Hearing Protection

[Lannis]

Well part of my regiment for battling fatigue on day long or long distance ride is get off the moto and get my helmet off (and plugs).

I'd say the risk of setting the vapors off with a static spark are VERY low for sure. I have seen the results (not in person) of aircraft fires (non grounded A/C) but they are not common but we always ground with a good high continuity ground...its just a habit I have picked up over the years.

Aircraft fuelling is done at a much higher GPM that a normal service station for autos so there is a potential for much higher static buildup.

Anyway not throwing rocks at anybody that does not dismount but you are sitting with the fuel tank between your legs and you face is really close to the fuel in the tank, where on an auto there is a long pipe to the tank and its under the car.

I'm told that the gas pump hoses are grounded and as long as the nozzle  is contacting the filler neck on the moto tank it grounds same..but that is hearsay, however it seems reasonable.

Well, we all do things either out of habit or it seems like a good idea, and if it does no harm then why not?   We don't need courtroom proof that something MAY happen - if it seems like a safe thing to do, or a good habit to get into, then nothing wrong with that.

Every time I get on an airliner, and listen to the "safety" briefing, I think about "what are we doing?"

About 4 billion people fly every year on scheduled airlines.   This is about 50,000,000 flights per year.   So (considering that this is a "ramp up" from much lower numbers from, say, 1970),   then in the last 50 years, something like One Hundred Billion people have listened to One Billion flight attendants recite One Billion times ....

"In the event of a water landing, your seat cushion may be used as a flotation device.   Lift the seat cushion and place your arms through the straps".  (or the equivalent for a life vest).

As far as I know, NOT ONE PERSON has ever used a seat cushion as a flotation device to save their lives and float around a ditched airliner until they were picked up by a rescue team.   Not one.    And yet we keep on and on and on and on, because we just can't quit.

And "Don't go in the water for 30 minutes after you've eaten.   You could get a cramp and die".    Never happened to one person anywhere.   More billions of hours wasted in the last 100 years because we just can't stop once we get started.

And "Always cook pork until it's well-done or you could get trichinosis".    Nobody eating commercial pork has gotten trichinosis in 100 years.   So people have been eating hard, dry, indigestible pork for 100 years, probably a billion tons of it.

And the "But if it saved just ONE life .... " thing doesn't cut it.   We could save 8,000 lives a year just in this country by disallowing casual smartphone use while driving, but nobody wants to do THAT.....

Well, that's my recreational moaning for the evening ....

Lannis

[frozengoose]

One of the noises that causes hearing loss is constant high pitched whining:)

[Lannis]

One of the noises that causes hearing loss is constant high pitched whining:)

So THAT'S what tinnitus is!   I'm hearing it all the time too!   

[Moparnut72]

"I'm told that the gas pump hoses are grounded and as long as the nozzle  is contacting the filler neck on the moto tank it grounds same..but that is hearsay, however it seems reasonable."

i am a retired Sealer of Weights and Measures. Yes the hose is grounded. Make sure the nozzle is in contact with the tank and you will be fine. I am not sure what happens with plastic tanks. I guess you should use the side or center stand  but that probably won't help. Kind of the same thing filling plastic 5 gal fuel containers.
kk

[Rons]

I use earplugs for anything more than a five minute ride.  I feel like without the wind noise, I can hear the bike better, engine, exhaust, and of course valvetrain.

Get where I’m going feeling fresher and more relaxed. I use No Noise Motorsports earplugs. I don’t like the foamies takes too long to roll them up, and sounds like I have my fingers in my ears.

[80CX100]

     Singing and playing guitar is a big part of my life now, so 10-15 yrs ago I started to take my hearing protection much more seriously.

     I have a lot of friends with substantial hearing loss, probably as a result of too many years at the gun range or duck hunting.

     If I'm using any machinery now, lawn tractor, wood splitter, chainsaw, brush cutter (the worst, actually painful on my ears), I put a pair of ear muffs on.

