Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: TobyJug on June 20, 2018, 01:49:51 PM
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Hi
I'm riding a naked V7II and I wear an HJC IS Max II helmet and I'm looking to cut down on the wind noise. Should I look at a quieter helmet or put a windshield on? Any helmet or windshield suggestions?
Thanks
Jug
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ear plugs. take it from a nearly deaf guy :sad:
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Get yourself a pair of custom earplugs made... the kind that are injected into your ear, and take about 15 minutes to make.
Cheapest, best solution. Hands down.
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Maybe it is just me. I rode for over 12 years on a naked bike, didn't know anything different. Bought my T-3 and rode it naked the first year than put a SP I upper faring and shield on it. My first reaction was to kick my butt 12 times, once for each year I had gone without protection. Much reduced wind pressure on body, quieter, less bugs and debris in face and riding in rain is much more pleasant. But...the effectiveness of screens and helmets varies greatly or to what matches what you are trying to achieve. My 2.5 cents worth.
GliderJohn
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In my experience, windshields generally create a horrendous din by directing all the wind off your chest onto your helmet. In my experience, the only windshield that truly cuts the noise is a tall one that you look through. Short of that, no windscreen at all is better. Just get a nice quiet full face helmet.
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I wear a Biltwell Gringo... might as well be an open face. Earplugs are essential riding gear for me.
My wife wears a beautiful high end closed-face Shoei... earplugs are essential riding gear for her.
They just make sense, regardless of lid. The custom ones aren't even noticeable when in, compared to anything "off the shelf". Well worth the money.
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Not always easy to find a quiet helmet that works for you. Different size heads make a huge difference in wind noise.
Earplugs are relatively cheap, and can be used for other loud things.
Lawnmowers, woodchippers, chainsaws.....an angry spouse :shocked:
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Wear earplugs of some type! I had a nasty ear infection as a preschooler that perforated one eardrum and I've had tinnitus since. I've no interest in making it worse.
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Wear earplugs of some type! I had a nasty ear infection as a preschooler that perforated one eardrum and I've had tinnitus since. I've no interest in making it worse.
True, thank God for closed captioning on TV
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Get yourself a pair of custom earplugs made... the kind that are injected into your ear, and take about 15 minutes to make.
Cheapest, best solution. Hands down.
Yep. You can even get them with a little "waveguide" molded through the middle that lets speaking tones through, but cuts the "SHSHSHSHHHH" of wind noise so you don't lose any more hearing. You can't get it back.
Lannis
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I always carry a few pairs of cheap ear plugs in the tank bag. If I bought a nice custom made pair I'd loose one for sure.
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A chin curtain and thicker cheek pads can quiet things down a bit. HJC has a great selection of replacement parts for their lids. Below are a couple of links you might like to check out...
http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/street_helmets_and_eyewear/replacement_base_plates_gear_kits_and_other_parts/hjc/chin_curtain_for_is_max_ii_helmets.html
http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/street_helmets_and_eyewear/replacement_cheek_pads/hjc/cheek_pads_for_is_max_ii_helmets.html
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If you install a screen dont get one that turns up at the top of the screen. That creates turbulence. That creates noise.
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Motorcycle Wind Noise?
Ear Plugs!
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Yep. You can even get them with a little "waveguide" molded through the middle that lets speaking tones through, but cuts the "SHSHSHSHHHH" of wind noise so you don't lose any more hearing. You can't get it back.
Lannis
I got a pair of these made at a motorcycle show and they are fantastic. The channel allows me to listen to music or talk on the phone but blocks out a good portion of the buzz and drone. The disposable plugs are OK but I find them uncomfortable after a while. The custom ones I can wear all day. I got ones with a cord molded in so they hang around my neck. I was able to specify the colors as well so I went with a red one for the right ear, which makes it easy to identify at a glance. I think they were $150 or so but worth every penny.
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Paid $75 Canuck-bucks for mine, got 'em at the Moto-Show. Had them molded in black and dayglo green swirls...easy to find if dropped. As soon as my helmet comes off, they go into their little wallet, and into my pocket.
