On my previous cruiser chopper bike i always wore a half helmet with bluetooth ear buds to listen to music.. it was quite comfortable other than the occasional giant bug hit to the face and cold wind on cooler days. With the R ive switched ofcourse to a full face helmet and carved out pockets for bluetooth speakers. Well anything above 50 and its so damn noisy with wind. I tried to mitigate the wind with a windscreen extension as well as a windjammer add on to my helmet but the noise is still hard to deal with.
I researched a bit online and it seems that it doesnt matter what you do to a helmet and the wind noise will always be a cause for concern and possible ear damage. I plan to start wearing earplugs in the helmet and read that the music should actually be easier to listen to at speed with the wind noise frequencies being blocked out, so i hope that is true..
Do you guys all wear ear plugs as well? I guess im getting old and little things tend to bug me, but i never recall any issues when i was in my 20s riding sportbikes with full helmets in the 90s.

I bought a fancy Ari carbon helmet and its the damn noisiest helmet I have ever owned. My Shoei is much quieter, I relegated a $500 helmet to the commuter scooter where speeds rarely exceed 50 mph. This sucks because the Ari fits my head shape better than the Shoei.

So your helmet choice may be part of the noise issue too. The zx14 is not a know low wind design and many people have added airflow deflectors or risers to the top of a touring wind screen. I have the Kawi factory touring wind screen for my 14R and I dont notice a difference to my zero gravity double bubble.

I have a Shoei and I always wear earplugs. The helmet actually seems to make the exhaust seem louder when I first put the helmet on.

The best earplugs I have used are the ones shaped like --well ------they're shaped like a certain adult toy (extra small of course). They're disposable foam but I've used mine many times. A little spit and they push in there real good and seal like the dickens. You might need to use your bike key to lovingly pry one out but they quell the wind noise very nicely.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools/workwear-safety-gear/earplugs-earmuffs/flents-reg-quiet-contour-reg-foam-ear-plugs-10-pair/68033/p-1536820087405.htm

* Last updated by: Rook on 9/16/2020 @ 4:57 PM *

that was a gem, wasn't it?

not sure Rook talking about playing with adult sex toys is a good thing and licking his wiener shaped earplugs ... Sounds like you need a trip to Singapore

I always wear earplug at the track and I use earbuds on the road. I prefer the skullcandy earbuds that insert into the ear, they stay in place better when pulling the helmet on. I use a Sena com system which mounts to the side of the helmet and my earbuds plug into it. The Sena is bluetooth to my phone so I have access to about 18gig of music and I can answer phone calls. People say they can't even tell when i'm shredding the twisties. I prefer the neoprene earplugs because they can be cleaned and reused several times.

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/safety/ears/hearing-protection/3m-e-a-r-ultrafit-earplugs-corded?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgPviuLnw6wIVpBx9Ch1Nwg14EAYYByABEgJou_D_BwE

* Last updated by: david5525 on 9/17/2020 @ 9:00 AM *

I always wear earplugs. Wind noise can cause really bad hearing loss. For me, Shoei has been
the quietest helmet. If you want music, get some custom fitted earplugs with speakers.

Mad

I started riding in 1970 and never wore ear plugs until the 90's. Without plugs, I began to notice after a long ride that my ears would be ringing slightly, but the ringing would eventually go away. Well, by the mid 90's the ringing did not completely go away and has become worse in my old age. Extensive shooting and industrial noise contributed to hearing loss I am sure. Now, I always wear custom fit soft rubber plugs that do help preserve what hearing I have left.
My ZX14 has a fair amount of wind noise but the ear plugs prevent it from becoming a real problem. I sure would advise wearing plugs to anyone riding a ZX14. Once your hearing starts to deteriorate it is not reversible.

Just circling back to this thread with an update. I purchased these on Amazon for $27 and they fit perfect inside my full helmet and i can hear the sound at normal volume past 80mph with no issues. Very satisifed.
BT Earbuds

A word of caution for all you younger riders. I started riding in 1965 with a open face helmet on a Triumph 650. No hearing protection. Nobody at that time even talked about it. Motorcycles and a work life around loud machinery ruined my ears. I have teninnis as well as a major loss of hearing. At 77 I have to wear hearing aids to carry on a normal conversation. Always wear hearing protection when you ride. Some helmets are better than others but all of them without ear plugs are noisy enough to damage your hearing over time.

* Last updated by: jstewart on 10/23/2020 @ 4:17 PM *

Always wear hearing protection when you ride. Some helmets are better than others but all of them without ear plugs are noisy enough to damage your hearing over time.