     It's only been a few years that I've worn ear plugs while riding a bike, now I feel naked without the ear plugs in.

     I went into a safety supply store with the intention of buying some of the cheap disposable foam kind; the gentleman working there gave me a few pairs of the the foam ones for free and then sold me a couple of pairs of Ear Soft plugs for $5-$8?. I thought they were a major bargain and work fine for me.

     Kelly

     

[Chuck in Indiana]

I've seen people sitting on their bike and filling the tank. Admittedly, the chance of static starting a fire is small. There is a good chance, though, of the auto shutoff failing or the operator being distracted and soaking their shorts with fuel. Makes no sense at all to me..

[Lannis]

I've seen people sitting on their bike and filling the tank. Admittedly, the chance of static starting a fire is small. There is a good chance, though, of the auto shutoff failing or the operator being distracted and soaking their shorts with fuel. Makes no sense at all to me..

I'd have to have "good chance" quantified to me (10% chance?  Seems low.   50% chance?   That's pretty good.) before I'd conclude that I was completely "senseless" for filling the tank while on the bike.

I've filled my tank sitting on the bike literally hundreds of times and never had a mishap.   I've never seen anyone have a mishap that was with me.   

So I guess I'd say that based on my experience, there's not only not a "good chance" but a "miniscule" or smaller chance that I'd catch something on fire or soak my crotch in fuel.   So it makes sense to me to save the time and just do it ..... ?

Lannis

[Testarossa]

I'm short enough that I have to get off the bike to reach the credit card slot. No fueling while astride the bike for me. Besides, I almost always need to pee at fuel stops.

[kirby1923]

As an aviator I just have the idea that nothing left to chance..but dismounting the machine has little to do w/fire and destruction to me, its just after 2 hours (typical traveling) I want to get off and put some weight on my old bones, get my helmet off scratch my head and get the plugs out for a bit, personal choice completely.

Now if someone/thing is chasing me like WX and its important to keep one the move..well then helmet/& plugs stay in place and its a gas and go!,(still dismount)!

BTW, I've blown fuel all over my tank and hands while standing next to my moto, maybe should give it up??

:-)

[Tusayan]

I’d guess the last time I dismounted to fill a motorcycle fuel tank was over 10 years ago, possibly more.  If I’m planning on stopping, my practice is to fill the tank astride the bike then move the bike away from the pumps before removing helmet etc.

[Lannis]

I’d guess the last time I dismounted to fill a motorcycle fuel tank was over 10 years ago, possibly more.  If I’m planning on stopping, my practice is to fill the tank astride the bike then move the bike away from the pumps before removing helmet etc.

That's me too.  You can't go in and pee or buy a soda in most places anyhow with the bike blocking the pump, it's got to be moved in any case.   I just do it all in one motion rather than taking off helmets etc first.

Lannis

[kirby1923]

I also dismount, fuel and move the moto to the curb before removing my helmet.

m

[PJPR01]

Every time I get on an airliner, and listen to the "safety" briefing, I think about "what are we doing?"

"In the event of a water landing, your seat cushion may be used as a flotation device.   Lift the seat cushion and place your arms through the straps".  (or the equivalent for a life vest).

Lannis

I always chuckle as many of us have our own built in flotation device...who needs a seat cushion anyway!! 

[80CX100]

I’d guess the last time I dismounted to fill a motorcycle fuel tank was over 10 years ago, possibly more.  If I’m planning on stopping, my practice is to fill the tank astride the bike then move the bike away from the pumps before removing helmet etc.

Yup, that's my routine as well; Some places won't allow it and turn the pumps off, I don't buy my gas there anymore. 

A couple of times in the past, as I swung my leg off the bike, I've slipped a little in the oil slicks on the ground that can build up on the ground around the pumps; Especially if it's a taller bike, I figure the odds are better for no fire, than my ungraceful ballerina dismount  ymmv.

Kelly