, we are talkin a 5 minute town commute on a squirrel-farting-in-a-can sounding GN here :D
Could hear the engine note great, but DAMN i felt so unaware of what was going on around me. Cut out all those little noises i use as cues when driving in town.
Open rd i have yet to try, and i'm sure once i get a bike with some louder pipes they will be my best friend.
Plus i get a free supply from work! :2thumbsup

Steam

5th March 2008, 21:08

...Open rd i have yet to try, and i'm sure once i get a bike with some louder pipes they will be my best friend...
It's not the pipes so much nowadays, it's the wind noise that's the real ear-killer.
At 100kph on my GN250 I always wore earplugs for rides of more than 30 minutes or so, the wind noise was a deafening roar that left my hearing muffled for a while after I got off the bike.
I have talked to people with really expensive helmets, and they say while they do cut the noise down somewhat, they still have to wear plugs.

Badger8

5th March 2008, 21:19

It's not the pipes so much nowadays, it's the wind noise that's the real ear-killer.
At 100kph on my GN250 I always wore earplugs for rides of more than 30 minutes or so, the wind noise was a deafening roar that left my hearing muffled for a while after I got off the bike.
I have talked to people with really expensive helmets, and they say while they do cut the noise down somewhat, they still have to wear plugs.

I dont find the wind too bad in my helmet. I'm normally one of the first to complain about loud noise hurting my hearing, but others seem to complain about the noise at 100k and not me :D i find if i shrink my neck a bit and pull my helmet down snugly against the neck of my jacket it's pretty sweet. Will just be interested to try plugs on a longer ride on the open rd to see how it is. i personally find plugs get uncomfortable after a while at work, so will be keen to see if it's worth it :)

Radar

6th March 2008, 06:45

Only tried riding once with plugs, just on the short commute home. Didnt like it at all.
BUT bear in mind, we are talkin a 5 minute town commute on a squirrel-farting-in-a-can sounding GN here :D

On short trips I don't bother with ear plugs. Its the longer trips at 100+ kph that raise the noise level in my helmet to about 90 db (according to the studies).

Over time, any loud sustained noise will cause permanent damage to your hearing.
I spoke to an audiologist about this and she put it this way: Its like setting up a tent on the lawn at home. A day or two, no problem, but if you leave the tent up for a long period, the grass underneath is killed. Inside your ear, in the cochlea, there are little hairs that detect sound vibrations. If these little things get pounded with noise for a long time, eventually they will be damaged - permanently.

As an aside, with so many iPods and other mp3 players pumping loud music through headphones/ear plugs, in the years to come we will see many many people with hearing problems, permanent hearing loss.

Personally, even if there was no chance of hearing damage, I would still use ear plugs since the wind noise is quite loud at 100 kph. But to be honest, I often forget to put them in. Last night I stopped at a quiet rural intersection to put them in, just to see if it was really worth it. Yes, it was.

Okey Dokey

6th March 2008, 08:24

I biked for years without ear plugs. After really big days especially I had that ringing going on. I could never get the squashy ear plugs to fit in my ears- they pop out.

Now I use a 3-flange type with the stalks cut off so they are flush with the side of my head. Fantastic! It's really much better for my ears- no more ringing- and seems to help with overall fatigue, too. I wish I had found this solution ages ago.

Steam

6th March 2008, 08:29

Now I use a 3-flange type with the stalks cut off so they are flush with the side of my head.

I experimented with that, lost the bloody things inside my ear, they went deeper and deeper. Had to get my flatmate to get one of them out with tweezers!

Mikkel

6th March 2008, 09:02

I'm getting a set of molded earplugs made today.

Go to www.earmold.com.au to check out their product range.

They have an agent in Chch who will come to you and make the mold and then you should be able to pick up the molded earplugs after a day or two.

$70 for a set of molded plugs
$230 for a set of molded plugs with integrated audio lines

Feel free to PM me if you want to cell phone number for the Chch agent.