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On the V7, I found the OEM screen put the wind at visor level. It's better with either no screen or a small fly screen that just covers the instruments. Rear sets change the effect of the wind on the front again, & for me, it's an improvement. Otherwise, it's ear plugs until you come across a helmet that fits your head so well that wind is no longer a factor - they are out there, I've come across others who've achieved success here, I'm still trying, but it is a long time between experiments. What I have gleaned to date, is that helmet price has little affect on quietness - other factors are at play. For example, the Vozz helmet for some is very quiet, for others it's so noisy to be unbearable, though for most of us, it seems to fall somewhere in between.
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Get yourself a pair of custom earplugs made... the kind that are injected into your ear, and take about 15 minutes to make.
Cheapest, best solution. Hands down.
Couldn't agree more. Those custom earplugs go with me on airplanes, to the shooting range, sporting events and anytime I'll be near a bunch of kids. They are fantastic.
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Like everyone said,
butt ear plugs! Although, some helmets are significantly quieter than others.
Also, a Swanee style windshield from Harpers, pricey, a bit weird looking, but absolutely the best for eliminating wind noise, I could put a baby to sleep behind mine.
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As others have stated. Windshield buffeting can be horrible. Direct wind noise with good ear plugs is easy to manage. Windshield buffeting can be hard to fix, and even earplugs may not help. I have a Suwannee on the EV. It has a couple of large holes to fill the back side vacuum space, and isn't too bad. My previous Plexifairings were unmanageable and I'm convinced contributed to the LOUD constant ringing in my ears.
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Shoei GT Air and ear plugs.
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+1 on the harpers fairing, only thing that beats it is the MG police fairing on my loop.... quiet as quiet can be :thumb:
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Thanks folks. There's some good advice there that probably saved me lots of time and money. I should have known that I'd get the 'cheapest' solution here.
Jug
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Thanks folks. There's some good advice there that probably saved me lots of time and money. I should have known that I'd get the 'cheapest' solution here.
Jug
You learn fast Grasshopper. :grin:
I have tinnitus from industrial deafness, when we didn't know about these things. Probably 200,000 miles with an open face helmet on an old English thumper didn't help either. :rolleyes: I personally use the soft plugs and carry spares in a small pill bottle in my jacket. Essential
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I have been wearing foam earplugs for 20 years and there has always been a trade-off between comfort and efficiency. I found these at Walmart. Super quiet and very comfortable.
(https://thumb.ibb.co/c5CnAT/b53a7ab8_ab9b_4f87_8f8a_9e61821c7e37_1_270ea0ad456ddab6e16d2389acadadff.jpg) (https://ibb.co/c5CnAT)
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I use the 3M EARS brand of earplugs. They have yellow foam on a blue plastic stem. Washable and easy to insert. I bought a 100 pair box on Amazon. They last me a month or more per pair (I ride almost everyday).
I got ones with a cord molded in so they hang around my neck. I was able to specify the colors as well so I went with a red one for the right ear, which makes it easy to identify at a glance.
If the right one was red, that would so confuse me. :grin:
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I wear ear plugs at all times, it's part of my ATGATT.
In fact, you might get some custom made (red one for right ear and black one for left). I find most of the commercial ear plugs don't work for me except for the yellow foam ones.
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I use the 3M EARS brand of earplugs. They have yellow foam on a blue plastic stem. Washable and easy to insert. I bought a 100 pair box on Amazon. They last me a month or more per pair (I ride almost everyday).
If the right one was red, that would so confuse me. :grin:
Red for the right ear makes me think of channel markers.
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Red for the right ear makes me think of channel markers.
You're thinking of the old "red right return" rhyme to remember which side of the channel markers to be. Me, it's green or blue for starboard and red for port. When you have a cockpit full of spaghetti, makes it easier to find the spin guy and sheet.
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I have been wearing foam earplugs for 20 years and there has always been a trade-off between comfort and efficiency. I found these at Walmart. Super quiet and very comfortable.
(https://thumb.ibb.co/c5CnAT/b53a7ab8_ab9b_4f87_8f8a_9e61821c7e37_1_270ea0ad456ddab6e16d2389acadadff.jpg) (https://ibb.co/c5CnAT)
Those are the brand I wear. I have very sensitive hearing (don't tell my wife) so I always wear ear protection when doing anything where there is noise involved. It is hot here so I want a helmet with a lot of vents which comes with extra wind noise.
