Ear plugs!

Goose81

This might be a little crusade by me to urge any of you not wearing ear plugs to get some!!

So my ears have been killing me recently, the 899 is the loudest factory bike in the world afaik, apperantly they had to change the DB limit measuring standard on UK tracks to get it on from measuring at standstill to driveby because of how loud it is but **** me my ears have been ringing and hurting the last week and I only have it a month.

I went into megabikes today and for 18 quid bought a pair of Alpine motosafe race earplugs, the difference is unreal. You can basically hear everything but a filter lowers the exhaust and wind decibel by about 20 bringing it into the safe zone where no damage is done!

Recommend them to all, lads there was a post on biker a few weeks ago from a lad that was young enough and is driven demented by tinitus in his ears from bikes. It's not even the exhaust it's the wind noise that will screw your ears. You really can't even feel these things and I swear I'm riding smoother since I got them today!

They basically slot in your ear, way softer than earphones and have a filter in them that lets traffic noise, conversation and radio/sirens in but filters out loud exhaust and wind noise. So no danger to awareness

I've a friend who works for hidden hearing and he said every week he has bikers coming in with tinitus (ringing ears non stop) from bikes and it can't be cured. The ear is the only organ that can't fix itself, if you damage it it's permanent and it only takes a few minutes to permanently damage!!

I hope my ringing will go away but better late than never.

https://megabikes.ie/clothing/waterproofs-and-thermals/earplugs/alpine-motosafe-ear-plugs-race-2-pieces

Recommend!!

I can only speak for the ones I boguht but there's a set of pinlock ones for a few quid more that are supposed to be brilliant so I'll buy them aswell and post me review on which are better! But the Alpine motosafe are supposed to be more comfortable but a few db less damping

No doubt stewy will be on in a few with the 500 euro custom ones he has but these are pretty good for the money haha

Max Headroom

Do they come with a little handbag to keep them in too........:p

Lumen

Goose81 wrote: »

No doubt stewy will be on in a few with the 500 euro custom ones he has but these are pretty good for the money haha

Actually I think it was stewy that put me on to cheap memory foam earphone things.

So I'm currently using JVC Marshmallows at a tenner a go from Amazon.

They do a great job, but ISTR you're against listening to anything on the bike, so I guess this won't get the Goose stamp of approval.

Goose81

Max Headroom wrote: »

Do they come with a little handbag to keep them in too........:p

They do haha

Goose81

Lumen wrote: »

Actually I think it was stewy that put me on to cheap memory foam earphone things.

So I'm currently using JVC Marshmallows at a tenner a go from Amazon.

They do a great job, but ISTR you're against listening to anything on the bike, so I guess this won't get the Goose stamp of approval.

Don't get you?

I am against listening to anything because of your senses but mine can still hear sounds, memory foam ones block nearly every sound? I got a pair of them aswell to try

frozenfrozen

I buy 10 pairs at a time for 1 pound 50 pence or something crazy cheap from amazon

Howard leight

Can't ride without them. But can't hear people in petrol stations. Wouldn't mind getting a pair of moulded ones that can be taken out and put in quickly

thos

Been through a few different types of ear plugs alright, couldnt ride without them anymore.
Pinlock ones were pretty good, come in 2 different sizes. Problem was still that they'd pop out if my ears got sweaty, or sometimes would also pull out when taking off the helmet. The filter element comes out to aid cleaning - but unfortunately when this pops out of your ear in a dark underground car park, you're screwed.
I forked out for a moulded set recently, and they are brilliant. Great fit, stay in my ears, and great filter for the wind and exhaust drone noises, but still give me enough of surrounding ambient sound to hear whats going on around me.

ratracer

I’ve used earplugs for years on the bike. Last year I bought a pair from Flare Audio and find them excellent. The plug is aluminium with replacement foam covers. I’ve only replaced the foam once so far.

As Goose said, earplugs dampen/ filter out wind and other high dB noises. I can hear the radio and take calls on the scala headset perfectly clearly up to 120 km/h.
Above that, well.....

Lumen

Goose81 wrote: »

Don't get you?

