Earplugs a good idea...

[Wanderer]

It's amazing to me me how much less fatigued I am at the end of a long ride when I wear some ear protection.
The first few times I wore earplugs I was less tired after 8 hours than I was after 4-5 with no earplugs. If my ride is more than 10 minutes at 65+ mph, they're in.  

[Busy Little Whiner]

I do not have a soft voice.

Thats what I hear...

[ConPilot1]

It's amazing to me me how much less fatigued I am at the end of a long ride when I wear some ear protection.
The first few times I wore earplugs I was less tired after 8 hours than I was after 4-5 with no earplugs. If my ride is more than 10 minutes at 65+ mph, they're in.  

BIG +1 on that. Nonstop road/wind/white noise is very fatiguing.

Plugs----Hydrate---eat small, eat often         three biggest secrets to LD riding.

[Snapping Twig]

As a 5 year old I lost the audio nerve in my right ear to measles. The vaccine was available just one month after I lost my hearing - talk about irony.

So, my right ear drum is OK, but I can't hear out of that side.

That said, I wear earplugs whenever I do anything noisy. Shooting, moto, etc.

Had a set of those custom ones made at the IMSA show last year and they are FANTASTIC! I wear a Shoei X 11, but just the same, wind noise and my Cobra pipes (cruiser rider) conspire to make you fatigued.

Custom plugs beat the heck out of the standard cylindrical units, foam or otherwise. The custom ones are flat and not impacted by a helmet.

[bomber]

The custom ones are flat and not impacted by a helmet.

not always true -- Dumbo, here, experiences great discomfort with the custom plug I had made without my helmet to wear durign the mold setting up. Some folks ear canals change shape when the helmet is on.

[MadOzodi]

Tested the "World's Finest Ear Plugs" last night.

All I can say is, "WOW!"  These things blow my DIY Radians away!  For whatever reason, they blacked out the NRR on the label shipped with the case, but when you open up the folded piece of paper with all the descriptions and warnings you see a NRR of 34.  I ordered a Travel Pack and Sample Pack (for my Mom).  You can easily cut one plug in half and have enough material to use those halves as a pair.

These things are quite tacky so I can see them getting dirty quite easily.  The really nice thing about them is that when I put on my helmet, they stay in place.  Taking the helmet off doesn't induce that brief instant of pain when the cartilage in your ear is squeezed in a manner it shouldn't be.

I can't believe how much quieter it was on my ride.  The only comparison I can make is that it's like riding in an old economy car with no sound deadening insulation rolling on noisy tires and then riding in a brand new high end luxury sedan with felt-lined wheel wells, double glazed glass and foam filled body panels.

bomber, you should definitely look into these!

[chornbe]

Hearing damage is cumulative. Not taking precautions is dumb.

[bomber]

bomber, you should definitely look into these!

Mad -- thanks for the tip -- I'm pretty satisfied with the Heros I pick up at the Walgreens (33 db) for chump change -- although I'm not sure that trying too protect what's left of my hearing after the abuse I've dished out to it isn't just silly, I do it anyway.

[MadOzodi]

I've got the Hearos SuperSoft from Walgreens as well.  

After having them in my ears for about 6 hours, my canal openings were aching a bit.

[adlowe]

Alpine MotoSafe are far and away the best I've found. Pricey but well worth it. There may be better out there but I haven't found them. Can't recommend them enough.

[MadOzodi]

Damn you people with normal/large ear canal openings!  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Damn you people with normal/large ear canal openings!  

[Busy Little Whiner]

Tested the "World's Finest Ear Plugs" last night.

Now I know what happened to all those anti vibe stereo leg cushions they failed to sell in the 80s...