Music while riding

[dangerous]

I pulled up next to a KBer today at the lights and tooted hooted waved, but no response. Yeah I know her she would have had the music roaring in her helmet.
Now ya see IMHO, music while riding is dodgy shit I mean like what if a cage was locked up behind her or a nose to tail was unfolding, the chance of hearing it behind you is next to nill so any chance to get out of the way wont happen... what about a mechanical fault on the open road, you wont hear it and a bike failure could have you land in the hedge.

After all to me the sound of the bikes engine humming its nuts off, is music enough.
So I put it to the KBer's out there, what say you on this topic?

[98tls]

I say V-twins make the best music.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

So I put it to the KBer's out there, what say you on this topic?

I kinda agree, and even using earplugs restricts your hearing though not as much as blearing music...

Now saying this (on the odd occasion) I listen to music, and or wear earplugs... but I do notice when I do, I am in my mirrors more due to that I know I have lost my sense of hearing...

[Ragingrob]

I listen to music through speakers in my helmet and have had no problems. It's a lot better than wearing earplugs as I can hear a lot of the road noise too.

[Trudes]

I often have my ipod going when I'm riding, I have noise cancelling earplugs so I don't have to have the music any louder than if I was out walking and find that they don't tend to drown out any more noise than my earplugs do, except for wind noise, and if I don't have my ipod on I have my earplugs in, so makes no difference, may as well listen to some tunes.

[dangerous]

Re: ear plugs, I wear em never hit the open road with out them... but all they do is cut the wind noise down I can still hear the engine and all the surounding noises, unlike music which I would have thought not only removes your suroundings but puts you in a different world?

[moT]

All good to ride with lots of music play it really loud to drown out traffic noise

[dangerous]

All good to ride with lots of music play it really loud to drown out traffic noise

So it dosnt bother you if a car is tooting cos you are about to be hit from behind or they are trying to tell you your lugage is about to go through your rear wheel and you cant hear them?

I say V-twins make the best music.

No arguments from me

Amen to that

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

I say V-twins make the best music.

No arguments from me

[martybabe]

I often have my ipod going when I'm riding, I have noise cancelling earplugs so I don't have to have the music any louder than if I was out walking and find that they don't tend to drown out any more noise than my earplugs do, except for wind noise, and if I don't have my ipod on I have my earplugs in, so makes no difference, may as well listen to some tunes.

Get out of my brain. I was going to put exactly that, almost word for word, except I would have put MP3 instead of Ipod.

I ain't got nuffink to say now

[moT]

So it dosnt bother you if a car is tooting cos you are about to be hit from behind or they are trying to tell you your lugage is about to go through your rear wheel and you cant hear them?

nah doesnt worry me as long as i wear my helmet i cant die. Its the same with seatbelts if you wear one you cant poosibly die in a car. If the government sais its true so its definatly true.

[rie]

i only wear one earphone so i can hear surrounding noise with the other ear. you should be watching all your mirrors in any case.

but keeping one ear open is particularly useful to figure out where an ambo/cop is coming from. they get pretty aggressive if you don't move in time =_=

[Headbanger]

I'd never listen to music, Nor would I want to, Its all about the bike.

[Dani-D]

I listen to music through speakers in my helmet and have had no problems. It's a lot better than wearing earplugs as I can hear a lot of the road noise too.

Ummm news flash... your hammering your ears with 110 to 120dB of high freq noise thats not doing your hearing ANY favours what so ever. Wind noise is BAD... VERY BAD. Check out a hearing test of most bikers and you'll see a specific range of hearing up high is missing on almost all of them.

I have a deaf friend who rides. He has no problems so why would the rest of us? Yes you lose a sense, but how many poeple have heard a lockup behnd them, checked the mirrors, formulated a plan, dropped the clutch and navigated a safe exit route in traffic?

I'd really love to know the answer to that one.

I wear an iPod every time I ride except on the track. On the track you need to know when a bikes up the inside of you and the music can also set you into a pace thats not as quick as it should be. I've tried it on the R6 and the YZF and I get slower but consistant lap times.

On the road however, I find i search more, I look in the mirrors more, I'm watching the gauges more - esp. the temp inh town - I'm less complacent and oblivious to my surroundings, I'm smoother and less aggressive and I enjoy the longer and the more monotonous or repetitive trips. Plus I can ignore the catcalls at the lights. BONUS.

The downsides as I have found them thus far.
I can't hear sirens coming up behind
I can get surprised by bigbore bikes shooting up the inside of me round town - the sudden noise makes me jump or startle sometimes.
I bop around (for want of a better term) from foot to foot ( boot tip to boot tip) when waiting at the lights and I'm not flat footed at the best of times.
I won't hear any faults occuring in the chassis or drive train. I WILL feel them but some may not manifest themselves that way and that would be bad.
Bluetooth systems pick up some RF from the bike and other sources and can cause deafening and /or distracting feedback noises. NOt ideal in heavy traffic etc.

[98tls]

Ummm news flash... your hammering your ears with 110 to 120dB of high freq noise thats not doing your hearing ANY favours what so ever. Wind noise is BAD... VERY BAD. Check out a hearing test of most bikers and you'll see a specific range of hearing up high is missing on almost all of them.

Would have to dispute that,ive ridden with 4 or 5 blokes for many years,none of us use plugs,ipods or anything else,we all work in the same place and have done for the last 10 years,every year we have a hearing test at work and not one of us is missing any range that anyone else has.