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I like disposable ear plugs. They are super cheap, hygienic and if you loose one or 50 its no big deal. Break out another individual 2 pack and you're on your way. If I am out for a long ride or touring I will use ear buds coupled with an iPod/iPhone.
If you get custom ear plugs you need to wash sanitize and dry them daily or you risk getting an ear infection. When I was shooting Trap regularly lots of guys used custom molded ear plugs and all did 2 things:
1. Store them in an old pill bottle
2. Put them in their mouth to lube them up before inserting into their ears.
The pill bottle acts like a petri dish and the slobber and ear crust are great for making a great bacterial starter culture.
Also over time your ears change and the ear plugs need to be remade. So they are not a once and done thing.
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I like disposable ear plugs.
Me, too. Buy them by the industrial sized box. Cheap. (Guzzi content) Keep one size bigger than I need in the Guzzi Garage in case someone stops in and needs some.
I have a medical condition called "Deaf as a post." :smiley: Way too many years of industrial noise, flying and motorcycling without hearing protection.. shooting guns..outrageously loud rock music.. Of course, I could read the information that hearing damage was cumulative.. but I chose to ignore it. Duh.
Do yourself a favor before it is too late. If you wake up in the morning, and it is taking a long time for the ringing to quit.. probably the next time it will never quit.
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And to a much lesser degree (as ear plugs just can't be beat), I keep my riding jacket zipped
up all the way and buttoned at the top. Seems to help at Thruway+ speeds.
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In my experience, windshields generally create a horrendous din by directing all the wind off your chest onto your helmet. In my experience, the only windshield that truly cuts the noise is a tall one that you look through. Short of that, no windscreen at all is better. Just get a nice quiet full face helmet.
Exactly right.
After waisting my time and money on one of those small Dart screens I got a Givi that routed the air above my head.
An Arai Quantum, disposable foam ear plugs, and tall screen - all is good!
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I like disposable ear plugs. They are super cheap, hygienic and if you loose one or 50 its no big deal. Break out another individual 2 pack and you're on your way.
For me, I can't use foam plugs that completely fill up my ear. They make me feel claustrophobic, like I'm inside a deep-sea diver's helmet, and after a while I start to feel dizzy and disoriented. Although we may be in the minority (like those of us for whom cilantro tastes like soap), it's a real thing.
If you get custom ear plugs you need to wash sanitize and dry them daily or you risk getting an ear infection.
I don't let them get clogged up with ear wax, but I'm not all that fastidious about washing them all the time. I've been wearing the same pair for 5 years and haven't gotten an ear infection, even though I just wipe them off good before using them. They still fit good.
Time for another ear test, though, it's been 5 years. I have mine made by my audiologist.
Lannis
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And to a much lesser degree (as ear plugs just can't be beat), I keep my riding jacket zipped
up all the way and buttoned at the top. Seems to help at Thruway+ speeds.
Me too. My helmet used to have some chin mesh which really helped until the elastic wasn't. :rolleyes: Now I use a very nice neck warmer that came in the goodie bag at the Tattley Rappet rally some 3 years ago. Nice and soft, thin enough to fit between my chin and helmet and held up by the chin strap, but thick enough that the wind doesn't rush through. With the riding jacket zipped and closed over with the velcro strap it makes a huge difference to the wind noise (and the comfort of my adams apple). Still use the ear plugs as well though.
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Lots of good info.
https://www.webbikeworld.com/earplugsearplugs/
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I like disposable ear plugs. They are super cheap, hygienic and if you loose one or 50 its no big deal. Break out another individual 2 pack and you're on your way. If I am out for a long ride or touring I will use ear buds coupled with an iPod/iPhone.
If you get custom ear plugs you need to wash sanitize and dry them daily or you risk getting an ear infection. When I was shooting Trap regularly lots of guys used custom molded ear plugs and all did 2 things:
1. Store them in an old pill bottle
2. Put them in their mouth to lube them up before inserting into their ears.
The pill bottle acts like a petri dish and the slobber and ear crust are great for making a great bacterial starter culture.
Also over time your ears change and the ear plugs need to be remade. So they are not a once and done thing.
