Pipes too loud?

[Hatchet]

I know that loud pipes save lives but obnoxiously lou is not right. I know another thing that has saved my life and that is being able to hear things that are around me, especially that vehicle that suddenly appears from nowhere and almost hits me. Don't understand how anyone could do that with ear plugs in.

 

[Charlies Harley]

I have loud pipes but also wear earplugs for the wind noise, the windshield must knock it down some but with the half helmet and speeds over 100km per hr for any length of time you are doing damage. Have to admit it must look somewhat ammusing to see someone pull up on a noisy bike and take a set of plugs out.

 

[TripleJ]

I know that loud pipes save lives but obnoxiously lou is not right. I know another thing that has saved my life and that is being able to hear things that are around me, especially that vehicle that suddenly appears from nowhere and almost hits me. Don't understand how anyone could do that with ear plugs in.

I understand where you are coming from but you may be surprised at what you do hear when using ear plugs. I where ear plugs when driving the Jeep with a softop and can actually hear the radio better with the ear plugs in than not....... go figure?

I think the ear plugs knock down the louder noises therefore letting you hear lessor sounds you otherwise would not.

 

[gasbag]

I know that loud pipes save lives but obnoxiously loud is not right. I know another thing that has saved my life and that is being able to hear things that are around me, especially that vehicle that suddenly appears from nowhere and almost hits me. Don't understand how anyone could do that with ear plugs in.

That is an excellent point.
I figure if my bike is so loud that I need ear plugs to ride it, then it is too loud. Hearing is almost as important as seeing when you are riding.

 

[R_W_B]

I've seen several people do that and wondered about it... Wind noise... OK, then...:s

... .. .. .. ... I know another thing that has saved my life and that is being able to hear things that are around me, especially that vehicle that suddenly appears from nowhere and almost hits me. Don't understand how anyone could do that with ear plugs in.

I understand where you are coming from but you may be surprised at what you do hear when using ear plugs. I where ear plugs when driving the Jeep with a softop and can actually hear the radio better with the ear plugs in than not....... go figure?

I think the ear plugs knock down the louder noises therefore letting you hear lessor sounds you otherwise would not.

All of the above has some merit and is true to certain extents depending on variables of frequency etc. For me the decision is easy, if I don't wear ear plugs on rides that are over 50mph then I a WILL go deft and loose my hearing quicker than if I do wear them. And deft is not where I want to go sooner than I have to, be it temporary or permanent.

 

[dbmg]

I bet you will find that most guys with "LOUD" pipes do not have alot of miles on their bike. For they can not ride very long. As annoying as it is to hear such a bike pass you by imagine how bad it is riding it. Hence ear plugs.:small3d023:

 

[R_W_B]

I bet you will find that most guys with "LOUD" pipes do not have alot of miles on their bike. For they can not ride very long. As annoying as it is to hear such a bike pass you by imagine how bad it is riding it. Hence ear plugs.:small3d023:

Actually as long as I keep the rpms until 3 grand my bike is not much (if any) louder than a stock HD bike. Might be a little louder than a stock metric. They are not that bad at all around town. (V&Hs Big Shots Staggered)

It's the wind that gets my ears. Don't remember it bothering me as bad when I was younger, but it does bother me now bad. I could get on a fully baffled Honda and ride 60mph for 30 min without ear plugs and walk in my house and not be able to decipher the words on TV. I have ringing in my ears all the time anyhow, but wind makes it worse.

Course I spent most of my life working around construction equipment that makes loud pipes sound like baby talk.

 

[Bait]

I bet you will find that most guys with "LOUD" pipes do not have alot of miles on their bike. For they can not ride very long. As annoying as it is to hear such a bike pass you by imagine how bad it is riding it. Hence ear plugs.:small3d023:

You would probably loose that bet.

 

[cedarbrook63]

The guy who sold me the pricey ear plugs at Hein Gericke said they are designed to filter out wind noise but not other ambient noise. I was sceptical about this but bought them anyway as wind noise with my full lid was really bothering me (slow down then I hear you say......).
Well I have to say the man was right! They are excellent - lid is so much quieter at 70, 80, ok 90mph and I can can still hear noise around me. When I use them on my HD with open face lid, they work very well yet I can still hear my intercom, GPS and radio on my Scala G4.

Good luck to all of you who ride a lot and don't wear plugs and I truly hope you have zero problems - for me it's nothing to do with industrial levels of noise from the pipes because I just don't care for that level of sound, it's all to do with avoiding the misery of hearing loss and tinnitis.

 

[R_W_B]

The guy who sold me the pricey ear plugs at Hein Gericke said they are designed to filter out wind noise but not other ambient noise. I was sceptical about this but bought them anyway as wind noise with my full lid was really bothering me ... ... .. ... ..
it's all to do with avoiding the misery of hearing loss and tinnitis.

Thanks man I will google ear plugs at Hein Gericke, sounds like a winner for me. I bought a 3/4 open face to beat the heat and it does seem less of a wind in the ear than my full face. But I still get it, even the few times I rode with no helmet.