Earplugs...

[rahuljp]

Hey guys...

I finally wore earplugs this weekend and what a difference... I could hear the bike, but not too much of the wind and that was great! I usually commute to work, but thats only 15mins or so, and it never bothered my ears, but on longer rides, I would feel the strain...

Anyways my question, if anyone knows more about it, is... over the weekend I used yellow earplug, which I found online to to be 33NRR (Noise Reduction Rating), and today while riding into work I wore a different orange pair and that was said to be 31NRR...

What prompted me to look the NRR up was because I thought the orange one was relatively noisy compared to the yellow ones. Does anyone have any knowledge/experience or recommendations about this? Maybe its just that I didnt wear them properly...! Thanks!

 

[raybob]

How the plug sits in the ear is critical. I find that if I don't get them in properly, or don't get them in far enough, they won't work very well. Critical is how you roll them up before insertion. No creases.

That said, you may have a larger or smaller (than average) ear canal. That is, the ear canal of a 5' 100lb woman is likely to have a smaller inner diameter than that of a 6'6 230lb man.

One other thing worth paying attention to is the air flow at the collar. Even with a Arai Profile, if I ride with a collared jacket (such as a jean jacket), the wind noise is far greater than when I wear a banded collar jacket (Vanson A, 25 years old but is just a great jacket).

Hear's (intended) a video:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPNPZJingZA]‪Fitting Foam Earplugs‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

While the video shows the guy pulling his ear to straighten the ear canal, I find I don't have to do that if I zip them in quickly while they are still compressed.

Hope this helps!
Bob

 

[Sage]

While the video shows the guy pulling his ear to straighten the ear canal, I find I don't have to do that if I zip them in quickly while they are still compressed.

Hope this helps!
Bob

You still should pull your ear up and hold it there and hold the plug in the same spot until the plug has finished expanding. This gives it a proper fit and seals the ear canal better than if you just get them in there quickly. I was required to wear ear protection though highschool because of my sport, and we learned the different ways to put ear plugs in and this seems to be the best at noise reduction and protecting your hearing since it sealed better imho.

 

[OffTheClock]

Hey guys...

I finally wore earplugs this weekend and what a difference... I could hear the bike, but not too much of the wind and that was great! I usually commute to work, but thats only 15mins or so, and it never bothered my ears, but on longer rides, I would feel the strain...

Anyways my question, if anyone knows more about it, is... over the weekend I used yellow earplug, which I found online to to be 33NRR (Noise Reduction Rating), and today while riding into work I wore a different orange pair and that was said to be 31NRR...

What prompted me to look the NRR up was because I thought the orange one was relatively noisy compared to the yellow ones. Does anyone have any knowledge/experience or recommendations about this? Maybe its just that I didnt wear them properly...! Thanks!

Got to tell you, I too wore earplugs for the first time to work today. I commute 56 miles each way, mostly freeway driving and decided to try them. OMG....I dont think I will ever ride the freeway without them. What a difference

 

[MNGreg]

Here too! I wore plugs for the first time this last sunday riding down hwy 10 to clear lake and around town. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. I will always wear p plugs now. Was much more enjoyable. Wore some green ones.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[raybob]

You still should pull your ear up and hold it there and hold the plug in the same spot until the plug has finished expanding.

You are right. I choose not to. It is a failing of mine; one of many (just ask the missus).

Bob

 

[Crocop43]

I wear ear plugs all the time for my job, they have different type of ear plugs for different types of job I deal mainly with ballistic ear plugs or what they call drab ear plugs. Drabs are for explosions meaning you don't wAnt any of the sound wY to penetrate the ear canal mainly because of the force of the sound the wave has a concussion effect therefore regular earplugs (foam) does nothing to protect ur ear. Secondly I can tell you about ballistic ear plugs there yellow normally and shapped like a Christmas tree, with a small hold on the end. These ear plugs block out noises at certain decibels and allow lower decibels to be heard so u can fire a weapon and talk at the same time.....which is also perfect for motorcycle riding trust me....go to a local army/navy/marine corps store and pick then up or buy online....whatever suits you best. But you will be amazed how much the wind dies down but u can still hear the bike perfect.

 

[Sage]

I wear ear plugs all the time for my job, they have different type of ear plugs for different types of job I deal mainly with ballistic ear plugs or what they call drab ear plugs. Drabs are for explosions meaning you don't wAnt any of the sound wY to penetrate the ear canal mainly because of the force of the sound the wave has a concussion effect therefore regular earplugs (foam) does nothing to protect ur ear. Secondly I can tell you about ballistic ear plugs there yellow normally and shapped like a Christmas tree, with a small hold on the end. These ear plugs block out noises at certain decibels and allow lower decibels to be heard so u can fire a weapon and talk at the same time.....which is also perfect for motorcycle riding trust me....go to a local army/navy/marine corps store and pick then up or buy online....whatever suits you best. But you will be amazed how much the wind dies down but u can still hear the bike perfect.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have a few pairs of these from the same highschool activity and hadn't thought to dig them out of the gear bag. Might have to try these sometime over the big box of orange ones i have.

 

[Detrich]

31db -vs- 33db is a HUGE DIFFERENCE.

i used to use the 31db's (rite aid) and my ears would still ring after riding... once i switched to the 33db (hero's) it was night and day difference. i recommend using 33db (hero brand)...

the quality of your helmet factors in too. i have the noisiest of noisy helmets (HJC and AGV). so, am pretty sure the 33's will work.

the only negative is the engine sounds kinda funny cuz it's so muted... LOL

 

[stuna]

THE BIGGIE IT GETTING THEM IN RIGHT :wav:
I HAVE RINGING THAT NEVER STOPS , USE THEM PLUGS . I WAS NEVER TOLD TO USE THEM , FOR MANY YEARS , OH HU CANT HERE YA . IT NOT A JOKE . USE THEM

 

[Detrich]

tinnitus is not a joke...

 

[redwing-2001]

tinnitus is not a joke...

you are right and it really sucks.
great comments above and a super video.
I wish I ran across this information 30 years ago.