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Pigeon |
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Pigeon World Chat Champion
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XBIKER |
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XBIKER Nova Slayer
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OmegaA |
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OmegaA Two Stroke Sniffer
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talkToTheHat |
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talkToTheHat World Chat Champion
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Johanna |
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Johanna Nova Slayer
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Shaft |
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Shaft World Chat Champion
Joined: 27 Dec 2010 Karma :
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Posted: 20:29 - 09 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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Johanna wrote: |
I commute on the motorway on my bike so I started wearing ear plugs today. It felt like I was riding in cotton wool. I felt like my peripheral vision was impaired because my hearing wasn't as good as normal. I really hated it! I'm going to persist and hopefully the numb feeling will go away so I can enjoy the ride again. Those who wear ear plugs - was it dull and cotton-wooley at first? Did it get better?
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I started wearing earplugs regularly about 3 years ago, prompted by a change of helmet, as my new lid seemed substantially louder (went from a Shoei Raid to an Arai Chaser V) and I've already got a slight hearing issue from too many years DJing.
I don't use anything special, just cheap expanding foam pellets, but they seem to do the trick.
First reaction was similar to you, I felt rather remote from the outside world and the first time I did a decent length ride on a busy NSL road, I felt so disorientated I had to stop and take them out, I actually felt I was losing my balance.
It only took a couple of days to get used to them though and now I almost never ride without them, to the point that when I do, it seems a bit weird.
One thing that does concern me slightly is I have a very good ear for new squeaks, rattles and generally unusual mechanical sounds; this is now blunted and I'm worried I might miss the early stages of something nasty happening, but I'll have to live with that. ____________________ Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
WooHoo, I'm a Man Point Millionaire! https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=234035 |
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Motorhate |
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Motorhate Nearly there...
Joined: 02 Aug 2013 Karma :
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MarJay |
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MarJay But it's British!
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B5234FT |
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B5234FT Brolly Dolly
Joined: 28 Sep 2009 Karma :
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Posted: 15:26 - 11 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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Johanna wrote: | I've done a bit of research into this noise thing. I went to the cinema the other day to see Venom, and at some points the film was so loud it was physically painful. Comparing to riding on the motorway I've never felt pain from the noise in my helmet. Various surveys of helmet noise levels say the sound level is around 90-100dB at about 60-70Mph. Obviously I stick to the speed limit strictly, but if I was to go, say, 90-100Mph then it would be getting up to 110-120dB.
The level for physical pain is 120dB, which is the same as a jet fighter flying low overhead and I assume the film was over 120dB at certain points since it was painful. (Edit: I found a study that said they measured 118dB in the film Inception.) Makes sense if the noise in my helmet is sub-120dB.
Apparently the threshold for permanent hearing damage is 85dB. There are regulations preventing cinema staff from being exposed to film noise to protect their hearing but no regulations to protect the audience (except in Belgium).
So the film was obviously way too loud. I should have worn ear plugs.
I commute on the motorway on my bike so I started wearing ear plugs today. It felt like I was riding in cotton wool. I felt like my peripheral vision was impaired because my hearing wasn't as good as normal. I really hated it! I'm going to persist and hopefully the numb feeling will go away so I can enjoy the ride again. Those who wear ear plugs - was it dull and cotton-wooley at first? Did it get better?
Edit again: The study also suggested that the noise level can vary depending on the combination of bike and helmet. If you have a small screen and change to a bigger one you might find that the screen is directing the air into the helmet vents which could increase the noise. It was suggested that one of the worst problem areas on the helmet is the neck opening. A good chin curtain or neck buff can help reduce noise.
I would post a link to these things I was reading but it was a few days ago and I didn't save any of it, sorry... |
I was prompted by a change in helmet as the new one gave off far higher volume of higher frequencies from wind noise at speed.
Like you it felt isolated at first, but you tune in to the mechanical noises after a while. I find that if I forget them now, I cant hear the bike as well, because all I can hear is wind (I suspect because I'm not used to it).
The brains ability to filter noise is quite incredible, SWMBO and MIL are both profoundly deaf and have cochlear implants and the tuning process after the surgery is incredible, noises which are initially unbearably loud fade away in minutes as the brain adjusts to it. |
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ocatoro |
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ocatoro World Chat Champion
Joined: 06 Sep 2012 Karma :
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Posted: 19:05 - 11 Oct 2018 Post subject: |
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Motorhate wrote: |
I recently did a 2500 + tour of Europe using ear plugs for some stretches of the journey and not using them for others. The difference I noticed was, like you, that I could hear my engine a lot clearer without them and preferred it that way, although on long stretches of motorway, you'd really hear a ringing for a long time after in your ears which was a real pain. It's a bit of a compromise using ear-plugs but in the long run, if you value your hearing, regardless of the lid you're wearing, you're better off using them than not. |
just done similar mileage for trip to germany and found quite the opposite. on the way, without plugs, noise was tiring and kept feeling sleepy and a dull buzzing sensation in my brain when we stopped. whereas once I switched and used earplugs for the rest of the trip and the journey home... I was able to focus more and my fatigue levels were much much lower. I also found that while you do lose some noise, it does tend to be the wind which then has the effect of isolating the engine noise so it becomes much more clear and pronounced. ____________________ CBT - 17/09/12 * Theory - 23/10/12 * Mod1 - 05/03/13 * Mod2 - 25/03/13 * BOSH!
Current - None but shed project H100 (first bike )
Past - ER5, '93 ZZR600, '92 CB400 SF, ZZR600 (again), yellow Monster 620, Blackbird - black Monster 620ie - '96 ZZR600 |
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MisterPrice10... |
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MisterPrice10... Derestricted Danger
Joined: 25 Sep 2018 Karma :
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 5 years, 239 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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