How do you listen to music when riding?

[ChuckH]

I have the music in the MP3 portion of my GPS.  The music plays through a Mix-It2 amplifier into speakers in my helmet.  The MP3 has 500-600 tunes on a mini chip.  I set it up to play randomly.  I hear the various tunes once or twice if I'm on the road for a week or more.  I use it for background sound, set low enough so I can hear emergency vehicles, tire noise of trucks that are near me, etc.  I've been doing it for years.

Ride safe.

[rss29]

Silicone ear plugs, about a 20 to 25 NRR, with a Sena SMH10.  Wife and sons have Senas also.  Listening to my playlists when riding ("Bad Girlfriend" and "Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide" really help with my speed through the Ozarks) and being able to talk to those on other bikes improve the experience for me.

Oh, and being able to text and phone calls bonus!

Same setup here. Works great. There's nothing inherently unsafe about having a little music playing in your helmet. Plus the bluetooth speakers let you make calls or listen to nav prompts from your phone or GPS. I tried using earbuds but could never get them into a helmet comfortably. The Sena has a built in tuner and antenna, so I can listen to radio stations as well. I have the model designed for my helmet and it's almost invisible. Only a small volume control is on the outside of the helmet.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Different strokes for different folks. I'm like this..

Hear me out: part of the purpose of a ride, for me, is to be alone with my thoughts and to be detached from society and all of the obligations of work and life. It's all I'm doing and it's all I CAN do. No texts. No calls. No pages. No arguments. No responsibilities. Just me and my thoughts.

But the Kid listens to music from his phone. He has custom ear plugs with bluetooth for flying in helicopters.. those are noisy boogers.

[drums4money]

I'm unable to listen & ride.  I'm also unable to listen & do work at the day-job.
As a musician I find I'm so distracted by the way I'm wired to listen to music that it takes over.
I lack the ability to have music in the background.

I understand how others might be able to have some soundtrack playing while they do other tasks. 
I tried & experienced a lack of attention to the one task that WILL have a fatal consequence.  Not might, or maybe. . .

As for the original question -
Good friend has a set of custom molded in-ear monitors that keep down ambient racket and permits low volume so that he's not killing his ears trying to overcome the jet-blast of wind noise.

[vstevens]

Great replies!  I expected some folks would err on the side of safety and recommend no music... that's ok and I appreciate the sounds of the bike and surroundings as well.  I'll look into the Bluetooth earbuds and speakers, both Uclear and Sena, and see if they might work for me.  Even better, those db killer earplugs may be the ticket.

Truth is, I'm pretty busy most weeks so only get to ride a few hours on the weekend.  For me, music enhances the riding experience, tends to help me collect my thoughts and sort them out... without a lot of conscious effort.  Music drives me toward "reflection" or something like that. 

Didnt mean to get all mushy 🙄

[samfrank]

I listen to music via Shure earbuds but only if I'm high tailing it on the super slab or alone on a non challenging road. If I'm in the twisties or with other riders I never listen. On the more challenging roads I want full concentration on my riding. I also use a GPS on my iPhone and a map in my tank bag. One should check  their local jurisprudence as its illegal in certain areas. It is in my western PA county but everyone makes their own decisions.

[chaoselephant23]

...
I don't listen to music whilst riding. I've tried it in the past with a rather fancy set of Bluetooth earbuds (now relegated to lawn-mowing duties) and found that the music, even stuff I really like, actually detracted from the experience of the ride. Hear me out: part of the purpose of a ride, for me, is to be alone with my thoughts and to be detached from society and all of the obligations of work and life. It's all I'm doing and it's all I CAN do. No texts. No calls. No pages. No arguments. No responsibilities. Just me and my thoughts. With the increasing connectivity of all things, isn't it amazing to not be connected? It's the most relaxing several hours I'll have all day or maybe all week. And music, even my favorite stuff, and I'm totally a music guy, will only sully the event.
...

:1: Riding is the soundtrack. Without the Gaussian noise, the meditation would just not be the same. Plus I know myself too well. Some tracks just get your blood boiling, leading to ever increasing risk taking. Play it safe and just ride 

[pete mcgee]

Sing,

Loudly 

[Toystoretom]

Listening to music while I ride interferes with my texting.

[boatdetective]

what an interesting topic.

I don't listen to music whilst riding. I've tried it in the past with a rather fancy set of Bluetooth earbuds (now relegated to lawn-mowing duties) and found that the music, even stuff I really like, actually detracted from the experience of the ride. Hear me out: part of the purpose of a ride, for me, is to be alone with my thoughts and to be detached from society and all of the obligations of work and life. It's all I'm doing and it's all I CAN do. No texts. No calls. No pages. No arguments. No responsibilities. Just me and my thoughts. With the increasing connectivity of all things, isn't it amazing to not be connected? It's the most relaxing several hours I'll have all day or maybe all week. And music, even my favorite stuff, and I'm totally a music guy, will only sully the event.