I agree 100%. I've never gone fast enough for the wind noise to drown out my exhaust. However, the wind noise is there at highway speeds too. One doesn't cancel out the other, they both add to wear on your hearing.

I grew up seeing how poor hearing affected my father's life. He's about 85 now and I hate to say it but it's often a waste of time to try to ask him a question let alone have a conversation with him. It's such an effort for him to hear someone talk unless they yell that I can tell he would rather not even try. People with poor hearing often don't like to wear hearing aids all the time. It requires much more time for them to find and put in their hearing aids than it does to ask the question. Yelling is also unpleasant for others in the room and it's not good for the person who must yell either. People with poor hearing often speak extremely loud to hear themselves which is annoying to others and also not good for the other person's hearing. They dive in extremely close to others in order to hear them and this can be socially awkward even when it's your own father. They regularly assume they know what you said rather than ask you to repeat yourself and continue the conversation based on what they think you said. A while back, I resorted to writing things down for my dad to read rather than speak to him. It was a lot easier. I hope I don't go down the same path as my father but I can tell I'm headed in that direction too. I probably have inherited my father's poor hearing and I have subjected my ears to some horrific noise at work for prolonged periods of time. I've also been in some insanely loud situations at music performances. I always wear earplugs on the bike so I can hang onto what hearing I have as long as possible.

Rook.. The best thing you can do conversing with someone with poor hearing is to say there name and then look directly at them and speak slowly..If we do not understand teh first couple of words it is almost impossible to "catch up" with teh conversation..Some frequencies are much easier to hear than others,, Also there are times when hearing is better than other times.. If I am tired, my hearing is diminished. As for your dad, there are apps for translation that work really well . you can set them for English and they are pretty fast I have LIVE TRANSCRIBE on my phone...But the most important thing is to let them know you are going to speak to them. Sorry about your dads' hearing , believe me, I understand.

Thanks, chrly. Yeah, I do the extra slow, exaggerated enunciated speaking to both my mom and my dad. It still can be difficult. I doubt dad will try any apps since he doesn't use any kind of cell phone. Being able to see the person talk is also important for hearing impaired people. I'm pretty sure I read lips not to mention, it helps a lot for the sound to come directly at me. The biggest aggravation is when somebody says, "never mind."

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS WEAR EARPLUGS WHILE RIDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It cant be said enough. Im 55 and I now wear 2 hearing aids and I have no doubt that some of my hearing loss was caused by the number of years back then that I did not wear them. As to the helmets I think that the noise level is in direct relation to the ventilation capability of the helmet. An Arai helmet I owned was really loud but had the best ventilation of any helmet I have ever owned. My Shoei x12 was quite by that standard but had horrible ventilation issues.

I started my street riding in 1971 and no ear plugs. Where would you get ear plugs?
Hell I was in the Army (1971-4) and no ear plugs (issued) on the Rifle Range, or machine guns or flying in the Huey Helicopter, though I did have a Carbon Fiber helmet in the helicopter. At the Rifle range we would try to use cigarette butts.
My first helmet was a cheap 3/4 lid. 1972 I got a new Mach III and a new Orange full face helmet from jC Whitney & Co. Still no ear plugs. I started using ear plugs around 1984. i just read the Patent on the Foam plug is 1979.
I've had Tinnitus since the early 1980's.
I always wear a helmet and I wear ear plugs. I carry extra and hand them out to young riders. In Arkansas the Helmet is not required. I still hand them out to the "Chopper" guys.
I never listen to music or books on tape or Bluetooth.
I was raised on a Farm in KS and I started driving a Tractor in the field at 8 yrs old. Just me and the Sea Gulls. I think that is why I can sit all day on the Bike and not need music to keep me company. And why I ride alone.
My older Brother (4 yrs older) and Me in front. Dad can go do other things because he has 2 Sons to do the Field work.

* Last updated by: doubleD on 1/14/2021 @ 7:45 PM *

I wear Home Depot disposable foam things ya jam in your ear, when on motorcycle, mowing, tractor, saws, tools, etc etc. Can't stand noise like I used to. They're like $12 for 50. They definitely muffle the noise to a tolerable level. Just hope they are actually cutting the damaging frequencies. I should probably do some research.

I was fortunate to have never spent much time in very loud places growing up so my hearing has never been impacted. I was determined to keep it that way when I first started riding in my early 30s about 12 years ago, so I have worm a full-face helmet with foam earplugs under it since day 1; both on my cruiser and later, the Ninja. What necessitates ear plugs for me is my oddly-shaped head that doesn't let the helmet get a tight seal around my ears the way it would for someone with a perfectly-round head.

* Last updated by: ManiZ on 4/21/2021 @ 10:36 AM *