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You know what sucks? Earplugs that somehow gets totally flush with your ear canal so you just can't seem to grab a hold of them. The softer foam ones are the worst.
Supradog fucked around with this message at 08:51 on Jul 3, 2023 |
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Jul 3, 2023 08:11
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| # ? May 15, 2024 12:40 |
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i have tried approx. 1 million kinds of earplugs over the years and the ones you wanna get are loop quiets. unlike disposable foamy earplugs, they don't have to be inserted super deep and held in place for 30 seconds to be effective. they insert in 2 seconds like earbuds. unlike many reusable earplugs, they sit flush inside your ear so they don't get shifted around when you pull your helmet on. however, when worn properly the loop part is rotated into a position that makes them extremely easy to grab and remove. with 27 dB of noise reduction, they are not quite as effective as foamy earplugs (~33 dB in the ideal case) -- nothing else is -- but they are still highly effective and will make riding pleasant and bring motorcycle wind noise down out of the dangerous area. (about 90% of people wear foamy earplugs wrong, though, which provides essentially zero protection). they are totally reusable and washable etc. they're comfortable enough for many hours of use. they don't cost hundreds of dollars like custom molds and they don't look overly medical or stupid. they have four stars on amazon and the negative reviews are virtually all "even the extra small tip is too large for my freakishly tiny ears" people. they fit normal people great. get a set. as long as you are able to wear silicone tipped earbuds, you will be completely happy with these. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 08:41 on Jul 3, 2023 |
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Jul 3, 2023 08:38
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Oh cool these come with different sized tips. My issue with reusable ones (like nonoise), is that my left ear canal is bigger than my right, so it never got a good seal. I’m still going to use the Howard lites for riding, but these will be great for other situations.
Russian Bear fucked around with this message at 08:55 on Jul 3, 2023 |
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Jul 3, 2023 08:52
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The only time I skip plugs is when I ride from work to bro's place - it's all 40km/h street, no way to speed or get at all frisky in commuter traffic, just boring gurgling along at low revs. Unless I'm doing that specific ride and positively know things won't ever get loud, plugs go in! I've had a set of loop plugs in my amazon basket without buying them for the longest time, for the kids (who detest wearing foamies). I wear Alpine Motosafe Race plugs myself and I'm similarly super happy with them. Also comfy, easy to insert and long lasting. Not as quiet as foamies when they're really jammed in there good, but plenty quiet for my kind of motorcycle riding. A long time ago I used to fire MG3 machineguns on the regular, which are insanely loud - we had to wear foam plugs under ear defenders and it was still real noisy. I also got tinnitus from those days when a random dude negligent discharged his carbine straight into my unprotected left ear (blank ammunition or I'd probably be long dead from a headshot) but thankfully the beeping noise only rings sometimes, and never for more than 20 seconds or so before it goes away again. If I heard that sound permanently my life would suck a whole lot more than it does and anyone who has bad tinnitus has all my sympathy. fakedit: Now I've ordered the loop plugs (in turquoise). Will report if they're as good as Sagebrush says.
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Jul 3, 2023 09:16
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I like the Moldex Spark Plugs which are foam disposables but very comfortable. I think on Amazon you can get selection packs and try out a few different types. But yes as already said you have to know how to insert them properly. For deployment to Afghanistan I was given moulded earplugs that had an active system that plays ambient noise into your ears, cutting out anything very loud. The problem was I guess a bit of latency which meant I couldn't easily hear which direction gunfire was coming from. This was a problem in Helmand in 2010! I eventually stopped using them to try and avoid dying. Notable loud events included being behind someone firing a 66 without checking properly, and the engineers blowing up an IED when I was the other side of the wall. I do have a bit of tinnitus but nothing too bad.
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Jul 3, 2023 09:34
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I used to ride around with foamies but these alpine race ones are so much better. For me they have a better seal and block more noise, and easier to put in with the supplied applicator.
