Most helmets don't provide much in the way of ear protection, sound-wise. The anti-helmet folks would have you believe that the helmet blocks out important sounds and is therefore less safe. I don't believe that is true. My Shoei RF-1000 seems to act as a resonant chamber or somesuch and actually increases some perceived noise levels. I wear foam ear plugs I get at Wal-Mart (the only thing I go there for), they are short and fat and rated (per the box info) at 29 db reduction. I wear them 100% of the time. Below is my standard ear protection rant:
Well, we've discussed this before on this forum and others. I usually try to keep my opinions to myself, but as a tinnitus sufferer, I just cannot stay away from this. "WEAR YOUR EARPLUGS!!!"
I only can think of three people upon whom I would wish this living hell. Imagine having a 5-HP vacuum cleaner or leaf blower strapped to the back of your neck and having to listen to it 24/7 FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Okay, so depending on your marital status, this may or may not be a change for you, but I'm single so I should NOT have to put up with this.
Tinnitus is the "ringing" in your ears you hear after being subjected to a loud noise, except that it is a continuous ringing, buzzing, sometimes clicking, whining, whirring, etc.. Every noise beyond a certain loudness threshold causes a little damage and it all adds up. The noise damages the little hairs in your ear canal, you hear the ringing, and it goes away, but only about 98% goes away. Then the next time, 98% goes away, then the next time........... Pretty soon all those little 2%'s add up to a continuous ringing THAT NEVER GOES AWAY. It is your own little friend that will be with you always.
I spent too many years around aircraft and using power tools, shooting, etc., etc. All those piston and jet engines, pneumatic tools, drills, rivet guns, un-muffled shooting ("Hey, it's just a .22/.357/.44/whatever").
Now I live where I can hear the deer fart in the back yard, but mostly I hear
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Think of the aforementioned vacuum cleaner with a smoke alarm in the background and the hum of a large air-conditioner all going on at once. It very often makes trying to get to sleep a very trying experience.
For you who ride bikes and also shoot and use power tools regularly, etc., you need to pay special attention as you are getting multiple hits that are (ARE, not MIGHT be) adding up to permanent ear damage.
Comparing ear protection to wearing a helmet is not the same thing. You may ride for 50 years and a million miles and never have an accident in which a helmet would have helped you. But you are getting ear-damaging noise ALL the time and it is adding up. If you had a passenger sitting behind you smacking you in the back of the head with a ball-peen hammer 30 times per second you'd probably want a helmet, ya think? That's what your bike engine is doing to your ears.
Helmets don't block noise, mostly they act as resonant chambers and actually increase the amount of noise that is reaching your eardrums. I know my SHOEI RF1000 resonates a lot, especially with the face shield closed.
If you think earplugs with hurt your "situational awareness" then you really need to try it out. You'll find they don't hurt anything. They do NOT block out emergency vehicle sirens, car horns, etc. I know some people who won't wear them for those reasons, but those same people get into their sound-proofed SUV's and roll the windows up and crank the CD player up to max and that drowns out WAAAAAY more ambient sound than foam earplugs. My opinion is they can make you better able to distinguish the sounds you need to hear by helping to block out that "white noise" of the engine, lifters, cam chains, tires, etc. What's left is the important stuff you need to hear.
It may be illegal in your state to wear earplugs (doubtful, Washington State bans earphones for CAR drivers, but allowance is made for motorcycles to have speakers in the helmets, to allow for rider/passenger communications devices). Even if it were illegal, you won't get caught unless you are doing something to attract the attention of a LEO, and have him/her notice the plugs when you pull your helmet. Which means you are willing to break the SOME kind of law, like roaring around at 90 MPH in a 60MPH zone, so why worry about the little extra fine for the earplugs, if any? Sweep them out of your ears onto the ground as you remove your helmet, the cop will likely never notice them. If they do, take the drug-droppers stance and say, "Hey, not mine, man.". I doubt they'll make you do a DNA test on the earwax. I suspect that most LEO's understand and will not hassle you about it anyway. After all, they all shoot and do other noisy things and many of them ride motorcycles also. Personally, I'd rather go to court and argue the earplugs, at least I'd be able to hear the judge. I'd gladly pay the State of Washington $100 per month for the rest of my life if it meant getting rid of the tinnitus.
Long ago the FAA and NTSB identified cockpit noise and the resulting fatigue as important factors in aircraft accidents. Loud noise levels for long periods cause an incredible amount of fatigue, which is dangerous for motorcycle riders as well as pilots. I agree that I am much less tired after a long ride when I have good ear plugs in, which is ALWAYS now.
Don' t fool yourself that your iPod earbuds are "drowning out" other noises. Unless they are the type that actually blocks outside noise and/or use active noise-cancelling technology, they are just adding to the already dangerous decibel level, making things worse. One of the insidious problems with tinnitus is that as it gets worse, and the ringing in your ears increases, then you will tend to turn up the volume of the TV or stereo, or whatever, to drown out the ringing. Which causes more ear damage so your ears ring louder, so you crank up the volume........you see where this is heading.
Like the arguments about helmets and other protective gear, you're all free to do what you want and I don't think we should have laws mandating it, but I tend to listen (pun intended) to those who speak from experience, and I will say again, tinnitus due to PREVENTABLE ear damage is something you do NOT want to experience. WEAR YOUR EAR PLUGS!!!!
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