Even with earplugs installed, a loud ( louder than stock) Harley still sounds better than a Harley that I can't hear (stock). Them windshields devices work great on the wind noise problem too.

 

i got the ultimate insult from a girl the other day. all 5 feet of her. she said " gee, i didn't realize it was a harley. it's just so quiet." basically she is telling me that the general public expects a harley to be loud. hmmm.

 

It doesn't take much to knock down the wind noise. Them foam earplugs work just fine, just don't stuff them all the way into your ear canal. You just have to stop the wind from entering your ear while rolling down the road.

As for noise from pipes, It doesn't take a loud pipe to leave your ears ringing. Well unless you already have hearing loss then it might take something a little louder.

 

I use the wax ones also, lowers the decibel rating by about 35. As said, wind is the main problem IMO. Cuts out the wind but you can still hear your pipes just fine.

 

Nevermind.

 

I've tried lots of ear plugs and prefer these. They really do the job. http://earplugsonline.com/

 

I wear ear plugs for the wind noise nothing to do with the noise of my pipes at all. Wind noise will cause you to lose your hearing long before any damage from the noise of your pipes ever will.

Wind noise will damage your hearing even if you have no idea it's happeing.

 

Dang boys, I thought loud pipes were meant for saving lives....another popular myth is that elephants can fly...

 

What does protecting your hearing from wind noise with earplugs have to do with people being able to hear you coming? We ain't stickin' 'em in our pipes and most cagers don't wear earplugs. They wouldn't be able to hear their cell phone ring........................

 

No better words have been spoken. Pipes project more then 90% of their sound rearward while at highway speeds. Even when I am in my car, I can't hardly hear a straight piped scooter until it gets infront of me. Especially if I have my windows up and the radio on.

I love the deep sound of a slightly baffled big pipe but hate the cackling sound of open straights.

But most foam plugs will eliminate the excessive noise from both pipes and wind. They don't have to be completely jammed into your ear canal to be effective. The deeper you jam them, the less you will hear. For shooting, I get them as deep as needed, for riding on windy days I just get them in far enough so that the wind won't suck them out of my head. But most the time I go without. The batwing does a fair job at keeping the wind from buffeting around my head unless it is real windy and a side wind.

Most the time I wear a bandana or speedsock on my head to keep it from turning into a red tomato when riding. I just pull it down a little to cover up my ears, if I forgot to put my ear plugs back in the bike.