[jay.money]

I wear plugs, but no IEMs. Although the thought has crossed my mind. I'm planning a X country trip next summer and music would break the monotany.

 

[htbyron]

I have occasionally used my Ety ER-6is under my Nolan flip-lid for long highway trips. As all reviews of these IEMs indicate, isolation is excellent (making them well-suited for this use), but comfort -- not so much. Still trying to find the right tips -- maybe I need to get the shure olive or black foamies, which get good reviews for comfort.

I otherwise do not usually use earplugs, although I have been told that hearing damage from wind noise is a serious risk, and continue to contemplate adding good quality (maybe Ety) plugs to my ATGATT (all the gear all the time - for you non-riders).

OT (but no more so than many of the other posts in this thread): It gets pretty tiresome to listen to non-riders speculate about relative hazards. Motorcycling is one of the most obvious areas in which individuals must assess risks and come to their own conclusions about what is acceptable. Every activity has inherent risks, and those associated with motorcycling are immediately apparent even to the casual observer. I don't know any serious rider who denies those risks. Dealing with them, and balancing risks against enjoyment, is how everyone goes through life. As many of the (relevant) comments in this thread have made clear, there is a real risk of hearing damage from riding without ear plugs, and iems (with low-volume music) are considered by many riders to be a good compromise. So, while I appreciate the thoughtful dialogue from those riders with actual experience, I would like to ask everyone else to **** about the form of transportation I choose to use. Thanks!

 

[Sarchi]

LOL..well said. The best thing non-riders can do for us is to give us room; check your blind spot, look out for our (bright) headlights, etc.

We are humans and we bleed. Most of us are also fathers, responsible taxpayers, and all the rest of it. Some of us are doctors and lawyers.

 

[htbyron]

Hey, who you callin a lawyer? OK, OK, so I'm guilty...

 

[Vicious Tyrant]

Wow, I ride about everyday and I have never even considered wearing earplugs or headphones. That sounds terrifying to me.

I hear plenty on my motorcycle and I wouldn't have it any other way. I ~guess~ I can imagine wearing hearing protection for the highway, but in town? My gosh, please stay safe out there...

 

[ducatisteve]

I would suspect almost no one here wears IEM's in town (at least no one said they do, everyone is talking about the highway). I've worn earplugs before, but that was when I was riding my buddy's open pipe Harley, which was waaaaay too loud to ride without.

 

[wtruitt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ducatisteve /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would suspect almost no one here wears IEM's in town (at least no one said they do, everyone is talking about the highway). I've worn earplugs before, but that was when I was riding my buddy's open pipe Harley, which was waaaaay too loud to ride without.

I wear some type of earbuds anytime I'm on my bike. I agree with htbyron's point.. I guess I would have to change my mind if I were to ever injure another..

 

[krmathis]

I have tried, but did not like it.
1. You need to turn up the volume quite high for the music to stand out from the wind noise.
2. A result of #1 are that don't hear much of what happens around you. Quite scary I think...

I sometimes up plugs who damp 15-20db, but no music.

 

[josep]

Yups another motorbike thread...

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/bes...ml#post4857867

Regards

 

[poo]

I like to hear my bikes engine when I ride. It sounds awesome (no... really...) and helps the flow when I ride to hear the engine responding. I still use ear plugs to protect from wind noise though...

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ducatisteve /img/forum/go_quote.gif In my experience, with earplugs I can hear what's going on (important cues) in the city. But like I said, I only wear headphones on long distance trips on the highway, where I cannot hear anything of importance over the engine and wind. That, and riding 500+ miles with only my thoughts in my head is just too fatiguing and I start to zone out. Like someone else said, a little bit of music actually keeps the rider more focused than not. The knee jerk reaction are like the first response to this thread, which is something you can expect whenever anyone brings up this subject.

This is a good post and pretty much the way I do it. In my case, it's a scooter in Cayman and an Ariel Atom in the US.

With the scooter, the speeds are in the 40-50 mph range. I wear my UE10 and use an iPod with it, but also use the Shure PTH device so that when I'm in traffic at slow speeds, I can flip a switch to hear the outside world. When I'm playing music, it's only in open road with not much traffic, and even then at low volumes to reduce wind noise more so than to listen to music -- but definitely not to get "lost" in the music.

With the Atom, it's pretty much the same story. Advantage is that it's a 4 wheel car that I can't drop on myself. Disadvantages are that: 1) since it sits much lower than a bike, other cars don't see me as soon, and 2) my tendency is to drive it like mad, which I just can't help! So in traffic, the PTH device is always activated. On the highway, I'm listening to music and enjoying it, but looking all over the place constantly.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by poo /img/forum/go_quote.gif I like to hear my bikes engine when I ride. It sounds awesome (no... really...) and helps the flow when I ride to hear the engine responding.

Ditto!
Hearing the engine sound (no noise..) is crucial when riding a motorcycle imo.

I love how my V4 engine roar when I rev it up passed 7.000rpm (VTEC opens up), all the way up to 12,000rpm.