Recently I decided on what direction to take for my Lo's look....I am sticking with the cruiser look because I love my shield to much. I seen a couple pics with apes and a shield...and that peeps is not cool:P Kind of goofy looking to be honest....my 2 cents.
"wind noise and ambient road nose will cause loss of hearing. Not a question of if, just when. Same with loud pipes"
Earplugs!
I have earplugs, use them for over-the-road. Consider them dangerous to wear around town. To each his own. Wouldn't be without a windshield or a fairing of some sort.
I used a windshield and a larger mustang seat for long trips only. Like somebody mentioned before, Apes and windshield don't do it!
However, it makes a big difference when I take it off to ride in the city.
Earplugs or Ipod for noise reduction.