listening to music while riding

[nick.h]

is it legal or sensible? i was wondering if it is offputting or if anybody does it?
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[Italjet MM5A] ll [Rieju RS1 Evolution] ll [Suzuki GS500e] ll [Suzuki GSX600F] ll [Honda CG125] ll [Pug Elyseo 125] ll [Yamaha YZF750R] ll [Yamaha Thunderace] ll [Yamaha R6] ll [Triumph 955i] ll [Hayabusa RZK3] ll [Suzuki RGV250] ll

[Weed]

i was also wondering this...

[CBRPETER]

its not so much off putting, but it will distract your attention from the road, which eventually will cause an accident, legally im not sure.
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Shes my life, shes so rad and shes the best ride i ever had!!

[Jebus]

its legal big tourers and such have them fitted

[NickD]

It's something I have often done, paticularly on long journeys, and I've never had a problem with it. From a practical point of view the biggest issue is finding phones that fit comfortably under a lid. From a distraction point of view I would question the fact that it is, as music is generally something that is processed idly by the brain, as opposed to a conversation that you may have while driving, for example, where the incoming data is new information, and requires thought in order to generate a specific response. The two completely different kind of input (riding and listening to music) are processed by completely different attention centres in the brain, and it's unlikely that there will be conflict between the two. Try it, and if you're ok with it, just do it.
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I was only doing what it said on my licence officer....
Tear along the dotted line!

[Weed]

ok...will do, if your stopped by a copper though, where would you stand? do you reckon they would "slap your wrists" or what?!

[NickD]

It's never come up as far as I know, but I can't see the law having any justification to even attempt a slap on the wrists. There are no problems with car stereos, or talking to your passenger when driving a car, so it shouldn't be an issue. Most bike to bike/ bike to pillion intercoms now have a radio facility, so I can see no legal problems.
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I was only doing what it said on my licence officer....
Tear along the dotted line!

[The Tot]

Here's a tip for finding earphones that fit, put the L earpiece into your right and vice versa - works a treat for me, and the curvature of the piece is such that it stays in place within the ear. Give it a try - i've also removed the noise suppressors in the ear for my HJC lid to facilitate headphones.

In the legal terms, i could say that it's just the same as a person listening to radio 1 in the morning in thier car. It's just AS distracting. I also believe the right type of music can be a stimulus for good riding, making you more alert in the morning - i.e. concentrating more on lines, awareness and speed etc. I believe we have the same chance as getting involved in an accident when listening to music as does a pedestrian listening to their walkman, ipod or whaterver they have these days at full volume. It's just the same in my opinion, but the increased exposure to hazards that two-wheelers have puts us at risk - the law needs to me made clear for us - it's just a massive grey area like my cataracts!
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The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[AcIdBuRnZ]

Yeah, but someone listening to Megadeath on a ZX-10 on a Sunday morning ride is just asking for trouble. I wrote a car off once while thrashing it to Iron Maiden

I can say from personal experience that music does distract you from the road - best left to the stereo at home
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[CBRPETER]

lol . Listening to music will probably not distract you if your just going easy, in the case of an emergency it WILL delay your reaction time.
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Shes my life, shes so rad and shes the best ride i ever had!!

[Weed]

so a lesiurely drive on a sunday afternoon on my 100cc shouldnt be a huge problem with music?

GREAT!! where are my earphones!

[JodieWodie]

I do listen to my ipod/headphones occasionally...mainly on a Sunday going along lanes, quiet roads..etc...
I LOVE listening my Linkin Park and Lost Prophets
I don't have it TOO loud though.....I like to hear some of the outside world too...
It is SUCH therapy...on my bike...just me....

I do not, however, play my music in rush hour traffic, on busy days, etc..where I need to concentrate more.

It's like nkd says...try it, see how you get on...everyone has their own concentration level with stuff like this.

JO x
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Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow"

[Azmodeus]

I havent tried this, though in theory it should be fine.

