Wind Noise

[korben]

This is quickly becoming my biggest gripe with the bike...
 
I wear foam earplugs properly inserted, have the Shoei Whisper Strip on my lid, but it still generates a lot of noise. Standing up on the pegs while riding is like entering a world of total serenity it goes that quiet.
 
I'm off out on the bike tomorrow. Before I head out I'm removing the screen to see if that works. Will report tomorrow evening on the outcome.

[steve]

Thanks for your suggestions Patrick and L of S, will look into other plug solutions (the ones I have look like the Laser Lite from Howard Leight) and see what else I can do with the base of the helmet. There is quite a substantial collar all round it and I wear a balaclava. Putting my hand under my chin did help with the old helmet but doesn't seem to make any difference with the new one.
 
I'm probably not doing myself any favours having my Bluetooth unit stuck on the side right next to the air vent, I hear most of the wind noise on that side, but that is also my good ear - will have to experiment with that too.
 
My hearing has deteriorated over the past few months, enough for me to go the the Doctor. Have been given a nose spray which, surprisingly, seems to be helping. Have a 1 200+ mile road trip starting tomorrow, so will have some time to try and figure things out - I will pack the ear plugs, I promise
 
Thanks
 

[korben]

Just wondering Steve... You say the expanding earplugs don't fit. Before putting them in you should roll them between your fingers and thumbs to essentially squash them down to their smallest size (Roughly about a 3rd of their normal size). Then, as has been suggested, lick the end and push them in... Much further than you may think and initially it feels weird.
 
I do this and mine slide in easily. Looking at myself straight on in a mirror I can't see the ear plugs sticking out of my ears at all. When I take them out, I can just grab them with my finger and thumb nails. (I'll admit, that bit can hurt your ears if you've been wearing them for a few hours).

[wessie]

Patrick, possibly easier said than done. In my case I do not get on with them at all, firstly they hurt my ears and more importantly I am totally deaf when I have them in - helmet on and still off the bike I cannot hear a word anyone is saying to me let alone hearing the emergency services sirens, which by law requires us, in the UK, to pull over and let them pass. I have a large bag of ear plugs which I can't use  :'( 
My previous solution was to go with a Shuberth helmet, supposedly one of the quietest available, it did the trick on my YZF600R's but was unbearable on this bike - OK so the helmet was a bit long in the tooth so I got a new one,  not  the same model but the later version from the same manufacturer. If anything the problem got worse, moving the screen down to the lowest position, effectively switching it off,  helped.
 
I am hard of hearing and have been since birth, never thought I'd be suffering hearing too much noise :-/
 
There's no simple solution to this, pity, wish there was 

I wonder if you have tried custom-fitted 'plugs, as opposed to off-the-shelf items... L of S

 
I'm wondering if steve's hearing range is only in the range of frequencies attenuated by the foam ear plugs, hence not being able to hear those other frequencies which normally get through for most people, to allow us some level if hearing.
 
In that case, maybe a referral to an ENT specialist to test for his actual hearing range and then find a material that works in that range to attenuate rather than totally block the noise is a way forward?

[steve]

Thank you for the advice, I've not used them for about 6 years but seem to remember they did stick out quite a bit. Will do some test runs tonight, possibly the ones I have are too big. Until reading the Howard Leight website I didn't realise there are different sizes. I generally do have issues putting 'things' in my ears, those earphones used with mobile phones are a no no for me.
It could also be a throw back when I was a child and the pain I endured with Doctors poking things in my ears.
 
I'm willing to try just about anything to lessen the wind noise, it has become a major issue for me riding this bike. As has been said earlier the fatigue and stress associated with it is not only unpleasant but downright dangerous. Thanks again all for the input.

[steve]

In that case, maybe a referral to an ENT specialist to test for his actual hearing range and then find a material that works in that range to attenuate rather than totally block the noise is a way forward?

You could well be right, I have a smaller frequency range than most people. It's something I guess I've learnt to live with and never really given it a second thought. My visit to the Doctor, well ended up being a Nurse Practitioner, is the first in no doubt many steps which would end up me being referred. I couldn't hear her properly when she was explaining what the spray was for, something to do with pressure.
It seems to be working, have been using it for a few weeks but the improvement has only started in the last day or so.
 
What I am hoping is this improvement will increase my tolerance to the noise, possibly even make it possible to wear ear protection. I'll see in the coming days.
 
Those in the UK will recognise this supermarket payoff line - Every little helps.
 
 

[wessie]

This is a useful video from 3M who make the EAR brand of foam plugs. I use their Neon variety which cost about 12p a pair if you buy a box of 250 pairs.
 
 

[wessie]

If you are not sure which foam ear plug to use then Lucy Dell in the UK will ship you a pack of 20 different pairs for £9.99 in the UK, £12 to Europe & £13 to North America.
 
Once you have matched your ear canal to the best fit she will sell you a bulk pack e.g. the Ear Soft Neons I use cost £28 for 250 pairs. I bought a box of these over 10 years ago and I think they may last me another 10 years. Smaller packs are available.

[jimf]

If you are not sure which foam ear plug to use then will ship you a pack of 20 different pairs for £9.99 in the UK, £12 to Europe & £13 to North America. 
Once you have matched your ear canal to the best fit she will sell you a bulk pack e.g. the Ear Soft Neons I use cost £28 for 250 pairs. I bought a box of these over 10 years ago and I think they may last me another 10 years. Smaller packs are available.

