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Ear Plugs???? Ear Plugs????
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  #1  
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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  #2  
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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  #3  
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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  #4  
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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  #5  
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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  #6  
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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  #7  
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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  #8  
Old 3 Jun 2008
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wrong link!
Quote:
Originally Posted by TDMalcolm View Post
Hi All, I use these, very good and about £12-14 from HG's
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net....html:scooter:
TDMalcolm
Hi Guys, Sorry my link went wrong i use the alpines plugs like 2spark uses...very good
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  #9  
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...


Matt
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  #10  
Old 3 Jun 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Cartney View Post
..there are a lot of deaf old bikers out there...
Ehh??? Whats that you say laddie ??? ;-)

I use ear plugs at night (girlie snores), but on the bike as I dont like losing one of my senses - especially in town traffic. On a long run I'll wear them, reluctantly.

Then there's all those things you miss out on, the music of the exhaust, the rattle of loose valves, the jingle of spanners as your toolkit falls out & bounces up the road...

As for recycling old yellow foam earplugs - wash with hot soapy water, rinse, squish out the excess water then microwave them ! The microwave makes them dry, big, soft & squishy again.
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  #11  
Old 3 Jul 2008
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i talked with my ear doc and she told me that the foam yellow or orange ones that are expandable, the ones they usually hand out for free, are better to use than the ones that just push in with no expansion. so i go with the cheepies and i use them until i loose them or i just need a new pair
cheers
josh
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  #12  
Old 3 Jul 2008
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I use custom made plugs, yes they are expensive but would not go back to the cheep ones now.

Check out there website for all the technical info, and who else uses them.

ultimate ear protection | Hearing Protection | Ear Plugs | Hearing and Ear Protection Manufacturers London UK | Best Ear Plugs
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  #13  
Old 6 Jul 2008
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Had exactly the same problem when I got my XT and MX lid.

I used to use the classic yellow E.A.R foam ones at work. Cheap, reusable and efficient, as you roll them up to get them in, then they expand out to fill the gaps. Truly a one size fits all solution. Big box full at the workshop entrance, which we could help ourselves to, but I have to buy my own now, so...

Bought some rubbery ones from Homebase, which come on a tub which would hold about 50, but only contain one set on a string to stop you losing one. Which are great. Look like electricity pylon spacers / insulators, and work brilliantly. I should definately clean them far more often though...
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