Get youself some of those button-headphones, you know, the small round ones which go inside your ear. Hey presto - nothing to catch the helmet on

The onyl problem for me is A) Don have anything which is vibration-proof (only got a CD-walkman) and B) Nowhere to store it.

[AcIdBuRnZ]

I reckon that the faster the music, the faster you will ride/drive. Just my theory.

If I had hard pumping heavy metal music in my helmet, I'd wrap the bike round the first tree. But one of the reasons that I ride a bike is to escape from everything, even music.

MArk
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Past: Honda NSR125R >> Kawasaki ER-5a2 >> Kawasaki ZZR-600e1 >> Suzuki GSXR-750Y >> Honda VTR 1000 Firestorm
"Chickity China the Chinese Chicken..."

[pipnet11]

Iv often wondered about this, but never really been too bothered about it till now when i might actually be on the bike more than half an hour at a time. Not sure how safe it would be though.

Phill
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I love the girls that do, I hate the girls that dont, I hate the girls who say they will and then they say they wont, but the girl I like most of all and I think youll say Im right, is the girl who says she never has but looks as though she might. - Max Bygraves

[The Tot]

NOTE TO ALL: Never ever listen to thrash or death metal - especially the scandinavian stuff by Inflames or Arch Enemy, Lamb of God, Killswitch etc - you know the drill - it may give you a boost on a cold morning, but it gave me the wrong sort of boost whilst i was filtering my XR on a busy monday morning - and also thinking that i can take fast, sweeping lines down the s-bend on my road. It has a psychological effect of turning you into a mosher on the road and consequently being very very reckless!

Take a page out of Acid's and my book - DO NOT LISTEN TO METAL IF YOU CAN HELP IT, that is if you're on a mission to lose your license . Having said that, i mite listen to Sonata Arctica on the way to college tomorrow
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The Tot 2007 Yamaha R1 4C8 2002 Yamaha FZS1000 Fazer &
www.youtube.com/Titot182 for your bike gear reviews and pop punk covers
Earl Of Easycore Pop Punk Will Never Die!

[RS1Banger]

I like to hear my engine doing 13000rpm through the gears (and listen for the noise 2 smokes make before they sieze), don't need no tunes.

[tgabber]

I sing to myself on long boring motorway journeys...

Trouble is I find I just keep repeating the same few phrases over and over again and it gets bloody annoying, but once I've got a tune in my head there's no shifting it... except with another one
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"It's all about dislocating expectation"
Kawasaki KMX125 -> Aprilia RS125 -> Kawasaki ZZR600

[Weed]

I'm the same Tgabber, and i can't sing to save my life...so headphones would be a good idea!! Might try it one day

[CBRPETER]

are theyre even any laws regulating listening to music?
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Shes my life, shes so rad and shes the best ride i ever had!!

[iCraig]

Well I listen to my iPod on long journies on my bike, and as far as I know its all above board and legal.

As far as I can tell there is nothing in the highway code concerning it and I can't see anything in the Road Traffic Act (though I only skimmed over the page of the website).

The police however may see it as a distraction if your messing with it whilst riding along trying to change the song/station or if you caused an accident doing such.

[Craggles]

I've ripped a set of headphones apart, so there's only one earpiece - and tend to use that along with a cheap flash mp3 player to listen to music.

Don't find it that much of a distraction - probably less so than randomly singing when I didn't have headphones!

[OT/Techie] Does anyone see any problem with using a potential divider to cut the 12v bike battery down to 1.5v to power the mp3 player?[/OT/Techie]

Craig
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If this signature is blue, you're riding too fast

[AcIdBuRnZ]

[paulodd]

I love listening to my music while riding, ashamed to admit it i also bob along lol. it can be distracting but so can everything else on the road and around you.

[c058y]

Most days I tend to listen to my mp3 player. I have found if I'm not listening to music my mind tends to wonder and I start thinking about what Im doing later that evening when I get home, what to have for dinner, that type of thing.
So I have found that listening to music helps more concerntrate more about whats around me and on the road!