After doing quite a lot of research on the subject I have found that wind noise for motorcycle riders is actually a very serious issue. A lot of us ride with fairings that keep the wind from blowing us off our bikes making it much more comfortable for long distance cruising. You may also think that your fairing is helping to protect your ears from wind noise damage. Not so. Not unless your fairing is one of the huge kind that sticks up way over your head and you are looking through the windshield. If you are like most of us, your fairing keeps most of the wind blast off your body but still allows you to see over the top of the fairing. If you are in this camp then you are still dealing with the buffeting wind noise. Especially if you are in dirty air. Sound familiar?? Actually, a completely naked bike is easier on your ears than most faired bikes (unless your have the monster fairing). It's that buffeting noise that causes havoc on your ears. I have tinitus in my ears, (constant ringing) and believe me, you do not want tinitus. I have to use a nature sound machine at night to help me go to sleep.
Which brings me to....... I have recently road tested two noise reduction products that attach to your helmet (in addition to ear plugs). One product is called "Quiet Rider" helmet closure, and the other is called the "Windjammer". http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/windjammer/helmet-wind-blocker.htm Both products are neoprene type material that fit over the head opening of your helmet to help reduce wind noise from entering base of helmet. I much prefer the "Windjammer" over the "Quiet Rider". The Quiet Rider is a real pain to install on some of the newer helmets and doesn't work as well IMHO. On the other hand, the "Windjammer" is easy to fit on your helmet and really works quite well. It really takes the edge off the noise coming in under your helmet. Try this experiment. Go out on the highway and take your bad boy motorcycle up at least to 60 mph and then take your hand or hands (if you have throttle lock) and place them underneath your helmet below your ears and against your neck. If you notice a significant reduction in wind noise (I did) then this product will work for you. The thing I like about the Windjammer is that you can fit it so that the entry hole is small or large depending on your comfort and how tight a fit you desire around the neck. It has a semi adhesive border that fits completely around the base of your helmet and doesn't slip. The higher up you fit it on the helmet, the larger the hole, and vice versa. As you can see by the below pics, I fit mine so that the entry hole is on the small side giving me maximum noise protection. It is very easy to remove at any time and reinstall later.
The down side? It's a little harder to get the helmet on, but now that I have used it a number of time I am quite used to it. Also you of course don't get as much ventilation as before making it a little bit warmer and stuffy than before especially when stopped. No problem when on the move. Lastly, you simply don't hear the engine as well as before. This thing really works. All those negatives are a good trade for me if it reduces the chance that my tinitus will get any worse. Tinitus is a real game changer. I will give up motorcycling completely if I think the noise is damaging. I hope this has been of some benefit to others out there who are concerned about their hearing.
I have absolutely no official interest in any of these products. Just someone who likes sharing news of a worthy product. :-*
Which brings me to....... I have recently road tested two noise reduction products that attach to your helmet (in addition to ear plugs). One product is called "Quiet Rider" helmet closure, and the other is called the "Windjammer". http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/windjammer/helmet-wind-blocker.htm Both products are neoprene type material that fit over the head opening of your helmet to help reduce wind noise from entering base of helmet. I much prefer the "Windjammer" over the "Quiet Rider". The Quiet Rider is a real pain to install on some of the newer helmets and doesn't work as well IMHO. On the other hand, the "Windjammer" is easy to fit on your helmet and really works quite well. It really takes the edge off the noise coming in under your helmet. Try this experiment. Go out on the highway and take your bad boy motorcycle up at least to 60 mph and then take your hand or hands (if you have throttle lock) and place them underneath your helmet below your ears and against your neck. If you notice a significant reduction in wind noise (I did) then this product will work for you. The thing I like about the Windjammer is that you can fit it so that the entry hole is small or large depending on your comfort and how tight a fit you desire around the neck. It has a semi adhesive border that fits completely around the base of your helmet and doesn't slip. The higher up you fit it on the helmet, the larger the hole, and vice versa. As you can see by the below pics, I fit mine so that the entry hole is on the small side giving me maximum noise protection. It is very easy to remove at any time and reinstall later.
The down side? It's a little harder to get the helmet on, but now that I have used it a number of time I am quite used to it. Also you of course don't get as much ventilation as before making it a little bit warmer and stuffy than before especially when stopped. No problem when on the move. Lastly, you simply don't hear the engine as well as before. This thing really works. All those negatives are a good trade for me if it reduces the chance that my tinitus will get any worse. Tinitus is a real game changer. I will give up motorcycling completely if I think the noise is damaging. I hope this has been of some benefit to others out there who are concerned about their hearing.
I have absolutely no official interest in any of these products. Just someone who likes sharing news of a worthy product. :-*
