Double Whammy_ Ear Plugs/Handlebars

Hey ubers and poobahs,

1. What is the go with getting rid of the dreaded wind-whistle?? I've tried the foam protectors from chemist store (drugstore?) . . not too bad, but hard to get a good seal.
made up my own with silicone based dental material. just squirted it into my ear (well, actually got my attractive dental nurse to do it...haha)...works well with bit of vaseline lubrication (umm, the ear plugs, not the nurse).....but cant even hear the nice sound of the exhaust (yoshimura)....

Also, are certain helmets better, or modifying the helmet??

What do you guys recommend?

2. I'm finding my hands getting a bit numb/tingly after 2 hours riding. think there is too much weight there.....are there risers/ after-market clip-ons to bring the bars up and back slightly? wih the sweep back of screen and surrounds, there is not much scope to raise the bars (I have raised them about 1/2")...could bring them back somewhat with accessory bars? alreaday with my adjustments, the bars are cramping my hand to the gas tank on full lock . . .

Or just get used to it?

ideas gratefully received ,

Thanks mates,

AussieGeoff

 

late 95 VFR btw

 

1) Try a different screen. I personally use a screen of less than stock height, so the wind hits me mostly in the chest. Another thing you could try is this: Helmet Windjammer

2) Clip-ons are indeed available: https://www.helibars.com/product/honda-vfr750-1994-1997

Most VFR riders have them, in my experience.

You could also combine them with a Throttle Rocker. Motorbike Throttle Rocker Assist like cruise control on eBay!


Commiserations on your location, BTW.

 

On noise there is no standards to compare against - we are after all different so what is quiet for one person may be noisy for others. Its a while back but this rather subjective users compiled list appeared. which may identify different brands of helmets to try.

MCN Biking Britain survey: Top 10 quietest helmets - Motorbike Helmet Reviews | MCN

The big thing is shops won't let you have a helmet test drive - so you are sort of buying blind. If you have mates with similar size helmets perhaps you can agree a short term swap during a ride-out that way you can consider if their helmet make is quieter and assess whether the ergonomics work Ok - if a helmet is way too loose then it may come off in an accident and they also tend to make a lot of wind noise. The seals on flip front helmets tend to create noise, and in general full face helmets will be quieter.

Some earplugs work - for me, most don't - so keep trying to find some that work best.

As for screens etc I am not sure if they make a double bubble screen for your model - if so it will raise the airflow a bit (inches only) but if that is all you need, then it may be another solution. Likewise there are vario touring screens which are also designed to help taller riders.

As for helibars they are not cheap but are the best choice for sore wrists as they move the bars up and nearer to you and still leave enough room for an armoured motorbike glove between tank and bars on full lock. If you are handy with spanners then fitting is fairly quick and straight forward but the supplied instructions are sketchy, and it may entail some minor modification of the levers and removing the dampers out of the old bars to reinstate in the helibars can be fun. If you want to know more just search for helibars and you will find someone wrote a well illustrated guide on how to fit them.

Skimad4x4

 

I use earplugs whenever my ride is over 30 minutes. If you're not--your damaging your hearing little by little (this is a undisputable physical fact, the decibel level of the road, wind, motor, other vehicles, etc are at damaging levels over time). Further, noise is stress and will cause you to tire more quickly.

My preferred earplugs are the Moldex Comets Reusable Ear Plugs (NRR 25). They dampen the noise just enough to protect you from above, but still allow you to hear what you need/want to hear. These plugs have no shaft--so your helmet won't interfere with them.

 

The two part answer to #1: Highest Blocking Moldable Ear Plugs these are some of the most comfortable and "adjustable" that you will find. They are not cheap when compared to traditional foam ear plugs but they are quite different too. When I say that they are adjustable, what I am referring to is the ability to increase or decrease the amount of sound blocking, either by increasing or decreasing the size of the earplug and how well you conform it to your ear canal. Since these are more like modeling clay, you can really get these to be an almost exact fit you your ear canal. I have been using these for a few months now when I do long distance rides and they are awesome. On the helmet front, I have found that the Schuberth line of helmets seem to have the most quietest rating and performance but like the ear plugs, come at a premium. I have the C3 modular and sometimes, mostly because I use it for city riding, I do not even wear earplugs (not too smart I know) but unless I am going at speeds greater than 60MPH, it is very quiet compared to other helmets I own/owned.

To answer item #2, Heli-bars are a good start but strengthening your core and using your abdomen/back muscles to keep your weight off of your hands offers much relief too and doesn't cost you anything but time and exercise.


