If the pipes are too loud, you're getting too OLD!

 

Yup. I'm 49. I wanna be able to hear for the next 25-30 years.

 

Some of us grow up and don't play in "Boy" bands anymore either.................JK. I hope by now your chest is all healed up.

 

I have to have a hearing test at work every year and just so happens i had my annual test last week.
In 19 years at my job with the last 10 being riding Harleys my hearing has not changed a bit, I wear a half helment and no hearing protection because as i stated before, any hearing protection or 3/4 or full face helment and I cant stand the roar.

 

I won't give up my FF helmet, so I have to find another way to solve this issue. I put the stock pipes on tonight. Wow, the bike sounds like a 1970s VW Beetle instead of a Harley, lol. When I took it out, I was rather stunned that at about 45mph I could no longer hear the engine - just wind. I took it out to the interstate up to 75mph and it was just all wind noise pounding my helmet.

Next culprit - the windshield. It directs all that air right at my head. So I guess the next thing to try is no windshield and see if it lessens the noise.

My ride tonight was 20 mi, 10 of it doing 70mph. Been back for a half hour, and my ears are still making a weird noise. I just don't get it. I have disposable foam earplugs jammed as far into my ear as they will go. These are supposed to be sufficient, but it doesn't seem to matter.

 

Since you won't give up your FF would suggest you try another make. Although when I tried an HJC modular and it was the most miserable ride I ever had I don't recall many, many, years ago a Nava helmet I tried having the same problem. You may be able to help with a different FF.

 

Your bike, the same as my Heritage has Staggered PIPES....

that means that front pipe is right below your right ear. And it will/can damage your hearing on long rides/trips.

Before I retired I was a Safety Rep for 8 yrs for one of the big 3.. You can have loud pipes and not damage your ears if you do 1 or both of 2 things..

1.. Wear ear Plugs.. (That's what I do,, and along with my 3/4 lid it makes a big diff...

2.. Get some pipe that both exhaust out behind the rear tire.. Thus putting most of the noise behind you.. even then ear plugs will help if you don't wear a Helmet.. Because the Wind Noise can also damage your hearing..



.

 

Tonight:
Windshield - removed
Stock pipes - quiet
Earplugs - best I could find, foam, jammed all the way into my ear, dramatically better than the crappy ones I was using.
Tube scarf - tucked all the way around the bottom of my helmet.

Results:
Helmet was sealed so well I was having moisture issues. I know there's an opening by the mouth, and at speed it was ok, but when I stopped I needed to pop the face shield open to prevent condensation. Inside the helmet there was no air vortex, nice and calm.

Much less air directed at helmet without windshield. I can hear the engine now.

All that said...I've been back a half hour, and my ears are ringing.

Now, I never thought of this until today, but I've had a cold for the last 2 weeks. Sinus, runny nose, etc. I wonder if that is making this worse than it really is.

 

Noise isn't OK with you! But you want to share with everyone else?

 

OP posting back...my issue is solved.

I think having a cold did a number on my sinuses and that resulted in ears ringing. But there are several other things that I changed for the better. Biggest issue I think is not properly rolling the foam ear plugs and getting them all the way in my ear canal. Now that I'm doing that correctly, the silence is golden. I can still hear the noises I need to hear, like horns, etc.

I also replaced the 100dB Cycle Shack pipes with Screamin' Eagle Shortys, which are 80dB. Long Highway rides are much more enjoyable now. Stuffing a scarf around the bottom of the helmet to close it doesn't seem to be necessary.

I'm still unsure about the windshield - it sends a lot of air to my head and it's not the most pleasant thing. Some say I need a taller one to push the air over my head. I don't even need it for non-highway trips anyway. Next year I'll revisit that.

Anyway, I'm now enjoying riding again without ear problems. Thank you all for feedback and input, it helped a lot.