Radar

6th March 2008, 13:14

I experimented with that, lost the bloody things inside my ear, they went deeper and deeper. Had to get my flatmate to get one of them out with tweezers!

Get the foam plugs which are squeezed smaller, insert, then they expand for a snug fit.
It would be impossible to lose this type inside your ear canal.

yod

6th March 2008, 13:23

i have quite a noisey helmet and i tried ear plugs - love 'em - just feels wrong without them now
thats just normal acclimatisation tho - its always the same when i start/stop wearing my neck/face cover at the end and beginning of winter too - feels odd for a while but then you get used to it

MGST

6th March 2008, 16:25

[QUOTE=Mikkel;1460993]

www.earmold.com.au
QUOTE]

I fixed the address for you.

BiK3RChiK

6th March 2008, 20:54

Okey Dokey

6th March 2008, 20:59

Geez, Steam, that must have sucked. No way it could happen with my tiny ear-holes, but probably a good cautionary tale for others.

Mikkel

6th March 2008, 23:05

[QUOTE=Mikkel;1460993]

www.earmold.com.au
QUOTE]

I fixed the address for you.

Thanks for that!

I had a pair of plugs molded today and will pick them up tomorrow. Very good service - warmly recommended.

The Christchurch rep is:

Joy Hammond
PO Box 21271
Christchurch
Cell: 027 2010 797
Email: PM me for email - I don't put email addresses on public fora.

DingoZ

6th March 2008, 23:40

Does anyone have the problem of their helmet 'transferring' noise inside their head with the earplugs in? It seems noisier with the earplugs in than it does without them! Except there is no engine noise only the wind....

Can someone make sense of that?

M

Might be the plugs you are using. I don't ride without earplugs, and I get next to no noise. Be it wind or engine. Do't get me wrong, can still hear the engine, just sounds like it is muffled. Same for the wind. If you are still hearing the wind really strongly I would suggest maybe trying some different plugs until you find some that cancel it out.....

Tried a few different types until I settled on the 3m Industrial ones. Orange in colour, spongy for a good fit. Takes a couple of times to really get the knack of fitting them in the right place. Too far in and there is not enough space from the end to the start of the inner ear cavern to allow for pressure changes, this can cause headaches and inner ear problems, as well as possibly making you feel a little bit off. Too far out, and you might as well not be wearing them, because the seal will be inefectual... It's all a matter of trial. Also what they are made of, impacts on the sound reduction properties.

Hope this helps

Andrew

ceebie13

7th March 2008, 08:09

I use the flesh coloured foam jobbies from your friendly neighbourhood pharmacy. Have done for years. You'd think with an Arai lid and a whispery quiet CB13 (with an aftermarket can I might add) I wouldn't have a problem, but I can't bear riding without plugs.

Interestingly I can still hear Lyn through the intercom when we're two-up.

I'd like to try the moulded ones but have yet to hook up with the guys that do them at various meets (forgotten their name for now).

Might have to send my ears down to Joy Hammond in CHCH!

Talking of ears, read my sig.

Mikkel

7th March 2008, 08:21

Well, an expensive helmet is not necessarily more quiet than a less expensive one.

Often what you pay the big bucks for is lightness and ventilation features. The more ventilation features the more likely you are to get wind noise in your helmet.

I certainly don't find my Shoei XR-1000 any less noisy than the piece of shit helmet that came with the bike. It is however much much more comfortable!

NOMIS

7th March 2008, 08:29

i think its too late for preventing that with me ,my old cb250ft hornet had extremly loud aftermarket pipes on it which over the period of a year gave me ringing ears that go on and off the bike :argh: didnt really notice till it was too late

now its just preventing further damage eh! going to look at plugz for lugz i think

As loud as mine? i no what u mean they scream like hell with the cans especially 2

HornetBoy

7th March 2008, 08:31

As loud as mine? i no what u mean they scream like hell with the cans especially 2

yep also when it idles through towns i used to get people blocking their ears lol just has this drone when you are sitting at 100kph that really pisses ya off 2 farken loud eh

was told it was the most loudest 250 around lol :first:

so i sold it and got the 900 lol

NOMIS

7th March 2008, 08:38

yep also when it idles through towns i used to get people blocking their ears lol just has this drone when you are sitting at 100kph that really pisses ya off 2 farken loud eh

was told it was the most loudest 250 around lol :first:

so i sold it and got the 900 lol

Lol i wouldnt be surprised if mine was louder ive been told the same thing by bloody harley riders haha, its actually really anoying if had so many complaints from neighbors and the police pull me over ect, and yeh 100kmph sux i getting quite sick of it to be honest, hate sound like im doing 200 every where i go.

