Ear / Hearing Protection

[Haze]

I"m looking for something better and more comfortable than ear plugs for hearing protection.
Has anyone tried this in helmet ride muff system.
I wear a GMax 54S Modular helmet and use a Sena 10S communicator with helmet speakers.

https://www.quietridemuffs.com/about.html

Prepping for the summer.
I'm planning on commuting, on the Spyder, to work 52 miles each way.

Cheers, David C.

[Jackhartjr]

Call me stupid, but why would you need hearing protection on a Spyder?

[Brentc]

Hi Dave, long time no talk. Anyway, we’ve found that the c3 & c4 schuberth modular sure are extremely quiet right out of the box, the quietest on market I believe. I don’t know if your in the market for a new helmet or not, there also on sale at revzilla, but that might take care of the whole issue without any additional ear protection. We find we can keep the volume of our headsets at a lowered setting as well. Have been wearing them for the past 3 seasons and just upgrad3d from c3 to c4 for this spring.

[lstayner]

Call me stupid, but why would you need hearing protection on a Spyder?

Even though a Spyder is quiet compared to other bikes with pipes the main culprit of hearing loss exists. Wind noise. A lot of inexpensive helmets and some pricey ones don't offer much protection. I have always ridden bikes with stock pipes and worn ear plugs. An example: We were riding 500 miles home mostly on 2 lane highway and decided we didn't need our earplugs. About an hour into the ride it started to rain so we hopped on a 4 lane highway and bumped up the speed to 70. The rain didn't last long but we stayed on the 4 lane. 200 miles into the ride we were both feeling beat and stopped for a break. We put our earplugs in and rode the rest of the 300 miles home and interestingly enough our fatigue went away.

My suggestion is to try a set of these: https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Fide...omic+ear+plugs They are inexpensive and comfortable to wear. You might be surprised.

[yellow peril]

I like the vibes plugs. Cut way down on wind noise and you can still hear the radio. Has three size plugs to fit ears
www.discovervibes.com

[JS3535]

I wear custom molded ear plugs that have speakers in them. You can get Bluetooth ones but I opted for the corded ones and I plug them right into my Sena system. Super quiet, comfortable & great sound when listening to music & no headache from wind noise. Cost me $300 but worth every penny.

[BajaRon]

Always wear ear protection. Even if you're riding an electric motorcycle, the wind noise at speed (with any helmet) will damage your hearing over time. The noise also adds to fatigue which contributes to accidents. I like these 3M Push-Ins. They are very quick, as opposed to most in the ear plugs so I'm not holding people up getting them in. They are reusable and work great! But whatever you choose, choose something to protect your hearing. A 'Quiet' helmet... isn't enough.

21B0cdXeQQL.jpg

[Bob Denman]

Hi Dave, long time no talk. Anyway, we’ve found that the c3 & c4 schuberth modular sure are extremely quiet right out of the box, the quietest on market I believe. I don’t know if your in the market for a new helmet or not, there also on sale at revzilla, but that might take care of the whole issue without any additional ear protection. We find we can keep the volume of our headsets at a lowered setting as well. Have been wearing them for the past 3 seasons and just upgrad3d from c3 to c4 for this spring.

Our C-3 helmets are great!
But foam earplugs are usually a pretty comfortable addition...
with a 35 Db sound attenuation: it's about like being in your grave!

[johnsimion]

I have never had good luck with readymade earplugs. Never could get them to go in easily, but I found out that if you go to a gun show, there will be vendors there who can make custom molded earplugs for you. The ones we got are comfortable, easy to put in, highly effective and not very expensive. If you dont protect yourself, wind noise gradually causes hearing loss. You may not even notice it, but hearing loss is cumulative and permanent. Around town at 30-45 mph, no need for plugs, but we wear our earplugs any time we are on the highway for more than 30 miles. Why wouldn't you want to protect yourself?

[Blue Star]

I just remove my hearing aids. Works for me.

[Bob Denman]

I have never had good luck with readymade earplugs. Never could get them to go in easily, but I found out that if you go to a gun show, there will be vendors there who can make custom molded earplugs for you.

With over 35 years of competitive shooting sports under my belt: I can tell you that the custom-molded earplugs aren't any better than those foam plugs that you can buy in almost any hardware store. They're cheap, plentiful, and do a great job!
For the record: I always used them in conjunction with my 31 Db sound attenuating headphones.

