Wind noise in helmets

[davedee69]

How do people deal with this, It seems to be my only hate about riding, ive tried a few differnt helmets and come to the coclusion that a real expensive one wont change things, I currently use a Caberg V2RR.
Ive used EAR foam plugs, (pretty good) and recently purchased some mould your own proguard plugs, I am not overly impressed though.
Has anyone ever modded the internals on thier helmet to reduce noise,
Any advice and opinions appreciated.
regards

[darrsi]

Some helmets are better than others, my old Shoei lid was very good at keeping the noise at bay, and the Arai i use now is good, but not as good.
Throughout winter i always use a balaclava which can take the edge off noise as well.

[clayt74]

all helmets will vary, but i find the ones with a chin curtain really do help in dampening the noise, ulso help keeping the bugs out in the summer.
ive got the box BZ1 and the chin curtain is removable

[packie]

It's not really all about helmets in itself. It's about the way the wind hits your helmet too.

For instance, I use the new Shoei Neotech which is touted as a rather quite helmet. But things are a lot noiser (and I mean a lot!!) on my Fazer than on my Bandit 1200 with the same helmet. So the type of helmet you have is only half the story.

You see, my Bandit is modded with me sitting at a different angle to my Fazer. The double bubble screen and fairing are obviously different too. So these elements are making the wind hit my helmet with a noisier type of buffer on the Fazer than with the Bandit. Pure luck really. Even if I got one of those ultra quite Schuberts, I'd still be experiencing a lot of noise on my Fazer. In this case, I can thank God that i'm actually half deaf!!

I think the easier and cheap option is those foam plugs. They are real soft now compared to long ago.

[taylor]

i got the same caberg, started back biking last year, and low and behold year one of to doctors with blocked ears. first time ever. the prob is you cant exactley try a helmet out for a few weeks.

[simonm]

Have a caberg v247 and a duke and have the same problem.

I don't know a solution but I know that making sure the foam plugs are really compressed and all the way in your ear canal is important.

[taylor]

all doctors and ear specialists recomend you put nothing in your ear canal.??

[simonm]

Pfft. What do they know eh.

I'd rather use ear plugs and take the risk than the definite tinnitus/hearing loss

[Skippernick]

I have an AGV S4 which is meant to be really quiet, but not with a Fazer it turns out, fine on many other bikes. Even sent it back to the importers to check.
Therefore i use ear plugs and over time you get used to it.
Maybe a double bubble screen might change the angle of wind blast if you are lucky. Try raising and lower your head to see if it makes a difference.

[ruffers]

It's not really all about helmets in itself. It's about the way the wind hits your helmet too.

For instance, I use the new Shoei Neotech which is touted as a rather quite helmet. But things are a lot noiser (and I mean a lot!!) on my Fazer than on my Bandit 1200 with the same helmet. So the type of helmet you have is only half the story.

You see, my Bandit is modded with me sitting at a different angle to my Fazer. The double bubble screen and fairing are obviously different too. So these elements are making the wind hit my helmet with a noisier type of buffer on the Fazer than with the Bandit. Pure luck really. Even if I got one of those ultra quite Schuberts, I'd still be experiencing a lot of noise on my Fazer. In this case, I can thank God that i'm actually half deaf!!

I think the easier and cheap option is those foam plugs. They are real soft now compared to long ago.

I think how the air moves over your helmet is then an issue. In my experience the less vent mouldings, spoilers etc on the lid ie smoother then the quieter.
And always use ear plugs.

[AdieR]

I had an AGV lid years ago, and I've never found another to match noise wise.
I personally find the Fazer to be OK up to motorway speeds, much more and the noise is irritating, and unbearable at 85-90 (mine has the standard screen). Must admit I never use earplugs though.
IIRC Yamaha do a taller touring screen for the bike (the later ones anyhow, not sure about the FZS bikes) - not sure of the price (£90 is ringing a bell), maybe worth a look?

[Will.I.Is]

I use a Nolan N62 and I either don't notice the noise or am deaf already

[darrsi]

That's what makes me laugh in these American films where you see people like Tom Cruise hurtling down a road on a bike with not even sunglasses on.
Unless you've ridden a bike without a lid, then people won't understand that his eyelids will be trying to turn inside out, he'll have a jet stream of air in his ears creating pain, and the chances of being taken out by a splat on the forehead by a bee or the like are extremely high.   

[stevierst]

Yep, it's a combination between screen effectiveness, and helmet. If you sit on your bike at a reasonable speed, say 60mph and listen to the noise on a faired bike, then it'll be quite noisy. Lift your bum off the seat into 'clean air', and the vast majority of the noise will go. If it doesn't get quieter, then your helmet is noisy!
 