HornetBoy

7th March 2008, 08:41

Lol i wouldnt be surprised if mine was louder ive been told the same thing by bloody harley riders haha, its actually really anoying if had so many complaints from neighbors and the police pull me over ect, and yeh 100kmph sux i getting quite sick of it to be honest, hate sound like im doing 200 every where i go.

yea man exactly used to get people telling me to shut the fuck up etc lol,thats why i sold my pipes ,they were ones from japan called Sensai Raceing pipes which i sold for $1000 ,then sold the the hornet because it wasn't cool enough anymore lol the pipes just made it aye ,but they were just way to loud .i like deep rumble of the 900 with pipes :niceone:

NOMIS

7th March 2008, 08:52

yea man exactly used to get people telling me to shut the fuck up etc lol,thats why i sold my pipes ,they were ones from japan called Sensai Raceing pipes which i sold for $1000 ,then sold the the hornet because it wasn't cool enough anymore lol the pipes just made it aye ,but they were just way to loud .i like deep rumble of the 900 with pipes :niceone:

I dont even no what mine are but its got a full system + twin cans, all stainless pipes and twin carbon cans, People constantly tell me to shut up. i hat over taking cars att 100 sounds like i should be off in the distance somewhere not straining to get past hahaha oh well my bike not cool enough allready its to slow and the front tyres are a bitch.

HornetBoy

7th March 2008, 08:54

I dont even no what mine are but its got a full system + twin cans, all stainless pipes and twin carbon cans, People constantly tell me to shut up. i hat over taking cars att 100 sounds like i should be off in the distance somewhere not straining to get past hahaha oh well my bike not cool enough allready its to slow and the front tyres are a bitch.

haha nice,yea the tyres cost a farken fortune being its got a fat ass 180 on the back lol it squares up easy as .

NOMIS

7th March 2008, 09:01

haha nice,yea the tyres cost a farken fortune being its got a fat ass 180 on the back lol it squares up easy as .

Yhe well just got new onew $560 for the set Dunlop peralies ( how ever u spell them)

And for some reason the chicken strips on the front are huge and the rears non existant, then the other afternoon had the front slip mid corner, all most lost it as i was soing a sperman interprtation on my bike, dont now how it came up right but it did.

PrincessBandit

3rd April 2008, 19:21

Bought from 'plugs for lugs' guys but not satisfied with noise reduction, simple one which you need to squeeze and roll are way better, i'd say they reduce twice better

I found that the "squeeze, roll and insert" ones always kept popping out. My "plugz for lugz" are great although it took a few wears to get used to them. I also have a pair of La-Cons earplugs (that look like little beehives with a stalk sticking out of them) which I use when playing for shows etc. I've never tried them in my helmet though. Hmmm. Will report back later.....

DarkLord

9th April 2008, 08:50

A good friend of mine has organised for me to get custom earplugs made that are moulded to the shape of my ears. Not only that but they have little speakers in them so that I can put my MP3 player on as I ride.

Having them moulded to fit your ears exactly is the best way to go. Blocks out nearly all the sound (sorry officer, didn't hear your siren, I've got these custom earplugs in!) :D

Finn

9th April 2008, 09:20

We're a funny bunch. We spend big money making our bikes louder then wear earplugs so we don't go deaf.

Which reminds me... my de-baffled pipes will be ready at 3pm. Better pick them up and get some new earplugs on the way. :2thumbsup

scumdog

9th April 2008, 09:54