I would buy a new helmet costing anything up to $1,000 if it were truly silent. That is, if I could ride long distances without needing earplugs, and if my somewhat deaf old ears could hear music and radio programs through Blue Tooth helmet speakers rather than having to use custom molded earphones or turn the volume way, way up. I assume some of the rest of you would be willing to pay that much too.

Which leads me to wonder if the helmet manufacturers are really trying as hard as they could to accomplish that? I mean, there are some environments that are a lot noisier than a motorcycle, particularly a BMW, and people wear hearing protection that seems to work. For example, when I go to shoot my pistol, I wear headgear that brings the noise down to a dull pop that costs less than $50.

I am not normally a conspiracy freak, but it has occurred to me that maybe helmet manufacturers have reduced the noise as far as they are willing to go. That if they reduce the noise any further, they feel they might be liable for any accidents that might happen because we didn't hear something.

Do you think that could be the case, or do you think they're trying as hard as they can, and the current crop of helmets is the best they can do?

Coincidentally Dave, I was just taking my Arai apart to clean it and put in Iasus speakers that will only be used for radar plug in when I deem in necessary....Tried the speakers earlier with i-Pod and just couldn't hear well enough, and Arai's are known for being noisy helmets....I really like my Quantum II though it does allow a lot or racket in there...So, I wear ear plugs or ear buds when using the GPS...
But thinking about your comments and wishes for a really quiet helmet, I wonder if it could be truly soundproof without making it also ventilation proof and therefore allow heat to build up in there?...
Would be interesting to hear what the folks at Arai or Shoei have to say about noise and what their approach to it is when designing these things....Your speculation about fearing getting too quiet might be correct......

I was thinking about that too, but I would be happy with having my ears isolated, and maybe sweaty, if the rest of my head could be ventilated.

There is no such thing as a quiet helmet. There are hardly any such things as much quieter helmets. Each helmet maker claims his is quiet but that never holds up in our buy it before trying it business. It is particularly a problem for those of us that are tall, riding bikes with fairings.

It is much less a problem for those with unfaired bikes (see below) as the helmet system then operates in a free undisturbed field.

Most of the noise problem from faired bikes is that the helmet shell vibrates in response to aerodynamic forces. Most of us ride behind a fairing, which has a turbulent blowoff around the fairing edges. That blowoff causes the helmet shell bottom to vibrate - much like a bell. Our ears are inside the "bell" and we interpret this as noise.

Note that it sounds like the noise is originating inside the center of your head, in contrast to being an uncorrelated noise at each ear. This is because the shell motion is in and out simultaneously beside each ear. If you could see the motion of the helmet at the bottom, you'd see the front and back going in and out while the ear areas go out and in at this natural frequency.

What is needed would be a constrained layer damping strip around the bottom of the helmet, but I don't know how to create one that would be effective over a range of temperatures. Google Dyad and Soundcoat for further description of this technique.

I have found that if I compress a helmet very tightly onto the top of my head with a free hand, the roaring noise goes away. In this case, my head and skull is serving as a stiffening reinforcement of the helmet shell structure, suppressing the vibration.

Another possibility would be to perforate the helmet shell with many holes around the ear areas so that there wouldn't be as much air piston effect on our eardrums. I was going to do this with an old helmet, but a virus took out my hearing last January such that I can't really diagnose much any more..

Of course another sound source is the wind whistle immediately below our ears from a non faired bike. That can be taken care of with various neck warmers etc.

Anybody else have observations or thoughts?

MN Engineer - retired

I am not an engineer, nor do I know very much about speakers or anything electrical so I have no idea if this will work or not.

This is not an advertisement nor do I know these guys, etc.

I have been in aviation for 25 years or so. Headsets come and go. There are the clamping tight kind, and there are the ANR kind. For the last dozen years or so I have used BOSE ANR headsets in my personal airplane which is very loud. I listen to music, converse with the other passengers, here ATC, etc without problems. It is far better than ear plugs.

I am going to order one of these kits http://www.anr-headsets.com/Html_folder/HelmetKitOrder.shtml
over the winter and attempt to install it in one of my older motorcycle helmets. They claim it works in helicopter helmets and if it does, it may work in mc/helmets.

The problem for me is not being an electrical genius and not knowing the difference in speaker ohms, etc..it will truly be an experiment.

I will post results in February or so..you know when the weather is too bad to pleasure ride and I am bored stiff.

I am willing to help re: electronics questions if you want. I am very interested in ways to hear better while protecting my ears. I currently use a Shoei RF-1000 helmet which I did a lot of research before buying to be among the quieter helmets. As has been said above the immediate environment makes a lot of difference in noise levels.

Thanks Bog...I will save this link and when I start the project this winter, I will reach out I'm sure.

Skywagon - I have installed and used two of their kits in aircraft David Clark H10-40 headsets. They use an analog control scheme (unlike all other ANR headsets) and it was very effective for that application. I think that an analog ANR will work better for our type of noise which has a broader band random noise to be rejected) than will any digital ANR.

From their limited published specifications I thought there might be sufficient transient response of their system to reduce noise of typical helmet buffeting frequencies by several db. However, you may have to plan on adjusting the gain of their system to optimize the response for a helmet environment, which will have different system characteristics than an aircraft headset. There is a potentiometer on each of their circuit boards. I presume this would be the ANR control loop gain adjustment. If it squeals unbearably, you have too much gain, but there may be more things that can be done.

I e-mailed Headsets Inc about M/C applications a few years ago, but never was able to get any response from them. See if you can get HI to help you with this application of their stuff. I struck out with them and gave up.

Good thread. I too am at the starting point on a search for a quiet(er) helmet.

I was just mulling over the question and toss this into the mix. What about some sort of, for lack of a better term, neck-roll baffle thingy that nestles up against the bottom of the helmet? It would have to be of some sort of material that does not get too hot in the warm months.

I could go on, but you get the idea... anyone know of such a device or are we going to have to invent it?

great thread.

In regards to a neck device- Webbikeworld says the 'Windjammer' is effective: http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/helmet-noise.htm

They also have sound files on the same page (scroll down) of actual recordings of different helmets. Seems we all are searching for the same thing. I too would be interested in something to make my ride more pleasant.

The RT just flat pushes a bunch of air to make its way through the world. Last month I rode both my bikes around the block (2.5 miles) without a helmet just prior to a TB synch. Believe it or not my '79 Triumph Bonneville was quieter (for the rider)than my '99 RT.