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A comment on I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a toilet. Parent comment

Re:I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a to... by bigiain on Saturday March 31, 2018 @10:05PM (#16726308)
Wind noise is at least as loud as engine noise at least at highway speeds.

While I can clearly hear my (loud piped) Ducati at 120kmh (~70mph) - on my Honda VFR800 with stock piped the engine noise is completely overshadowed by wind noise.

As a hint about how loud that wind noise gets, up around 130-140kmh, if I've got my noise cancelling earbuds in, they start clipping. I've heard them do that a handful of times in non motorcycle riding instances, always in reaction to sounds loud enough that people around look around and cover their ears.

(These days I _always_ ride with earplugs or noise cancelling earbuds in. Even on my "quiet" bikes. Gotta save that hearing damage up for loud concerts... )

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Re:I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a to... by lbotos on Sunday April 01, 2018 @09:31AM (#16728169)
Do you feel "less connected" to the world when you are riding with earplugs in? Does it make it feel more dangerous you might be less aware? It makes sense to wear the plugs, but I've never heard of a street rider doing it.
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Re:I almost lost my hearing from the lid on the tank of a to... by bigiain on Sunday April 01, 2018 @11:48PM (#16732171)
Definitely does not feel less safe. Plugs don't "disconnect" you, they just take all the sound down a few notches. The exhaust noise, wind noise, and other traffic noises are all still there, just not so loud and insistent.

I'm completely convinced that they make me safer on long rides, because you arrive significantly less tired - works great on planes too, I won't fly without earplugs any more.

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