6820_Mellows.jpg hearing protection.jpg

[Peteoz]

With over 35 years of competitive shooting sports under my belt: I can tell you that the custom-molded earplugs aren't any better than those foam plugs that you can buy in almost any hardware store. They're cheap, plentiful, and do a great job!
For the record: I always used them in conjunction with my 31 Db sound attenuating headphones.

Don’t you find those headphones a bit hard to get under your helmet, Bob?

[johnsimion]

With over 35 years of competitive shooting sports under my belt: I can tell you that the custom-molded earplugs aren't any better than those foam plugs that you can buy in almost any hardware store. They're cheap, plentiful, and do a great job!
For the record: I always used them in conjunction with my 31 Db sound attenuating headphones.

6820_Mellows.jpg hearing protection.jpg

For those who can get a good fit with the foam plugs, I am sure you are right. I just got tired of struggling to get mine in, and they always seemed to leave a gap. Those problems went away when I got the custom molded ones. A poorly fitting plug is no good no matter what type it is.

[Haze]

Thanks to everyone for the helmet input and the earplug ideas.
I'm going to take some time to shop for a workable solution.
Right now it looks like time for a new helmet and some comfortable earplugs.
I hope the C3 or C4 fits the shape of my head. I have been using corded ear plug purchased
in Canada at homecoming.
Cheers,
David C.

[Bob Denman]

With over 35 years of competitive shooting sports under my belt: I can tell you that the custom-molded earplugs aren't any better than those foam plugs that you can buy in almost any hardware store. They're cheap, plentiful, and do a great job!
For the record: I always used them in conjunction with my 31 Db sound attenuating headphones.

Don’t you find those headphones a bit hard to get under your helmet, Bob?

What did you say?
Speak up; I can't hear you!

[Bob Denman]

For those who can get a good fit with the foam plugs, I am sure you are right. I just got tired of struggling to get mine in, and they always seemed to leave a gap. Those problems went away when I got the custom molded ones. A poorly fitting plug is no good no matter what type it is.

It's much worse; when you can't get them out!!
I've dug mine out with the tip of my pocketknife blade, on more than several occasions!

[Brentc]

Dave the schuberth is a more oval style helmet from what I have observed. If you have a more round shape head, then you may want to go a size larger. Best of luck.

Thanks to everyone for the helmet input and the earplug ideas.
I'm going to take some time to shop for a workable solution.
Right now it looks like time for a new helmet and some comfortable earplugs.
I hope the C3 or C4 fits the shape of my head. I have been using corded ear plug purchased
in Canada at homecoming.
Cheers,
David C.

[gnorthern]

If you get earlplugs, I think your best bet is to order several sample packs from the ear plug superstore: https://www.earplugstore.com/unfoamtrialp.html

If you like a pair make sure you try them with your helmet. My favorite was a no-roll (I have one ear very difficult to fit), but the handle was too long with my helmet. Also my favorite pair that works with my helmet is a no-roll, but only works if I roll them.

[roofus7044]

I believe this is the same guy that previously sold Helmets with this system already installed. I had purchased a carbon fiber quiet ride helmet and found that it actually had more wind noise than my HJC FG-17 while wearing ear plugs. The owner was great to deal with since he let me return the helmet (around $400). My recommendation from my experience would be to not waste your money. I haven't had much success finding a quiet helmet and am not sure it actually exists since I think my idea of quiet is different than the helmet manufacturers idea of it. I currently wear a Shoei Qwest and don't feel that it is any quieter than my old HJC FG-17. I have also tried custom molded ear plugs with Blue tooth head phones and didn't think those were real great either. Let us know what you come up with.

[Haze]

Thank you for the advice.
A newer helmet and good earplugs are on my horizon.

[JayBros]

I am very partial to to these plugs which I find are better than foam or wax ones for me. You get three sizes and put the the attenuation devices in the size that best fits you.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...aee0203a611ec0

[cruisinTX]

Even though a Spyder is quiet compared to other bikes with pipes the main culprit of hearing loss exists. Wind noise. A lot of inexpensive helmets and some pricey ones don't offer much protection. I have always ridden bikes with stock pipes and worn ear plugs. An example: We were riding 500 miles home mostly on 2 lane highway and decided we didn't need our earplugs. About an hour into the ride it started to rain so we hopped on a 4 lane highway and bumped up the speed to 70. The rain didn't last long but we stayed on the 4 lane. 200 miles into the ride we were both feeling beat and stopped for a break. We put our earplugs in and rode the rest of the 300 miles home and interestingly enough our fatigue went away.

