Modern Vespa

I still have a brand new, never used pair of ER20s up for grabs. Let me know if you want them. [EDIT: they've been claimed]

Ok, so I've tried ear plugs off and on for the past 2 years and there are two things that make me ditch them.

1. I have a very hard time getting the foam type plugs in to my right ear.
2. I feel detached from the world at lower speeds in the city.

You don't have to sell me on the need.

Are the christmas tree style ones easier to insert into the ear?

I'll take them!

PM sent

Patrick, I hate squishing those foam things to stick in my ears. And even though they work at deadening the sound, they kind of deaden everything. As with anything, YMMV. I find the christmas tree style ones far more comfortable and much, much easier to get into my ears.

I often feel detached from things for the first few minutes of riding. Part of it is that you can hear yourself breathing, swallowing, etc. and it tends to make you focus on yourself more than things external. After those first few minutes things actually seem to get sharper for me.

Mrs. Jess has a hard time with the foam earplugs as well, primarily because her ears are small. We found some lovely smaller-size foam plugs for women (they're pink!) that work. Somewhat, but size might still be an issue.

Mrs. Jess ended up getting some custom-molded earplugs made, and they fit perfectly, natch.

Much, much easier.

Just takes a bit of lubricant to get them in. For me, that's usually a little bit of *saliva if I don't have any water available. They are impossible to install properly without some sort of lubricant.

The ER20's noted above do not "detach" you from the world, and are great for city speeds. They are not (IMO) suitable for highway speeds with a noisy helmet and no windscreen--in those instances, i use solid christmas tree plugs from the hardware store.

*i fully recognize that this will bring out the "you'll get an ear infection" crowd. I've been doing this with my IEP's for many many years with no ill effects. YMMV.

As a side note, the stems on these are very long--depending on your helmet, you may need to break out the dremel and alter the stems to alleviate them rubbing on the ear pads.

Yeah, I should have mentioned that. I found the hard way that they were rubbing on my helmet. In place of wind and road noise I had a lot of vibration. A razor blade or Dremel takes care of that.

Wind noise is not an issue in my case as I don't ride on highways and mostly hide behind my tall screen, but the engine noise is really tiring when I ride for several hours. I don't use earplugs because I was a long term cyclist and using anything to block your ears on a bicycle is the best way not to hear the car behind you and get hit.

One thing I don't quite get as a newbie... if you use earplugs to block the noises, wouldn't it be than better to use appropriate headphones instead? At least you could listen to some music while riding. ...hm? Are headphones actually legal on motorbikes?

I have a shoei RF1100 and it has lots of room around the ears, but if it's a problem I think I can manage a dremel.

Same with my Shoei Multitec. They were just a tad too long.

I got the plugs in the mail just as the mailman was coming to the door a moment ago. Enjoy.

Thanks for sharing the details in such a personal way, and thanks for the reminder.

Thanks

To those concerned about not being able to hear sufficiently out on the road--put a pair in your ears and walk around the house or outside. You'll be able to tell right away just how much you can still hear with plugs in.

Several people have noted difficulty getting foam plugs into their ears; there is a real technique to be mastered. Its not hard, you just need to do it right.

First roll the plug. You don't want to twist it, just roll it to a smaller diameter. Slowly and gently pull it out longer and roll it between your fingers. It will elongate and become more compact, smaller diameter. The working of the foam and the heat of you hands do it. Be patient and watch it happen. If you twist it or try to make the process go too fast you will cause there to be creases in the sides which will not seal properly.

There is a technique for inserting them too. to insert the plug in your right ear reach over the top of your head with your left hand and pull your right ear out and forward. This will open and straighten the ear canal. Immediately push the rolled plug into the ear. If you wait too long it will start to expand and you lose the small size you need. You might give it a small turn to help it go in, but be gentle, you aren't trying to screw it in. You can push it way in, you can't get it to the ear drum to cause damage, but leave enough sticking in the outer part of the ear to grab to pull it out.

It is very common for you to have ear canals of different sizes. I have no problem getting the left one in and the right one takes more care or another try.

I have tried almost every kind of plug, and the cheapest foam plugs are the best for me. I have found that the "christmas tree" ones become painful after a few hours because they exert uneven pressure. the "poured" custom made ones hurt too, and don't kill the sound as well.

Its really dramatic when you have the plug in place and it starts expanding and sealing off the canal, the noises just seem to fade away. They work very well and the feeling of detachment will go away with experience. Even on my faster bikes with the most wind noise the loudest thing I hear is my own tinnitus.

Just be careful not to cut them too short. I did that with my first pair of Hocks Noise Brakers and needed a pair of needle-nose pliers to get them out. On my next pair, I cut off the smallest flange with a scissors and, three years on, I'm still happily using them.

Also, +1 on moistening them to insert them.

tried the foam plugs today (ended up actually buying a pair just for the experiment). i know the roll and smush drill from a previous job so getting them in wasn't a problem.

pros: eerily serene not hearing my rattle-trap at 50mph.
cons: not hearing on-coming/other traffic is scary! the deal breaker: after about an hour I had a throbbing headache shooting up from the back of my neck. took the plugs out, rested for 10 minutes, and was right as rain. that ever happen to anyone else?

The problem with foam plugs is that they attenuate everything too much, and that is a safety hazard. I prefer the Etymotic Research "christmas tree" types that are very scientifically designed to reduce noise below harmful levels, but still allow you to hear the things you need to hear (sirens, horns, etc.) well enough to stay safe.

I've tried a variety of designs, incl a fancier set in three different sizes from Aerostich (worked OK sort of until I pulled on my helmet), a set of Speedo swimmers' plugs that worked fine but were stuffy, and some cheapo foam ones that were very stuffy.

A couple weeks ago a fellow scooterist introduced me to the roll-foam ones made by MSA Safetyworks and sold at Home Depot (thanks Rob!):

http://www.msasafetyworks.com/catalog/catalog1106.html

You can buy two pair with a darling little case for about 2 bucks to try them out, or 80 pair in two colors (orange for port, muted teal for starboard) for about 15 bucks. They can be reused a few times, and 80 pair for 15 bucks is real cheap. When rolled carefully (no creases) these fit perfectly in my (not large) ear canals at various depths and are not stuffy. They are fairly long; the first time I used a pair I inserted them quite deep, in which case they make you almost deaf. Insert less deep and you can hear around them, but they mute wind and pipe noise sufficiently for more comfortable and safer riding. Moistening them by licking helps with insertion but is not necessary.