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Jul 3, 2023 10:43
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not dead yet posted:I used to ride around with foamies but these alpine race ones are so much better. For me they have a better seal and block more noise, and easier to put in with the supplied applicator. Yeah they're pretty great. The applicator is killer - you never have to handle the plug much with dirty fingers and it's super easy to plop the plugs in with one hand. To get a similarly good seal with foam plugs I have to roll the plug skinny and then insert it while lifting the outer ear up to straighten the canal. I thought I'd lose the applicator in short order since it's tiny but it hasn't happened yet, in fact I still have a spare from my retired set of "touring" plugs that are noisier than the "race" ones so I don't use them anymore.
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Jul 3, 2023 10:53
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Invalido posted:I thought I'd lose the applicator in short order since it's tiny but it hasn't happened yet, in fact I still have a spare from my retired set of "touring" plugs that are noisier than the "race" ones so I don't use them anymore. Yeah I don't understand why they even offer a version that blocks less noise, it's not like you won't hear the important stuff.
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Jul 3, 2023 10:56
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I have a pair of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074NDTR1D which are apparently rated for up to 29 db reduction. They're nice when you're around town, stopping at lights, etc but on the highway you still aren't gonna make out much of the music. I'm considering getting the 33 db foam ear plugs and a bluetooth sound system for my helmet, any experiences there?
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Jul 3, 2023 16:37
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Pie Colony posted:I have a pair of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074NDTR1D which are apparently rated for up to 29 db reduction. They're nice when you're around town, stopping at lights, etc but on the highway you still aren't gonna make out much of the music. I'm considering getting the 33 db foam ear plugs and a bluetooth sound system for my helmet, any experiences there? Also I just wear ear plugs all the time no matter where I am going, it's just a habit now. Rusty fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Jul 3, 2023 |
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Jul 3, 2023 17:51
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I've got a couple of the lower-end Cardo bluetooth sets, and I suspect they're actually designed to be used alongside earplugs. With foam plugs in, the music sounds reasonably balanced and remains audible at 80mph. Without earplugs they sound tinny, and the wind noise starts competing with the audio even at 30mph, so by the time I've turned them up high enough to hear the music over the wind it's all terribly raucous and likely damaging.
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Jul 3, 2023 17:55
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My comm system sounds significantly better with ear plugs in.
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Jul 3, 2023 18:08
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I’m at a point where concerts sound better with earplugs in. I wear them in any loud noise situation. If I go in raw, all I hear is “wobbawobbawobba” at loud shows. The joys of not wearing ear plugs at concerts as a kid.
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Jul 3, 2023 21:12
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Geekboy posted:I’m at a point where concerts sound better with earplugs in. I wear them in any loud noise situation. Honestly they probably sounded like poo poo as a kid, too. The biggest thing earplugs do for me at shows is remove the massive amounts of reverb/slapback that is inherent with a huge sound rig, so I can hear the actual direct sound more clearly. Wait that's also probably because of nuked hearing. Also, hi thread. One day I shall get my bike out of the shed it's been in for almost 20 years and I will get it running and ride again for the first time since before I could legally drive.
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Jul 3, 2023 22:30
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Big big fan of the wax style earplugs like these mightyplugs.com guaranteed to fit no matter what freakish ear canals you are rocking.
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Jul 4, 2023 06:29
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i took my first long-ish ride this past weekend seattle to yakima via i90 and the canyon byway. took about 2.5 hours, and then another 2.5 the next day to get home.  yakima isn't the greatest place on the planet, but i wanted to see what was on the other side of the cascades, and the canyon road was amazing the enfield performed admirably
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Jul 4, 2023 06:57
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rickiep00h posted:
Hello! Please make a thread on all the problems you encounter trying to get it running, I think that's going to be pretty entertaining.
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Jul 4, 2023 09:16
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How long do chains normally last? This Rebel 500 is the first bike I've owned with a chain and the chain seems pretty worn out after around 7000 miles (I've had to pull the tensioner back pretty much all the way) but that also doesn't seem like a lot of miles? Should I be concerned that I'm riding too roughly or not taking enough care of the chain? I've been pretty diligent about cleaning and lubricating it but is there something else I should've been doing?
