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Ear Plugs???? Ear Plugs????
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Photo by Alessio Corradini, on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, of two locals

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Photo by Alessio Corradini,
on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
of two locals



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  #1  
Old 1 Jun 2008
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Ear Plugs????
Ok have just got myself a MX helmet for summer use. But I didn’t realise how loud the wind noise is so who wears ear plugs and what would you recommend? Is it worth buying 200 and use a pair each time I go out or should I opt for reusable plugs which I can just wash (if such things exist)?
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  #2  
Old 1 Jun 2008
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I always use ear plugs on the bike if I'm going more than 10 minutes. I also work in an oil refinery which is even noisier than the bike. At work we use Howard Leight | Hearing Protection and Hearing Conservation | The right fit for every user, every environment
I think if they're good enough for a refinery they're good enough for me on my bike. The only thing to remember about these and probably any other earplugs is, you must put them in correctly or else you're wasting your time. I.E. follow the instructions.


Quote:
Originally Posted by grendel View Post
Ok have just got myself a MX helmet for summer use. But I didn’t realise how loud the wind noise is so who wears ear plugs and what would you recommend? Is it worth buying 200 and use a pair each time I go out or should I opt for reusable plugs which I can just wash (if such things exist)?
Last edited by JimOD; 1 Jun 2008 at 20:28.
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  #3  
Old 1 Jun 2008
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I wear earplugs for any sustained ride whether that be road or off road.

I have a pair of custom made moulded rubber things. They fit great, don't move about and can be washed. I use them on the bike, shooting, at work and even to sleep on a plane or a noisey campsite.

They were quite expensive but way better than the throw away ones. A little man comes and takes a cast of your ear then sends you the plugs a week or so later. They can even make them with speakers in if you wanted them for a phone / tomtom / ipod.
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Old 1 Jun 2008
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I've had custom made earplugs and they didn't work very well for me .
My advice would be to try out a few cheap industrial ear plugs and buy a big box of the ones that you like best .
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Old 1 Jun 2008
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I use the "industrial" ones as well. They are fine and can be reused for quite a long time, although they start looking nasty after you rolled them with oily hands a couple of times (-:

Get a tiny plastic box for the plugs so they dont lie exposed in your pocket.
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Old 2 Jun 2008
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middle option
i have a pair of silicon ones, cost me much more than the disposable ones and much less than custom made ones, work pretty well i think.

use them every time i ride more than a half hour, though i take them out if i will be in traffic for a while.

recommended by hearing specialists, especially if you want to ride until you get old.

cheers,
andy.
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  #7  
Old 2 Jun 2008
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I use 'industrial' ear plugs - little yellow blobs that fit my ears better than the usual green ones.
As I have one troublesome ear I identify left/right plugs so there's no chance of passing bugs from one ear to the other. I keep them in a small tin with spare ones in a little zip bag so everything stays nice and clean.
I wash them after two/three days with ordinary soap and water and leave them overnight to dry. They swell up loads when wet but shrink back down to normal size after a couple of days.

Don't put damp/dirty plugs in your ears as you'll encourage infection that can damage your ear drum or inner ear.
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Old 2 Jun 2008
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I tend to use the Howard Leight?ones - Max (lite too) plugs. Green or orange or the yellow&pink ones. They're all good but try them out and see what works for you. They can also be washed although the repeated squeezing breaks down the foam and they become less effective as well as the obvious hygene issue. Some expand too quickly to put in your ears when warm!

I also have some motosafe latexy ones with the the green or yellow attenuators that plug in the ends but you need to use the applicator to get them into your ears and they can be worrisome to get out again (don't panic)!

I spent 4months in africa and probably used about 30 pairs with the motosafe ones as a backup pair.

Always wear them.
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  #9  
Old 2 Jun 2008
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Ear plugs!
Hi All, I use these, very good and about £12-14 from HG's
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net....html:scooter:
TDMalcolm
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Old 2 Jun 2008
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got moulded ones that were quite expensive but worth it for hearing protection (remember once it's damaged, it's damaged for good) ...only downside is that if you don't put them in totally right they really hurt the outer part of your ear. I always carry a spare pair of the disposable ones to swap with when that happens.
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Old 2 Jun 2008
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I've heard it suggested that a rolled-up condom in each ear is good in an emergency.
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Old 2 Jun 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodger View Post
I've had custom made earplugs and they didn't work very well for me .
My advice would be to try out a few cheap industrial ear plugs and buy a big box of the ones that you like best .
Good advice, cheap and plentiful are the best. And it's worth doing, there are a lot of deaf old bikers out there...


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  #13  
Old 2 Jun 2008
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Apline ear plugs (not your average ear plug)
I like having the ability to change the sound level. These are for those that do not want to $2.00 pair however thay also do not want to spend the $60. or $200. Check them out at
<title>motorcycling provisions corp. TWO WHEEL JOURNAL</title>
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  #14  
Old 2 Jun 2008
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Halfrauds have a bag of 30 for 5.99 if I remember well.
Good value, work well, can get two weeks from one pair (everyday).
Just remember to wash them in boiling water with a little spirit vinegar to break down the fats about once every 4 days or so.
Enjoy the added savings in the form of fuel.
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  #15  
Old 2 Jun 2008
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Yes, all the time especially when riding with my Harley mates.
I work on an air base so we are supplied with earplugs from www.e-a-r.com
for working on Tornado.
Cheers
Ian
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