I am against listening to anything because of your senses but mine can still hear sounds, memory foam ones block nearly every sound? I got a pair of them aswell to try

I'm sure yours are probably better at selectively filtering, but those JVC ones don't block everything out. Compared to all the other in-ear headphones I've used, they're the best, not least because the ends don't pop off when the helmet comes off, and more importantly they're really cheap so when the wires fail, which they do like everything else I've tried, it's only a tenner for a replacement.

My super-expensive Bose bluetooth ones are waiting repair due to a busted cable connection. :rolleyes:

listermint

I started using plugs two years ago primarily for wind noise. And upgraded to a set of Shure SE215-ke headphones. These are plugged into my Sena 20s Bluetooth unit . So it's all in one on the helmet. No excuses not to wear them .

So I get benefit of earplugs with the addition of hearing phone calls or obviously radio or Audio books.

For me it's the best of all worlds and I've yet to come across a downside. Outside of initial expense

CaptainR

John McGuinness said before that he never wears them when racing, I'm amazed he isn't deaf at this stage. Anything over 60mph is loud, imagine what it's like at 200mph.

zubair

I found you'll just lose one of them and be peeved so best not to spend too much money on them and buy the crap foamy ones instead. They work the same as the expensive ones.

Gavin

Pinlock equivalents for around town/the daily commute and foam plugs for the longer motorway trips/touring. No problem listening to music with either from speakers in the helmet.

Definitely much more comfortable to have them than not.

stewygriffin

Lumen wrote: »

Actually I think it was stewy that put me on to cheap memory foam earphone things.

So I'm currently using JVC Marshmallows at a tenner a go from Amazon.

They do a great job, but ISTR you're against listening to anything on the bike, so I guess this won't get the Goose stamp of approval.

3 euro off Ebay actually......lol.

thos

zubair wrote: »

I found you'll just lose one of them and be peeved so best not to spend too much money on them and buy the crap foamy ones instead. They work the same as the expensive ones.

Have to say I've found the opposite - my moulded ones are bigger and luminous yellow, so much harder to lose. Come with a nice little pouch also to keep them safe when out of your ears.
You can also get them with a string between them, so hangs around your neck, and harder to lose both of them.

Zascar

I just bought a pair of these: https://www.flareaudio.com/products/isolate-aluminium - came highly recommended from some friends. They use two types of dense metals to adsorb the sound waves. These guys make very high end earphones so they know what they are doing. I have not tried them as I'm in between bikes but I'll let you know.

Max Headroom

CaptainR wrote: »

John McGuinness said before that he never wears them when racing, I'm amazed he isn't deaf at this stage. Anything over 60mph is loud, imagine what it's like at 200mph.

Seems to be a lot of guys here doing 200mph alright...................:o

Jackdaw89

I’m only 28 and I can tell you it sneaks up on you. I’ve really made **** of my heating, from using grinders in work to a lifetime of shooting and as a teen in a ****y 106 with massive speakers and a drilled out exhaust:). Now with tinnitus silence is almost deafening, it can get so bad at times I need a radio on just to sleep. I have trouble hearing someone talking to me in a busy pub and as a result I avoid busy places just so I don’t have to be asking some poor bollocks to repeat himself every minute.
Mind your back and your ears my grandad use to say to me and now I rock myself out of bed like a pensioner when I manage to hear alarm going off:)

arybvtcw0eolkf

If you get caught short and need foam ear plugs in a hurry without wishing to spend too much you'll get a pair in Mister Price for €1:49

faceman

On the OP’s recommendation I picked up a pair of these. I find foam earplugs to be crap, they just don’t sit in your ear right

These ear plugs are pricey. There are actually 2 types, one marked “Tour” and the other, as mentioned by the OP, “Race”. The online descriptions are terrible but essentially Race claims to offer slighter better noise reduction.

I picked up the Tour ones inadvertently. I must say they have an excellent fit in the ear. They come with a small stick to help you get them in properly. The noise reduction is pretty ok while not reducing your full hearing. It reduces high pitched noise like wind and low end noises like engine roar.