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Jul 4, 2023 09:26
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MSPain posted:i took my first long-ish ride this past weekend The old highway/canyon route between Yakima and Ellensburg is amazing. Yakima, not so much, but it also does have it's nice spots with great food if you know where to look. I lived in Richland for 20 years and my oldest went to trade school in Yakima just a couple years ago.
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Jul 4, 2023 19:18
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I worked for a while in a 105+db environment so I only ever used the work-supplied foamies, especially after I found out they're the most effective anyway if you put them in right. I, uh, apparently need to be getting some for riding. i can see the benefits of the other kinds being worth the 5db since road noise is probably 90-100 anyway, and getting it under 80 is all thats needed. thanks for the info
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Jul 5, 2023 00:06
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OK I rode the highway today for the first time. First I rode the clover leaf exit around eight leafs just to get a feel for it and calm my poo poo down. Then I rode up one exit, two let turns, back to the clover leaf, and ride around the leaf again a bunch for more fun and calm my poo poo down. Then I rode down an exit, but this time I didn’t get back on the clover leaf but instead rode the highway for a bit. It was very windy and I didn’t go above sixty because the earplugs help but the wind is still unnerving. I suspect I’ll just have to get used to it. When I rode back there was thick traffic so I practiced lane splitting and that is actually super chill on the highway! The lanes are wider and people actually move over when they notice you. If the traffic is stopped it’s a breeze and if it’s moving it’s a bit more unnerving to go through to cars at 20 miles an hour, so if traffic picked up I just fell in behind a car. I just practiced keeping my eye on the coming cars and making sure I always had an exit if someone decided to do something crazy. Nobody did thankfully. Now I have to decide whether I want to take the 405 into work tomorrow or stick to the 101. It’ll be a bit scary but I feel like I’m ready. I know both routes pretty well but the 101 has some sticky narrow parts that scare me a bit more than the big wide 405.
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Jul 6, 2023 03:13
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I think there's a tendency early in riding to focus on milestones (first X, or I just did Y and didn't die), because we can make those happen in fast sequence and it's exciting. Don't make the mistake of overvaluing them versus saddle time, and ideally practice drills, putting technique into practice every day in the hopes that some day far from now you've actually become a skilled rider and haven't quit over a bad scare or injury in your first few years. Milestones are mostly just a powerful fuel for overconfidence. Your conscious brain is still working on getting past the feeling of going fast, and every moment that nothing goes wrong it's mistaking for you "getting good". Meanwhile your body is quietly and gradually learning the lessons that it will actually use when your conscious attention is directed elsewhere or things go wrong. If you consciously focus on technique, do drills, it might have what it needs when things go wrong in the years to come. Right now you're still extremely green, and there is no number of lane splits you can get through alive that will change that. What it's guaranteed to do is increase the odds of bad luck in a tight space meeting an untrained body and giving you a bad day, with the dubious benefit of getting there faster and feeling more competent than you actually are a month or so into riding. I'll tell you what my best friend repeatedly had to tell me that first year, slow your roll, just take it easy and work on extreme safety rather than looking like other riders. I'll get off my soapbox now.
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Jul 6, 2023 16:42
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I agree 100% Not counting the time I’ve spent on scooters bopping around the city, I’ve ridden over 10K miles in the last year and a half on at least four different motorcycles and still feel like a newbie. Keep practicing technique when the stakes are low. Brake drills and parking lot figure 8’s and such are never going to stop being useful. You’re going to have close calls and if you’ve been practicing, you’ll get through them. By all means, take some self confidence from them, but start cataloguing what you could have done better. For instance, I know that when poo poo hits the fan, I tend to rely too much on the front brake. You should be using it mostly, but I’m not taking advantage of the back brake the way I could and should be when I have actual panic stops. Nothing bad has happened as a result, but it’s what I’m trying to practice more so that I do better next time there’s something crawling on the inside of my visor or the cars in front of me have decided to rubber neck.
