Two weeks ago, I purchased a set of three ear plugs for about $10 bucks at a home improvement store. I decided that giving ear plugs a try for my motorcycle rides might help with all the wind noise that I had been experiencing. After a bit research, I learned that wind noise during motorcycle rides causes short term earing damage and, over a long period of time, can lead to PERMANENT HEARING LOSS 8(
“No thanks!”, I said to myself and decided to see if my research into ear plugs would help. From my experience, before ear plugs, and especially on my long Sunday ride adventures, I would notice that I had trouble concentrating during rides because of all the wind noise within my full-face helmet. This is something I did not expect to occur. Yet, the more I rode, and the longer I rode, the wind noise kept becoming an issue. The effects of this wind noise made my riding experience very uncomfortable. I felt I had a “swimming head” as I called it after I returned home from my long Sunday rides. I felt dizzy, my mind was a bit unbalanced, and I had a hard time focusing. I just thought it was something new riders suffer from as part of becoming a motorcyclist. I was WRONG.
So, early one morning, before my AM work commute on my Moto Morini motorcycle, I purchased a set of three plugs and gave it a go. First, I was shocked by how calming the environment around me became. I still could hear cars and my motorcycle engine, but the experience of wind noise was SO reduced that I felt more confident while riding. I could concentrate better on my riding, focusing on my surroundings, being fully “dialed in” during my ride and wind noise became less extreme. Wind noise was still present with my ear plugs, but the level of wind noise was so reduced that I felt more in control of my bike and able to navigate the chaos of commuting to my job during the morning rush hour.
The biggest benefit to wearing ear protection for me, is the way I feel after a long day in the saddle. My mind is more alert. I don’t suffer from the “swimming head” and the echo of the constant wind within my helmet and ears is very minimal, that I feel great during my rides. I must recommend that EVERY motorcyclist invest in a pair of ear plugs. Your hearing will thank you!
Rolf