Given enough time and miles you'll figure it out for yourself or you could just listen to those that know and start protecting your ears before it's to late. Some riders (myself included) learn to late.

 

To all those that think it's only the wind that causes ringing in your ears, balogna. My Ultra had stock pipes until ten thousand miles. When we went to Nova Scotia last year we put in a lot of ten to twelve hour days. Never had any ringing in my ears. At 10k I put on Supertrapp Fatshots and catless header, still reasonably quite as for as louder pipes go. Went to Key West from Virginia last month. By the time I got to Florida my ears were ringing when I went to bed, made it really hard to go to sleep. Bought some ear plugs in Homestead, the ringing went away. On the last day coming home, I forgot to put my ear plugs back in, ringing was back that night. Only change, no ear plugs. Did a 7500 mile trip to California in August on my Wing, a bunch of 700 mile days, no ear plugs and no ringing in my ears. Loud, even mildly loud pipes will leave your ears ringing after a long day. The wind doesn't help, but loud pipes also add their part, sometimes the bigger part.

 

Quoted and stored away for the next "loud pipes save lives" discussion.

 

Because they keep the voices locked inside!!!

 

Like several have said I use them for wind noise. If I'm riding around town I don't put them in.

 

While in Apache Junction, AZ, I bought some ear plugs at Walmart. These plugs were made out of wax. Turned out to be the most comfortable plugs I have ever worn. Also, I felt that they were effective at knocking out the road noise and not killing the music. One other guy that I ride with tried the wax plugs agreed with my assessment. The cost is almost nothing.

 

I use my Ipod. It blocks the wind noise, I can still hear my pipes and cars coming up beside me as well as listen to some music. One of the great tips I garnered from the guys on this site.

 

Wind noise, ringing in my ears from years of abuse (music, work, etc.).

Want to keep what hearing I have left.

 

Yeah, my ear wax fits my ears pretty well too.

 

I have severe virally induced Tinnitus.

It is aggravated by the high pitch noises, like wind.

So I use some minor decibel reducing plugs to cut the wind scream while still hearing everything else. That allows me to ride without a windshield and still enjoy the sound of the bike.