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Try talking to those who use them before you buy tho. Wearing custom moulded earplugs
is not for everybody.

I had a custom set molded for my ears at the RA Rally in VT in August. They work at cutting out the noise through the ears and are very comfortable, much more than off the shelf ear plugs. The downside is that a considerable amount of "noise" still comes from the skull's contact with the helmet.

Wayne

00weel wrote:I have owned K's, R's and Oilheads and the best sure fire method to cure "Helmet Noise" for me has been custom made ear plugs.

Also Rs, Ks, & a Hex –
No music needed or wanted, but custom molded ear-plugs will be a necessity on any mc !

I've noticed no difference between R and K bikes. The difference is between naked, partial fairing, full fairing, and see-through windshield fairings.

The only thing I have found quieter than naked is a full fairing with see-through windshield (ala Goldwings, American LT's, and some RT's). I wear earplugs with everything except the see-through option, and I've never owned one of those - ridden, but never owned.

I like the weather protection of a mid-size fairing with a see-over windshield (like my R1100RS with various different windshields), but it's definitely not the quietest option. An RT with a just-barely-see-over-windshield is much more weather protection, but I don't know if it's really much quieter.

Keep in mind that ANYTHING anyone else tells you about the performance of any particular machine, fairing, or windshield only applies to them. Anyone of a different height, shape, and wearing a different helmet, may have a completely different experience. The same goes for any over-the-counter earplugs, but the customs are a different story.

Ultimately, I will say that "quiet" is as much or more about the choice of helmet worn
rather than any choice of mc.
At speed, a Harley will be relatively "quiet" – if you aren't wearing a helmet ...
but then, I ain't goin' there ! for any number of reasons !

Thanks MS , that was the plainest explanation I've ever read , unfortunately it's also what I suspected .The next step is custom earplugs ,then ,very likely a new Shoei .

Major Softie wrote:I've noticed no difference between R and K bikes. The difference is between naked, partial fairing, full fairing, and see-through windshield fairings.

The only thing I have found quieter than naked is a full fairing with see-through windshield (ala Goldwings, American LT's, and some RT's). I wear earplugs with everything except the see-through option, and I've never owned one of those - ridden, but never owned.

I like the weather protection of a mid-size fairing with a see-over windshield (like my R1100RS with various different windshields), but it's definitely not the quietest option. An RT with a just-barely-see-over-windshield is much more weather protection, but I don't know if it's really much quieter.

Keep in mind that ANYTHING anyone else tells you about the performance of any particular machine, fairing, or windshield only applies to them. Anyone of a different height, shape, and wearing a different helmet, may have a completely different experience. The same goes for any over-the-counter earplugs, but the customs are a different story.

I use "musians earplugs". Custom molded with sound attenuators at 25 db. Also available at 10, 15 & 20 db. They lower all frequencies the same rather than like solid earplugs that pass low frequencies but cut high frequency noise.

Thanks George ...
I have a mate who in the sound side of the music industry .I'll ask him where to look over here .

George Ryals wrote:I use "musians earplugs". Custom molded with sound attenuators at 25 db. Also available at 10, 15 & 20 db. They lower all frequencies the same rather than like solid earplugs that pass low frequencies but cut high frequency noise.

George, why would you want those? The wind noise is almost all up in the higher frequencies. I actually prefer the solid plugs for riding. For working in the theatre, THEN I like the full frequency plugs.

I've tried custom molded earplugs with no success. Might be my ear shape. I got the ones attenuated for music performance as well, and never got what I was looking for. I suggest you try a variety of soft foam plugs from different manufacturers. If you buy in bulk they are cheap. They also vary a great deal from brand to brand. There are some very uncomfortable ones out there as well. I like the fact that you can put new clean ones in whenever you want. I put them in little plastic baggies. Next to my noise canceling ear buds, they have been the best solution.

Major Softie wrote:

George Ryals wrote:I use "musians earplugs". Custom molded with sound attenuators at 25 db. Also available at 10, 15 & 20 db. They lower all frequencies the same rather than like solid earplugs that pass low frequencies but cut high frequency noise.

George, why would you want those? The wind noise is almost all up in the higher frequencies. I actually prefer the solid plugs for riding. For working in the theatre, THEN I like the full frequency plugs.

MS , I had thought that the helmet noise was a low frequency , it's a definite ROAR .What frequencies are we talking about ?

ZM ,I've had almost no success with the over the counter soft plugs of any brand .