Whaaaaat? I don't believe in them. If I wear plugs I can't hear my wife tell me where to turn and how to ride.

 

i have to wear them if i ride without a windshield. other wise i wear them for long trips over 50 miles. when you ride without them the exhaust sounds just that much better. IMHO

 

In 30 yrs of riding, I've never had a windshield and have used earplugs for a long time, but I only wear a skidlid. A full face helmet AND plugs would cut out too much of the sound, I don't think I'd try it.

 

The earplugs I used are the cheap factory issue foam type. I would pull them out and put them in my pocket when leaving the plant. Eventually I ended up with dozens of used pairs at home. My wife would put a bunch of them ina nylon stocking and put them in the washing machine. They are meant to be worn once and thrown away, but bywashing them they lasted quite a while.
Tom

 

I play guitar thru a Marshall....no earplugs for that or my bike and i hear great.Now as for my eyesight...well..gettin' old sucks!

 

I don't know what it is but it seems to me like you can ride a long time without ear plugs and then one day you notice it's really bothering you.

I've run a bunch a miles this year with and with out ear plugs,but on one trip back in the summer I made a hard,fast run of about 750 miles in one day which I've done often with no problem. This one trip really got to my hearing,though. My ears rang for three days,scared me,plugs go in now and it makes for a much better ride. Like the post above,I'm bad about forgetting to put them in after a gas stop and I'll usually just wait til the next gas stop to put them in,rather than stopping.

Another thing I've noticed. Seems like my normal hearing is improved after several hours on the road with earplugs. For instance,normally I can't hear the air rushing thru my intake,but after wearing the plugs for a while and then going without themI can hear the intake sucking air. The reasonI mention this is that my son-in-law remarked to me one time that he could really hear the difference between the stock intake and the SE intake with the K&N filter.I'd never heard it.

I'm starting to get a little worried about my hearing anyway,I've noticed that I have a habit of leaning toward someone when I'm talking to them,especially if it's loud around,like in a bar with music going. Never used to have to do that. Already got one strike against me anyway,spent fifteen years as an air traffic controller with radio plugged into my ear.

Anyway,my thinking is,please wear hearing protection,although it is a blessing sometimes to be a little hard of hearing when your Ol' Lady is bitching at you.

Good Luck

Tom

 

This may be too late in the thread, but I need help.....

I get alot of wax build-up in my ears. I started wearing the cheap foam earplugs a week or so ago, and a few days later both my ears were plugged. I used an ear de-waxer (?) to clear them, but now I have an earache. This has happened to me when wearing over the ear headphones before, so I wasn't too surprized.

Obviously, wearing ear protection is wise, and I should continue. Does anybody else have the same problem ? What do they do to fix it ?

Too many Formula One races and rock concerts ( if there is such a thing ) have left my hearing lacking. I need to save what I have left.

 

edilgdaor,
Over the years I have had to go to the doctor to have wax plugs blasted out of my ears, with a water pik. I am glad you brought the subject up. I can feel a little pressure on my left ear drum right now. I think it has been building up for awhile and the earplug usage yesterday might of made it a bit worse. I have an old bottle of that ear de-waxer stuff, so I will give it a shot.
Some people just naturally get more of a wax build up than others. I have had to have the wax buildup removed about 6 times. I used foam plugs at work full time for at least 12 years.
Tom

 

I always wear them even with my FF helmet on and even on short rides (unless it's REALLY SHORT like 5 min or something). I can hear BETTER with them than without -motor sounds, the stereo on the E-G, etc. My bike has loud pipes and between that and wind noise Ican hear much better with soft foam plugsin. And as mentioned I won't be as DEAF as I would be if I went without.

 

they are great for longer rides with the shorty helmets, knocks out that wind whistle