So far as my custom ear plugs, I always lick them before I put 'em in my ears. I store 'em wrapped in the skull cap I keep in the pocket of my jacket. I usually clean my ears every spring during the height on allergy when my ears get plugged up ......
Too much information?
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So far as my custom ear plugs, I always lick them before I put 'em in my ears. I store 'em wrapped in the skull cap I keep in the pocket of my jacket. I usually clean my ears every spring during the height on allergy when my ears get plugged up ......
Too much information?
LOL...
I used to lick them until I got an ear infection...
Since I always carry some wet wipes for my visor, I now also use on my ear plug now...
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Two years on my current pair of custom plugs... can't imagine why anyone would want to lick them, they fit with no fuss. Never had an infection. Other than the noise reduction, I don't even notice they're in.
The foam ones... work. But they put constant pressure in all directions, and get uncomfortable after a while, plus... they're wasteful.
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Why would anyone want to put spit in their ears? Sounds nasty.
If the earplugs are made right (and I have mine made by my ear doctor, not by some dood at a bike show doing earplugs, tattoos, and piercings), they just go right in with no saliva required ..... ?
Lannis
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Why would anyone want to put spit in their ears? Sounds nasty.
If the earplugs are made right (and I have mine made by my ear doctor, not by some dood at a bike show doing earplugs, tattoos, and piercings), they just go right in with no saliva required ..... ?
Lannis
between bad habit when working back in Asia (cheap labor, but quick money) and inside of my ear changed over the year enough to not fit properly...
I was too poor to get a new one, so opted for a dirty but quick solution: spit...
well, stopped doing that really quick after I had a nasty ear infection that almost made me deaf...
and now, I can't hear as well as some of my colleague now...
a painful experience for sure...
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between bad habit .......I was too poor to get a new one .....
Certainly time-tested and understandable reasons! We've all been there done that, and lucky it didn't affect our health ... usually!
Lannis
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I'm confused, I thought everyone simply used their MP3 player and when not listening to great old school country or rock n roll simply used the ear phones as ear plugs when not listening to music. I guess this will make to much sense to most guzzi ridders 😂
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I'm confused, I thought everyone simply used their MP3 player and when not listening to great old school country or rock n roll simply used the ear phones as ear plugs when not listening to music. I guess this will make to much sense to most guzzi ridders 😂
My brain doesn't have enough capacity to be listening to music, or Comedy Central, or chatting with someone while I'm riding down the road, and ALSO keep me alive amongst the deer, aluminum ladders, text-drunks, fallen trees/rocks and all the other exigencies of the long highway .... !
So just regular plugs with no wires do me just dandy!
Lannis
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My brain doesn't have enough capacity to be listening to music, or Comedy Central, or chatting with someone while I'm riding down the road, and ALSO keep me alive amongst the deer, aluminum ladders, text-drunks, fallen trees/rocks and all the other exigencies of the long highway .... !
So just regular plugs with no wires do me just dandy!
Lannis
Interestingly enough for me when listening to music while riding I hear it loud and clear until some technical road shows up then my brain shuts the music out and its ride time. Once the road straightens out or the pace slows again I can hear the music.
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Interestingly enough for me when listening to music while riding I hear it loud and clear until some technical road shows up then my brain shuts the music out and its ride time. Once the road straightens out or the pace slows again I can hear the music.
That's a pretty good trait to have. Your brain works better than mine, I'll admit ... !
Lannis
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That's a pretty good trait to have. Your brain works better than mine, I'll admit ... !
Lannis
Lol lannis, you are coming through loud and clear:) I'm listening to Fox News, my wife complaining about Fox News and texting to you, dang I must be a freaking genius 🤔
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Lol lannis, you are coming through loud and clear:) I'm listening to Fox News, my wife complaining about Fox News and texting to you, dang I must be a freaking genius 🤔
Two of those three things sure are making your life difficult, maybe you should give them up! :laugh:
You'll have to pick which two, though ... :wink:
Lannis
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If I am on a long road trip by myself, I may listen to music. But only for a couple of hours. I prefer soft ear plugs.
Every time I am riding with someone and I have the music going, they will stop in 15 minutes and ask a question.
I stop, remove my gloves, unzipp the jacket and try and find the pause button, what was that? "Nice day for a ride..."