You can get a sample kit like this in the US from Aerostich: 
http://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-disposable-earplug-sample-kit.html
 
I'm a fan of the Howard Leight Laser Lites, which I buy in bulk.  Available at most safety supply sites (I used to get them from Lab Safety) and also (conveniently if you're a Prime customer) at Amazon:
 
http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-Laser-Earplugs-Cords/dp/B0007XJOLG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1430402576&sr=8-3&keywords=laser+leight+ear+plugs
 
It takes me several years to go through a case of 200, and I use them for everything from the motorcycle to lawn mowing.
 
Even without a noisy windscreen earplugs are one of the best things you can get for making long rides more comfortable, and nonintuitively taking out the wind noise means you can hear traffic much better too.
 
 

[vern]

I use the ones in the following links at work and at home and absolutely love them. Realize they are significantly more costly than foam but you don't have to worry about improper fit and they are very comfortable to wear. I figure the cost over the 4 - 6 year lifespan is well worth it. I also have a couple different sets of their in-ear monitors which are amazing.
LinkyAnother Linky
 
 
 
 

[mjsracing]

Wow! Lots of good information about ear plugs. Thanks to all. I went out and tried a "reusable" set and they actually go into my ear canal.
 
Having said that. I still am on a mission to reduce the noise first, then work on wind, rain, hearing protection once the noise is addressed as best possible.

[Cruizin]

Wow! Lots of good information about ear plugs. Thanks to all. I went out and tried a "reusable" set and they actually go into my ear canal.  
Having said that. I still am on a mission to reduce the noise first, then work on wind, rain, hearing protection once the noise is addressed as best possible.

 
Will it still be a motorcycle? lol just kidding...
 

[Cruizin]

My only material complaint about this wonderful bike is the wind noise. It became very clear after riding my 690 Enduro R then my FJ-09 that the FJ is crazy loud in comparison. 
I'm not talking about buffeting or turbulence. I'm talking a loud wind roar that is not substantially changed with any of the three windscreen heights.
 
Rather than throwing windscreens options at it, which may or may not address the source of the noise, I want to try to figure out why it is so loud.
 
Unfortunately for me, expanding foam ear plugs do not fit into my ear canals so that is not a good option in my case.
 
This got me pondering what the source of the noise could be. I came up with the following 4 potential sources:
[ul type=disc]
[*]Windscreen
[*]headlights / nose geometry
[*]hand guards
[*]mirrors (with and without extenders)
[/ul]Seems like the hardest to address would be the headlights / nose geometry. The rest are potential bolt-on fixes.
 
Once the noise is addressed, then "comfort" issues like wind velocity, turbulence, buffeting, rain protection, etc can be addressed.
 
I'll be away from my bike for a week or so, but I want to experiment and find the source of the noise so that a solution can be found. I hope to try back to back testing with a sound level meter to get some less subjective data.  
 
Has anyone tried riding with no windscreen?
With the mirrors off?
with the hand guards off?
With all three items off?
Did it have any impact on the noise?
Other possible sources for the noise?
 
Lets get this noise issue figured out!
 

 
the only things I can hear on my "naked and no funny handguards " FZ-09 is Iron Maiden, Deftones, or Motorhead and my M-4 Exhaust.
 
It's ok because the US Army, Iron Maiden, Deftones, Tool and Motorhead took alot of my hearing away many years ago...
 
But yeah, that funny windscreen and the even funnier handguards are probably the cause of the noise.
 
 

[steve]

Looks like I'll have to go down the specialist route, probably try the assortment pack ear plugs first though.
 
Tried my ear plugs this evening, made sure they fitted as in the videos, cut out virtually all sound. If you've ever experienced blocked ears and everything sounds far away and muffled, when you walk you can hear your footsteps pounding in your ears you'll know what I am experiencing. Every bump in the road is like those pounding footsteps. Within 10 mins on the bike I started to get a headache from it all, the ear ache started within 15 minutes and I couldn't wait to get them out.
 
What was probably worse was the wind noise was still there, but now it sounded like a microphone picking up the wind. I didn't like how disconnected I felt, I could hardly hear the engine, but could feel the vibrations in my ears. Was able to hear a car horn, but had no idea of the direction of the sound.
 
Not a solution for me for now, but thanks again for all the input.
 

[johan]

Looks like I'll have to go down the specialist route, probably try the assortment pack ear plugs first though. 
Tried my ear plugs this evening, made sure they fitted as in the videos, cut out virtually all sound. If you've ever experienced blocked ears and everything sounds far away and muffled, when you walk you can hear your footsteps pounding in your ears you'll know what I am experiencing. Every bump in the road is like those pounding footsteps. Within 10 mins on the bike I started to get a headache from it all, the ear ache started within 15 minutes and I couldn't wait to get them out.
 
What was probably worse was the wind noise was still there, but now it sounded like a microphone picking up the wind. I didn't like how disconnected I felt, I could hardly hear the engine, but could feel the vibrations in my ears. Was able to hear a car horn, but had no idea of the direction of the sound.
 
Not a solution for me for now, but thanks again for all the input.

Steve, very much like yourself I struggle with foam earplugs - in my case they become uncomfortable after a while. I have fitted and ordered moulded ear plugs and will let you know how they work for me. Although Im not a doctor I used to snorkel (spearfish) and frequently had ear problems and it sounds to me like you have a neglected medical problem. You really should get a referral and get to a ENT consultant. Good luck. Hearing loss is very frustrating. I hate going to noisy pubs in London because I absolutely cannot follow a conversation and feel very cut off.