For the benefit of the class I have attached a scan of a pamphlet on NIHL (Noise Induced Hearing Loss). It gives you an idea of what to expect from living/working in loud environments without ear protection.

 

Hi mates,

Thanks for hard-earned knowledge!

A. Rainbow7...I'll check out Windjammer....plus, you have put me onto helibars..check them out too..

commiserations? well I'm not far from punchbowl . . . so, yeah. . . haha

B. Skimad4x4 (didn't know VFR came in 4x4. . . anyways)
I'll check out helmet survey, plus, seems like you back helibars. I know the VFR750 is sposed to be a sports/tourer. . .but for me, as an old codger (52 yrs). . the handlebars are a bit too 'sports'

C. thinline69 (guess it doesn't matter if its thin, when 69ing??). . joke
thanks for info on Moldex Comets....I tried the foam ones, not too good.
Might also try the Moldex at home when the wife is giving me grief.....like tonight!!

D. Hi OOTVS, number one. . that picture is just WRONG!!
Moldable earplugs good. horny cat bad.
Yes, exercise/strengthening. . I thought about that, but that is not the easy way out!! jk
no, I was also thinking that. . just need to pump out few hundred push-ups, and join pilates. . would help with the out of tune body (see age previously!). . .

thanks to all for help!

Geoff

 

thinline69,

think I damaged my hearing on purpose last night......concert in Sydney... DEVO plus SIMPLE MINDS!... oh, yeah..back to the Eighties!! loved it

 

OOTVS should whip that cat. . .whip it good!

 

Who's King of the Jungle now Bi-atch?! :chaingun:

Good to know DEVO is still around and playing shows. I think the last time I saw them was literally in the 80's!

Cheers

 

Yeah, I have done that quite a few times! But started wearing earplugs many times. By the way, I went to university in Akron, Ohio, USA--home of Devo!!
Seriously, I do recommend some form of hearing protection if one's helmet doesn't cut it.

 

Are we not men??

 

Hi mates,

seems from the pics I've seen of helibars, you have to take the hacksaw to the fairing surround under the screen?

 

I have never seen that being a necessity, you do have to remove one of the tabs that hold the banjo bolt inline on both the brake and clutch assemblies. This is to allow the rotation of the line so that the controls can move up and back a little as that is the intention of the Heli-bars, a slight rise and a more rearward ergonomic. There are some kits, convertibars for instance, that are almost infinitely adjustable and depending how you end up configuring them, you may need to do some cutting. As for my Heli-bar install (2009 VFR800), just the fore mentioned tabs needed to be removed, YMMV.

 

Same issues - what worked for me

1) quieter helmet (Shoei RF1100, good but no where near as quite as wife's Arai)
2) foam ear plugs from CVS (32 db - same ones I use for shooting)
3) I have Helis but was developing enough vibration to put my hand to sleep. I just change to different pair of gloves and the problem went away.

 

Just a note on foam earplugs. Try this for a good seal (just try it, you'll be amazed). Put foam earplugs in the freezer for a minute. Put a little hand lotion on a q tip and put a little around the opening of your ear canal. Now, press the ear plugs straight in (without rolling them smaller). Presto, full noise reduction. I do it at the start of any trip longer than 50 miles, if I'm not using my i-pod (for which I have "s" plug (inner ear canal) headphones). Again, unless you have a wierd ear phobia, just try it, as it is seriously the least expensive fix.

 

hi mikromo,

thanks for clues mate.

hows the guzzi going? I always lusted after one!

cheers, Geoff

 

The poor 'ol Guzzi has just been sitting this year, probably less than 100 miles riden this year. My thought is to begin a restore this winter, which is almost paint only. However, while I have it apart, I'm going to go through the engine, and replace all the gaskets. Dang thing run's so sweetly, I have no desire to rebuild it. Just want to stop the oil leaks. It's 42 years old and still has 160 lbs compression in both cylinders! (only 13,000 original miles)

 

I use these items for music & comfort:

Sports ear clip headphones - HA-EB75

Go Cruise Throttle Assist - The Cycle Guys Inc.

 

thanks all!! and happy new year!!

starting another grind on the $$ wagon haha

you gave me an idea JJFlash7> after a few more rides ,I think the problem with handlebars/bar-grips is not so much the weight, but the diameter of the bar grips is too small (for my XL hands)....... as you mentioned trying different gloves.....I will get some thin foam and attach with cable ties to get a larger circumference, then see how it goes..... if it fixes the problem, then get other, larger hand grips. . any thoughts dudes??

cheers, Geoff