I have to agree I love hearing music while riding but with an skull cap like helmet I usually find it hard to find ear plugs that stay in my ear with the wind and that even let me hear the music adecately so that I can actually enjoy the music that I want to listen to while still be able to hear what is going on around me on the road.

 

I can't hear a damn thing with my 1/2 helmet on the highway anyways. So I use my iPod and gummy earbuds. I feel that it decreases fatigue and makes the ride more enjoyable. While I don't always wear them and love the sound of my pipes on the road, after a few hours of battling the winds on the North Dakota prairie, a little relief is nice.

 

I bought the HD y-cable adapter from Cycle Gadgets and a pair of Bose ear buds for me and the wife. I chose this option not really for music..but for just being able to hear us talk. I do listen to the radio of course, but have it at a low volume. I only chose this option because every comm system I've seen and heard isn't worth the money.

 

+1 on Skull Candy. Its neat in that it has the volume control built in-line like Hal said. Circut city has them on sale many times for as low as 19 well spent bucks.

 

I wear a full face lid with helmet speakers. Works great with my iPod connected to the radio's Aux input.

 

ipod on all the time.

 

Operating a bike requires all the senses you have. Reducing one of the most key, your hearing is not from my point of view a good practice.

I ride a bagger, it has speakers and headphones. I like the speakers and stay away from the headphones. Your hearing is severly limited with the headphones.

You can tell yourself all day long that you have trained yourself to compensate for the lack of one sense or another but you really are just handicapping yourself. Suppose you substitute "riding" as applies to a bike with "driving" as it applies to a car an re-examine your arguement. I doubt seriously if you would be so understanding if the car drove you off the road because he didn't hear you because they had headphones plugged into their ears.

I agree with the law.

I have been riding for 33 years, no accidents , close calls but no contact, I attribute that to keeping my senses clear.


To answer your question directly; I think its dangerous.

 

Same here. I use Shure E2C noise cancelling earphones on the interstate. You can't hear anything at 70mph wearing a half helmet anyway. I don't use them around the city though.

C

 

Sooo....if you were riding on the interstate at speed (70mph here) without a fairing or stereo you would be able to a siren? My hearing must already suck because I know I can't.

C

 

Is it the smartest, safest thing to do? Probably not. But then again, there are safer ways to get from one place to another than by Motorcycle. So I say, "Do what makes you happy and deal with the risk."

As for headphones, I use sony over the ear headphones. You can see them here: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-EX81L.../ref=pd_cp_e_4

The nice thing about the Sonys is that they go in the ear and clip over the ear. They are the only thing that I have found that will stay in when I put on a full face helmet.