Well I have just returned home from the hospital having undergone my three yearly hearing test - it has deteriorated once more. I have lost the higher frequencies and so I have had to have my hearing aids adjusted (total cost for the hearing aids to me £0 - you have to love the NHS).

The cause of the hearing loss is, I am convinced, due to not wearing ear plugs for many years when riding motorbikes. I guess I rode for about 10 years without plugs. Since I started using ear plugs (about 20 years ago) I have always ridden with them and have been increasingly protective of my hearing. It is only in the last 5 years that I have noticed the hearing loss and I have had hearing aids for 3 years.

If you are riding without earplugs I would really urge you to start - the damage I did years ago is still appearing now and will continue to do so for years to come.

Am I In a small minority in experiencing this and if not should there be some push to promote hearing protection more within the entire motorcycle community - I am aware that there are products out there That do this but they seem to be quite niche products currently.

On a slightly different tack with my hearing aids I have asked if they can fit a “wife’s voice filter“ but apparently there is no such thing on the market. I assume that this is because there is no demand as most men filter it out naturally.