But that's me. I totally get how someone could really enjoy music while they ride and I think that the safety concerns are overblown.

As an aside, I use earplugs regularly and highly recommend them; if got nothing else than to protect your hearing even if wearing a full helmet. You take away most of the noise and strange things happen: Smells smell more. Thoughts are louder. The road passes by and riding starts to feel a bit like flying. It's the best.

 :1:  My thoughts precisely

[TodkaVonic]

Listening to music while I ride interferes with my texting.

Ha!

[oldbike54]

Sing,

Loudly 

  My singing is much more distracting than any canned stuff , or maybe disturbing is more accurate 

 Dusty

[Muzz]

  My singing is much more distracting than any canned stuff , or maybe disturbing is more accurate 

 Dusty

The acoustics of a full face helmet makes any singing sound good.

[oldbike54]

The acoustics of a full face helmet makes any singing sound good.

 Might work for anyone else , just makes the disturbance worse in my case 

 Dusty

[Guzzistajohn]

Listening to music while I ride interferes with my texting.

Humor, what a concept!

[Guzzistajohn]

I tried a couple of different ways of listening to tunes on the bike. Wasn't my cup of tea although music is a big hobby of mine listening on the road wasn't for me. I tend to give both pastimes my undevided attention.

[Sheepdog]

I have tried listening to music through an IPod and Etymotic earbuds, but could not hear much over about 55-60 mph. There just got to be too much sensory input and it actually started to aggravate me a little.  I'll admit however, that electric blues on an empty rural two-lane going 50mph is pretty sublime. I still bring my music kit along when touring, but it is only on certain occasions that I choose to use it.

[giusto]

I concur. I used to listen but stopped because of the influence the tempo of the music had on my throttle hand. My partner listens to music and has had a couple of mishaps, mechanical and traffic that bit him.

I am with you on this...I like to hear the sounds of the road and what's going on around me...and more so I love the sound of the V twin...especially when you can hear the oscillation between the cylinders and that sweet spot in rpms. Not all bikes have a tach...I consider hearing essential for total connection with the bike and the environment around you.

[Wayne Orwig]

Foam earplugs and a Sena SMH10 system.
But the 'quality' is crap if that bothers you.

 

[Wild Bill Guzzi]

Enjoy the ride

[roofus]

I concur. I used to listen but stopped because of the influence the tempo of the music had on my throttle hand. My partner listens to music and has had a couple of mishaps, mechanical and traffic that bit him.

I agree. You comments about the effect of music on the throttle hand are well taken.

If I am not mistaken, it is illegal in some jurisdictions to have an earpiece in both ears while operating a car . . . and I presume any motorized vehicle.

[Penderic]

I find a car or truck going my way, playing music with the windows down, and tag along.


 

[charlie b]

If I am not mistaken, it is illegal in some jurisdictions to have an earpiece in both ears while operating a car . . . and I presume any motorized vehicle.

I've seen some of those laws.  Humorous if not for the person who is arrested for it.  Imagine, it is ok to drive a cage that is advertised for a quiet ride, add a 100W stereo system, but, it is not legal to wear headphones.  Stupid.

FWIW, if you are a serious music listener, don't bother on the bike.  The ambient noises wipe out a good portion of the spectrum.  It does help to have a very quiet helmet but not by much.

I just can't see going on a multi-day trip without music or audio books to listen to.  Yeah, if all I did was an hour or two at a time, music would not be high on my list.

[PJPR01]

Bluetooth streaming of my Iphone Music or Pandora to my Scala Rider 1.  It pairs also to the TomTom Rider to receive calls...I don't dial out while riding, but if someone calls, I can answer and the sound quality is excellent...in fact those on the other end report very quiet and clear reception with the Scala. 

I do wear ear plugs, so the sound even at full volume of the Scala's device is not loud at all, just at a low level to keep me company.  The Scala also has volume as speed dependent, so as you increase from 30-60 mph, the sound increases to its max, but even at full volume with ear plugs in, it's more like background music rather than full blast.  Without the plugs it's too loud so you have to dial it back a few clicks of the button to get to a tolerable level.

Music is not distracting in my case and whether it's a couple of hours or all day riding, it's nice to have along, just like having a little bit of musical accompaniment to my own singing!  Sometimes I flip it off when I just want to hear the pure sound of the bike only...I think it works well as the Shoei is a very quiet helmet to begin with.

[T in NC]

Galaxy Note  and a Bilt Bluetooth Evo II helmet
 wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=70550.0

[flip]

I have a UClear system I attach to my helmet and I link it to my phone and play the music I have stored there.

[keener]

:1:  My thoughts precisely

 :1: again i am with you guys there...

[inditx]

Listening to music while I ride interferes with my texting.

Lol
Hey I’m in KC area as well.

"I use ear buds but don’t always listen to music but when I do it adds to the experience for me"

inditx

[creaky99]

I sing.

[Two Checks]

I just sign along with the voices in my head.

Shouldn't your hands be on the grips?