I've done this on all my bikes ranging from nakeds, to tourers, and then adapted things until it goes quiet such as either replace the screen, or trim it down a bit at a time until it's right. Generally, the bigger screens for me have been too noisy. My Tiger 1050 was unbearable, and my current FZ1s has a touring screen which at motorway speeds was deep bass boomy. Trimmed 1 1/2" off it, and now it's pretty quiet. Got a cheapo screen on order which I'm cutting right down for the summer.
 
I also fitted a neck screen and chin piece to my Shoei lid which made a bit of a difference in reducing noise. As for earplugs, well you take your chances, and doctors opinions vary massively! I don't wear them, and my hearing has suffered. My old 250 mile commute from Blackpool to Sailsbury used to leave me with subdued hearing for a good few hours, and now it's permanently damaged, luckily not to the point of job threatening.

[FuZzBoM]

I have a few sets of the 3M reusable ones and find them very good. http://www.amazon.co.uk/3M-E-A-R-Clear-Earplugs-Pair/dp/B002Z89SRG#productDetails
I do notice I ride a fair bit quicker with the wind noise reduction when I have them in lol.

I also like the fact they are fairly short. I've had a few occasions with the foam ones I knock them out when I put the lid on.

[stevierst]

I've had a few occasions with the foam ones I knock them out when I put the lid on.

This is the main reason why I don't wear them. I used to get on the motorway, and normally one of the buggers was loose, creating havoc in one of my ears. I wasn't going to stop for the next 120 miles, and it was really annoying!!

[simonm]

I've had a few occasions with the foam ones I knock them out when I put the lid on.

This is the main reason why I don't wear them. I used to get on the motorway, and normally one of the buggers was loose, creating havoc in one of my ears. I wasn't going to stop for the next 120 miles, and it was really annoying!!

If your ear plugs fall out you're doing it wrong

They need to be rolled really tightly, the top of your ear pulled up and pushed in to the ear canal. They should not protrude from the profile of the ear at all.

Just my 2p.

[stevierst]

If your ear plugs fall out you're doing it wrong

They need to be rolled really tightly, the top of your ear pulled up and pushed in to the ear canal. They should not protrude from the profile of the ear at all.

Just my 2p.

Yep, been wearing them at work for the past 20 odd years, but when I put my lid on, they work loose on me after a short while. I  must have funny ears or something! Looking at the custom moulded ones to see if they stay in any better.

[simonm]

If your ear plugs fall out you're doing it wrong

They need to be rolled really tightly, the top of your ear pulled up and pushed in to the ear canal. They should not protrude from the profile of the ear at all.

Just my 2p.

Yep, been wearing them at work for the past 20 odd years, but when I put my lid on, they work loose on me after a short while. I  must have funny ears or something! Looking at the custom moulded ones to see if they stay in any better.

Sorry about teaching you to sick eggs then. That's a weird thing to happen, I have no problems with them staying in. Maybe it's something to to with pressure equalisation? Do you have any of the vents on your lid open?

[stevierst]

I havent noticed a difference when opeining vents, but this is way back when I did mega miles per year, and very long motorway stints. It was just too annoying when one worked loose at the begining of the journey when your not stopping for a couple of hours. I think it's when I move my jaw, they eventually come out. (maybe I should keep my mouth shut )
 
I only do 40 mile commutes now, and should fit plugs as explained by my doctor. The ones at work are bullet shaped, and nearly make me puke when I fit them, then you have to put on active ear defenders over the top as per the rules .

[darrsi]

If you know you're doing long runs regularly then why not get some properly fitted plugs done, there's always a stand at bike shows.

[stevierst]

I don't really do the long runs anymore, that was a few years ago when I was in the Army working away from home and doing 30,000 miles per year on two wheels! I might just visit one of the posh earplug stands at a bike show and see what they've got.

[ChristoT]

I prefer not to have earplugs myself.

I wear a Caberg Justissimo GT - pretty decent at noise cancellation. A friend of mine gave me some ear plugs, and I used them once. I wore them on the trip back to mine, and it scared the crap out of me. They cancelled so much noise, I couldn't hear the engine or cars going past. And that was at 40! Only when I got up to 70 on the A1M could I hear any road noise.

I'd use them on motorways, but then most of the time, I'm using my Satnav, which I use with an in-ear earpiece... 

End of the day, I'd rather risk dogdy ears at 60yrs old than get wiped out by a cager next week cos I couldn't hear him.