Blanchy90

I think I'll pick up some of those next week. I've noticed a a bit of tinnitus lately so don't want it to get any worse.

KonFusion

I picked up a double pack of these, and I gotta say I find the black one's in the pack (the "Tour"?) useless, but the red one's (the "Race"?) are fantastic - highly recommend them, but I'd ditch the black one's and go straight for the red. They're easy to clean too.

Alkers

I use travel earplugs from boots, they're rubber as opposed to foam so they're washable and come with a small container which I leave on my jacket pocket

Cocoon

I usually buy a box of these every couple of years,

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/500-x-3M-EAR-Classic-Foam-Ear-Plugs-FREE-UK-P-P-250-Pairs/181654757022?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

always have a few pair at hand in a pocket somewhere, wasn't hearing the tinnitus today on till I read this post.

Pugzilla

https://www.quies.com/product/foam-earplugs/

I've tried lots of brands, but Quies are the best earplugs you can get without buying custom made ones (which can be easily lost).
They've got a 35 dB reduction rating.

I use them for both bikes and sleeping. Very comfortable, never get sore ears from extended use.
One pack of three pairs will do me for a year. They're easily washed if needed.

You can pick them up at most pharmacies for a fiver.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Pugzilla wrote: »

https://www.quies.com/product/foam-earplugs/

I've tried lots of brands, but Quies are the best earplugs you can get without buying custom made ones (which can be easily lost).
They've got a 35 dB reduction rating.

I use them for both bikes and sleeping. Very comfortable, never get sore ears from extended use.
One pack of three pairs will do me for a year. They're easily washed if needed.

You can pick them up at most pharmacies for a fiver.

I'll pick up some of these, thanks.

Never even heard of them.

When I rode from Dublin to Galway and back last week I wore my swimming ear plugs lol

Goose81

Pugzilla wrote: »

https://www.quies.com/product/foam-earplugs/

I've tried lots of brands, but Quies are the best earplugs you can get without buying custom made ones (which can be easily lost).
They've got a 35 dB reduction rating.

I use them for both bikes and sleeping. Very comfortable, never get sore ears from extended use.
One pack of three pairs will do me for a year. They're easily washed if needed.

You can pick them up at most pharmacies for a fiver.

Best earplugs you can get without buying custom...

At drowning out db yes but they let nothing through, I have a pair you can hear absolutely nothing with them

Filtered ones don't drown out as much DB but you can actually hear with them

Pugzilla

Goose81 wrote: »

Best earplugs you can get without buying custom...

At drowning out db yes but they let nothing through, I have a pair you can hear absolutely nothing with them

Filtered ones don't drown out as much DB but you can actually hear with them

I sleep with these in and have no problem hearing my alarm go off. I can also still hear the engine sound, sirens and horns on the bike with them.

Goose81

Pugzilla wrote: »

I sleep with these in and have no problem hearing my alarm go off. I can also still hear the engine sound, sirens and horns on the bike with them.

Fair enough , I have a set aswell and I they aren't anywhere near as good as filtered ones which it sounds like you haven't used. They block out way too much if inserted properly

Pugzilla

Goose81 wrote: »

Fair enough , I have a set aswell and I they aren't anywhere near as good as filtered ones which it sounds like you haven't used. They block out way too much if inserted properly

What else do you need to hear on a bike? I'd rather protect my hearing. I don't want to talk to people when on a bike. Look at the Moto GP racers, most of them use standard foam earplugs without any filters. Good enough for them, good enough for me.

Goose81

Pugzilla wrote: »

What else do you need to hear on a bike? I'd rather protect my hearing. I don't want to talk to people when on a bike. Look at the Moto GP racers, most of them use standard foam earplugs without any filters. Good enough for them, good enough for me.

I want to hear horns and sirens And traffic which I couldn't with foam earplugs, I don't think your putting them in right if you can hear what you say you can. If put in right it's a complete blockage and you can hear **** all, half putting them in maybe

Fyi alot of Moto gp riders don't wear any ear protection at all, affects riding