Hearing Protection

I’ve changed my moulded to a company called ultimate ear and the ear buds so I can plug into Cardo and hear the satnav, they use a dual compound, so harder Boddy and soft surgical grade for the bit that goes in the ear canal.
Only been using them for awhile but very comfortable so far.

 

I also tried a substance called Sugru. Look it up, might be worth a try?

 

I use the 3M disposable plugs. Cheap, and very effective.

 

+1 for the 3M EARSoft FX disposable ear plugs. Just purchased a box of 200 pairs off ebay which should keep me going for a while.

 

Ultimate Ear pro3,...and others from the company. Should have gone to the top straight away. And some simple blanks with air channel when wanting semi-silence.

 

Two of us bought the bespoke moulded ear plugs kit many years ago, both used them once and went back to the Howard Leight which have been the best. Have never tried any of the above suggestions but may be worth buying a couple of different makes to try?

 

I’ve tried all sorts. For me it’s the disposable soft rhubarb and custard types. Nick a slack handful from work if you can

 

I started to suffer hearing issues due to bikes, and tested a lot of differing ones, It depends on the bike/helmet combo as different plugs attenuate at differing frequencies... and everyone's bike/screen/exhaust/helmet is different.

Saying that I did settle on Howard Leight max 1 as my go to plug, they do depend on correctly inserting - I do go quite far into the ear canal. Also they definitely "wear out"... not entirely sure how this works, but the sound attenuation degrades in use.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06Y2BQ15R?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

I find these to be comfortable and effective, allowing just enough engine noise etc to get through.

 

Another for 3M here.

 

I have damaged hearing in one ear and have got Auritech and Pinlock reusable plugs…Auritech are ok for short journeys (not so good for motorway stints), have always been tempted by the bespoke jobs, but for longer days I use Moldex Spark Plugs. 20 pairs for <£5 on Amazon.

Pinlock plugs = complete waste of time/money.

 

I use the same having used the HW Max1s for years. More comfortable and slightly better noise attenuation.

That's a good price

One thing I've done for quite a while is snip off the very tip of each plug. They seat better, no longer put pressure on my inner ear and are less likely to reverse themselves out immediately after insertion. Still kill the noise just a effectively. Sometimes a little harder to remove, using a key to just lift the flange works, but worth doing IMHO.

 

I have a set of ultimate ear jobbies. But I still use the HL rhubarb and custard ones. Dont matter if you lose em and I buy 200 packs. So theres always a spare set in a pocket somewhere.

 

Hearing protection is as personal as your choice of tyre, you need to try the different styles to find what’s best for your requirement. I’ve always been happy with the yellow foam jobbies and I like these, https://www.infinitymotorcycles.com/product/pinlock-earplugs-with-case but over the years I’ve gravitated to moulded inserts, Ultimate Ear with filters being my current choice. IME, using coms make choosing a challenge and I’ve yet to find an ear plug that works at motorway speeds but then I ride a Multistrada and at 6’4”, there isn’t a screen I’ve found that eliminates the noise. Andy

 

I’ve tried various custom-moulded and standard foam plugs. I discovered not all custom plugs are created equal – it’s all in the skill who takes the mould.

My best-fitting and, therefore, quietest plugs were made by Ultimate Ear after I’d chatted with them about ensuring a good fit/seal. Surprisingly, I learned there’s things that can be done to adjust the seal when moulding custom plugs.

My new custom plugs are significantly quieter and comfier than my old foam ones.

 

After trying foam plugs and not getting on with them I was looking for an alternative but at the time could not afford moulded plugs. So tried Blu-tack. Still using it 14 years later. I know this will get laughed at but it works so well for ear protection it's just a no brainer for me.

A small cone shaped and pushed gently into a clean ear will last me almost a season of racing. Pulls out easily enough and only had a handful of times it took more than one pull to get it out.

I've got hearing damage from loud music so am very careful with my ears so would suggest people try it before taking piss to much.....

Almost regretting posting this already but it really does work.

 

Interesting idea. Do they completely isolate or can you still hear some noise? I rely on being able to hear some ambient noise for both situational awareness but also for comms and sat nav. The 3M plugs do this quite well.

On a side note; comms systems work OK with foam earplugs but are only effective at motorway speeds if the speakers are centralised over the ear canal and practically 'kissing' the ear. With fine tuning using velcro and slices of dense foam to reposition the ear pieces on my Sena headset are audible at 90mph. Relying on their position achieved using the clip in carriers that came with the headset for my Shoe GT Air I could only make out instructions or hear my touring buddy up to about 50mph.

Granted you can get moulded plugs with monitors but frankly I'd rather spend the not is significant money they cost elsewhere.

 

Haha...luv it! Do you take it out between races?