• Ciao Guest - You’ve landed at the ultimate Guzzi site. NEW FORUM REGISTRATIONS REQUIRE EMAIL ACTIVATION - CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER - Use the CONTACT above if you need help. New to the forum? For all new members, we require ONE post in the Introductions section at the bottom, in order to post in most of the other sections. ALWAYS TRY A SEARCH BEFORE STARTING A NEW TOPIC - Most questions you may have, have likely been already answered. DON'T BE A DRIVE-BY POSTER: As a common courtesy, check back in and reply within 24 hours, or your post will be deleted. Note there's decades of heavily experienced Guzzi professionals on this site, all whom happily give endless amounts of their VALUABLE time for free; BE COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL!
  • There is ZERO tolerance on personal attacks and ANY HYPERLINKS to PRODUCT(S) or other competing website(s), including personal pages, social media or other Forums. This ALSO INCLUDES ECU DIAGnostic software, questions and mapping. We work very hard to offer commercially supported products and to keep info relevant here. First offense is a note, second is a warning, third time will get you banned from the site. We don't have the time to chase repeat (and ignorant) offenders. This is NOT a social media platform; It's an ad-free, privately funded website, in small help with user donations. Be sure to see the GTM STORE link above; ALL product purchases help support the site, or you can upgrade your Forum profile or DONATE via the link above.
  • Be sure to see the GTM STORE link also above for our 700+ product inventory, including OEM parts and many of our 100% Made-in-SoCal-USA GTM products and engine kits. In SoCal? Click the SERVICE tab above for the best in service, tires, tuning and installation of our products or custom work, and don't miss our GT MotoCycles® (not) art on the BUILDS tab above. WE'RE HERE ONLINE ONLY - NO PHONE CALLS MADE OR RECEIVED - DO NOT EMAIL AND ASK QUESTIONS OR ASK TO CALL YOU.
  • Like the new V100, GuzziTech is full throttle into the future! We're now running on an all-new server and we've updated our Forum software. The visual differences are obvious, but hopefully you'll notice the super-fast speed. If you notice any glitches or have any issues, please post on the Site Support section at the bottom. If you haven't yet, please upgrade your account which is covered in the Site Support section or via the DONATE tab above, which gives you full site access including the DOWNLOADS section. We really appreciate every $ and your support to keep this site ad-free. Create an account, sign in, upgrade your account, and enjoy. See you on the road in 2024.

Protecting your hearing(cross post on WG)

Muley

Muley

Cruisin' Guzzisti
Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
182
Location
Twiggs County, Georgia
Yesterday, while I was waiting to unload my bike at the shop, a nice lady asked me if I wanted a free hearing screening. I agreed and filled out the necessary paperwork. The doc was in a back office conducting the test on another volunteer, so I wandered around, unloaded the bike, talked to the mechanic and shop owner, etc. When I went back inside, the doctor was ready for me, and she started by putting some kind of fiber optic thingamigig in each ear and the picture was displayed on a laptop computer. Fortunately, for the rest of you, I'm not able to post those pictures :laugh:

After looking at the innards and assorted goodies in my ear canals, we went to the back and did the hearing test. I've been basically deaf in my left ear since birth or a very young age, not sure when it happened, but it's nerve damage and incurable. My right ear, thankfully, works very well, and I've learned to be quite selective about certain sounds so I can identify specific things over the din. I cannot hear directionally at all, and a siren on an ambulance or police vehicle, or even a horn blowing causes a momentary crisis until I can actually see the source of the warning.

Anyway, I am concerned about hearing loss in my "good" ear so I normally use some sort of protection when working with loud machinery, shooting a gun, etc. The doc found that I have almost no hearing in my left ear which was no surprise at all so she moved on to the other one. I tested very good in all but the high frequencies where I had a significant loss of hearing . She said it was due to shooting guns AND riding a motorcycle without ear plugs:( I knew it was a good idea to protect my ears when riding even though I wear a full face helmet, but hearing all the mechanical and exhaust sounds always seemed to be a good way to "listen" for problems. I have seen many acquaintances insert ear plugs before they ride, so I know many of you are aware of the dangers already. But for those who are not aware of the risks, the doc said it is very important to have ear protection no matter what kind of helmet and what kind of bike you're riding.

Today I plan to mow a pecan orchard with a tractor, and I suppose I'll start using the ear plugs regularly from now on :dry:

After all, we don't want to miss out on that wonderful Guzzi music because we listened to that same music too long without protection :)
 
Muley,

I ride with plugs, the disposable type. Not only do they protect, but they also greatly reduce fatigue when riding and in my case, help concentration. As for the noises you like to hear, believe me you will quickly learn to pick them out again, and you hear the quieter bike but hardly any wind noise.

With them in I can still talk to mates while at red lights too.

cheers Robert
 
Proper ear plugs won't block out relevant mechanical noises, just the little ones that are nothing but a source of misplaced wondering about whether something is coming off or otherwise wrong ;) They will however filter out much of the wind noise, and that's the one that causes damage (on most Guzzis anyway). You might be amazed at how much better you hear other sounds when your brain doesn't have to shut your hearing off to avoid noise-induced fatigue.
It's not very nice in town, but not impossible either.
 
I wear custom fitted musicians earplugs. They came with a 25db and 15db filter. I always ride with them. Normally around and about I use the 15db filter, but on longer trips I put in the 25db.
 
This is a really good sense thread IMHO.

Ear plugs for me have been a must for a hundred years or so - ever since the foam plugs became available. Tired of dropping and losing them, I now use custom-moulded silicone plugs in bright orange and joined by a fine nylon cord which passes behind my neck. Although the plugs rarely are dislodged when my helmet is removed, if it does happen it's only ever one, and the cord stops it from dropping on the ground. Definitely the most effective, comfortable and hygenic plugs I've used. They can be made to accommodate earphones etc too.
 
Graham said :

I now use custom-moulded silicone plugs in bright orange and joined by a fine nylon cord

Graham, are these the type that are water tight and can be used for swimming ? I have a pair of those but thought they were just designed to keep water out. It didn't occur to me that they were for noise reduction also.

My problem with any ear plugs is moisture in the ear canals caused by stopping ventilation, for want of a better word. The end result is that my ear canals start itching. I mostly wear ear muff type protection when using a chain saw or shooting a gun, etc., but, of course, that won't work under a helmet.

I might try out the molded ones next motorcyle ride.

Thanks for the idea.:)
 
Muley

Mine are Plugz 4 Lugz brand. I understand that's an international franchise outfit. Having a few ear hairs these days may ensure enough breathing space so that I've never had any ear comfort issues, even after several hours wearing them. Don't know if they'd be waterproof, but probably not, since they don't wedge in tightly so much as become held in by your ear configurations. They are sold here regularly at bike race meetings etc and when the selling firm visits factories etc. Cost about $65NZ from memory. Did I mention readily washable? That too. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top