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Jul 6, 2023 17:23
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Thank you for the reminder. You’re right and I will continue to do practice drills. My ‘graduation’ to the highway is more out of necessity because my wife needs her car back at some point. I ended up taking the 101 because the traffic is slower and there’s less total interstate driving. Wind is still very scary when going 60-70. It just feels real angry and like it wants to push me around a lot. But I’m getting used to it I think. Is it normal that it’s easier to see directly behind me in the right mirror than in the left? No amount of adjusting that mirror seems to make it like a rear view.
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Jul 6, 2023 18:19
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Never noticed a consistent difference left to right but remember you might have three things you can adjust (mirror, stems and your head). I’ve noticed I habitually look right to check my rear regardless of what I point at it, probably due to cars’ rear view mirror placement.
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Jul 6, 2023 18:58
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I have my mirrors set up so that I can see easier behind me with my right mirror by moving my elbow slightly; then the left mirror set up as wide out to left as possible.
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Jul 6, 2023 19:28
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Motorcycle mirrors in general range from just crap to completely useless, never trust them, always look over your shoulder if you're going to change lanes or whatever
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Jul 6, 2023 19:33
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On both my Harleys it took buying the mirror extenders AND the long stemmed mirrors to actually see anything other than my arm.
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Jul 6, 2023 21:50
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my dirtbike has the shittiest possible mirror to be legal, PO took off the real ones. Getting ones that don't flop around are a priority
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Jul 7, 2023 00:09
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Slavvy posted:Motorcycle mirrors in general range from just crap to completely useless, never trust them, always look over your shoulder if you're going to change lanes or whatever Seriously, between their size and the potential variations in lane position I've been surprised to find people in my blind spot more than in any full size sedan. I've seen scooters with a dozen mirrors on the internet but what about two big box-truck mirrors with convex lenses in the corner?
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Jul 7, 2023 03:41
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Mirrors that detect the sun's position and rotate to reflect the sun directly into your blind spots, problem solved
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Jul 7, 2023 07:37
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Remy Marathe posted:I've seen scooters with a dozen mirrors on the internet 
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Jul 7, 2023 13:10
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holy poo poo
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Jul 7, 2023 15:12
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Lmao
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Jul 7, 2023 17:23
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Jul 7, 2023 19:53
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Jul 8, 2023 22:53
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Fantastic, I understood this reference
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Jul 8, 2023 23:04
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Riding home today and the engine got hot while I was chugging along in 30mph traffic. Once it picked up the engine got cooler, I imagine because more air in the intake, but while it was hot it was only just below the hottest the digital indicator will go. It never went over the top, but I realized that I don't know how hot is too hot or what to do if the engine overheats other than pull over and turn it off. Any tips?
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Jul 11, 2023 02:22
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Your engine is water-cooled, so don't worry about it. It has a temperature-controlled fan that will come on and force air through the radiator if the engine gets too hot. It should be basically impossible to overheat your bike's engine if everything is working properly. Note that it is totally fine for the engine to be at the top of the temperature gauge. The engine runs best around 100 degrees Celsius. Don't be afraid of seeing it edging up near the top -- listen and you'll hear the fan come on at some point. Air-cooled engines can certainly overheat if you're idling in traffic for a long time on a hot day. Splitting is a good idea in that situation, to keep the airflow up. Or yeah you can pull over for a while and get a drink or something and let the bike cool down a bit. But airflow is better. Sagebrush fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Jul 11, 2023 |
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Jul 11, 2023 04:15
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| # ? May 15, 2024 12:40 |
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I'll add to that and say it's definitely possible to overheat a liquid cooled engine in otherwise good condition by making it generate more heat at or near standstill than it's supposed to, the fan can't replicate the airflow of actually riding down the road. So if you're revving it a lot and slipping the clutch to do walking pace for miles and miles, you can overcome the capacity of the system at zero km/h and get the engine dangerously hot. It can also happen if you're doing really slow riding directly behind and amongst cars.
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Jul 11, 2023 04:26
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