My suggestion is to try a set of these: https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Fide...omic+ear+plugs They are inexpensive and comfortable to wear. You might be surprised.

I have not read all of the responses here (yet) but when I saw this one, I thought this is a well stated testimonial in favor of ear plugs. Here is why I agree almost 100% with you. I have been riding motorcycles since 1968 and have accumulated over 450K miles on two wheels. In my earlier years 1968 to 1980 I was pretty young and like all teens & young adults, thought nothing of things like hearing. After a 20 year break from 1980 to 2000, I started riding again and looked into wearing ear plugs on the recommendation of a buddy who was big into ATGATT, including hearing protection. It didn't take me long to realize the immediate benefits of wearing ear plugs even on the quiet BMWs I was riding. The wind noise with most helmets is enough to cause fatigue even after only a couple of hours. From having worked in the medical facility in the job I had at the time, I also knew first hand what long term exposure to noise can do in the way of permanent hearing loss. Those three things made me finish the ATGATT with ear plugs every time I ride unless I'm doing maintenance and need to listen for problems for a short time. Otherwise I am truly ATGATT now. Granted the Spyder is likely the quietest "bike" I have ever ridden from wind noise, but it is still enough to cause fatigue and permanent hearing loss over time. People will do what they want and what they are comfortable with, but for me, I need to keep what hearing I have left after those early years of no hearing protection not just from riding, but other noisy sports as well. It doesn't take much to accomplish the protection task either. The plugs recommended in the link provided by Istayner are certainly a good option. For me personally, I find the orange ones in sporting goods at Walmart sufficient. Some people find them very uncomfortable; that's where a little more searching may be necessary, but ask yourself what your hearing is worth. As for the very expensive custom made foam plugs, my wife has a cousin who is an audiologist and can make those. He said they are not really that much better for db reduction than the ones we use from Walmart. They do provide a more comfortable fit if that is an issue though. On the down side, they do need to be cleaned regularly to avoid ear infections. With the cheap ones, they get dirty-toss them in the trash and buy new ones. well that's my .02 worth.

[FalconAF]

I'm new here as a 5-day new Spyder owner. But I fully support the Etymotic recommendation. I already had tinnitus from military service when I started riding my Honda NT700VA in 2010. If you don't already have tinnitus, you DON'T want it. I tried the "foam" plugs...several different brands...but they all "muffle" ALL sounds, some to the point of actually being a safety hazard. Listening to music through my helmet speakers was useless unless you like the sound of someone singing from inside a padded room.

Get a set of quality musicians earplugs, like the Etymotics (or possibly the other "vibes" brand recommended by someone above...I have no experience with those). They block the frequencies and sound levels that WILL cause hearing problems for you sooner or later if you ride without ear protection. But they don't "muffle"...your music still sounds clear and great and you can still hear things around you that might get you killed if you didn't hear them.

Musicians play stage shows blasting out music in excess of 100 decibels for hours on end while wearing these earplugs. They can hear what they need to hear, the way they NEED to hear it, with no hearing damage. The earplugs work the same way for us as motorcycle riders. They come in different sizes, so if you don't like the feel of them, or can't get them in/out of your ears easily, you most likely just have the wrong size. At $13 - $15 a pair, buy your best guess size, then if it's wrong for you, go up or down one size and you are there. I road my Honda sport tourer for 85K miles and was on the second pair I had bought. They last a long time with proper care (wash your ear wax out of them more than once every 6 months ). I'm wearing them again on my Spyder and they work great.

Just my 2-cents worth.

EDIT: More in-depth info about them from the Etymotic site itself. https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/he.../which-earplug

NOTE: The Amazon link shows the ETY plugs but calls them the ER20. The Etymotic site lists their newer ER20XS versions in the chart link above. What you may really want or need is the ETY Blue ones from the Etymotic site here: https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/he...tion/er20.html Yeah...even though the URL says "er20.html", they are really the ETY Blue ones. The difference in the STEM of the ETY ones are in the center of the earplug so won't stick out of your ear at a goofy angle depending on how they were rotated when you inserted them (the stem could rub up against part of your helmet in some cases). Compare the location of the tab you would hold onto when inserting/removing the ER20's, with the "center post" on the ETYs.

[SweetJams]

Call me stupid, but why would you need hearing protection on a Spyder?

It's because of the wind noise.

[SweetJams]

I wear my Big Ear custom earplugs whenever I ride my bike. Currently planning to buy a Spyder but I'm still saving up for it.