ear plugs?

[4wheeldog]

"...I like the Howard Leight disposable foam plugs, especially the ones with retaining cords, which I clip off, leaving about a half inch to pull the things out -- beats using a Leatherman, which tends to attract stares from civilians..."

 

HA! I use those foam ear plugs, shortened a little to not contact the helmet when inserted. Your post reminds me of a ride I had once where I could NOT get the danged thing out of my right ear! I tried and tried to use my fingers, finally went into the gas station's head to use my little Swiss Army Knife's tweezers. It took me a while, but they finally came out. Since then I trim the ear plugs a little less than I did that time! I was beginning to think I'd have to find a doctor!

 

Didn't your Swiss army knife have a corkscrew?

[EddyQ]

Didn't your Swiss army knife have a corkscrew?

 

Ahh, you haven't seen the video showing how to do it with a shoe !

Video

[BeemerLover]

Now, that's pretty cool! A new party trick!

[Deek]

"...I like the Howard Leight disposable foam plugs, especially the ones with retaining cords, which I clip off, leaving about a half inch to pull the things out -- beats using a Leatherman, which tends to attract stares from civilians..."

 

HA! I use those foam ear plugs, shortened a little to not contact the helmet when inserted. Your post reminds me of a ride I had once where I could NOT get the danged thing out of my right ear! I tried and tried to use my fingers, finally went into the gas station's head to use my little Swiss Army Knife's tweezers. It took me a while, but they finally came out. Since then I trim the ear plugs a little less than I did that time! I was beginning to think I'd have to find a doctor!

 

Didn't your Swiss army knife have a corkscrew?

 

No, I only had the little basic knife that generally sells arounnd $10 at Wal-Mart. But I gotta tell you, a cork screw would have been my next thought if the tiny tweezers didn't work! I keep a larger Swiff Army Knife in my shaving kit that DOES have a cork screw!

[effexer1]

I dare say most of the folks on this site (including me) ride with some kind of ear protection.

 

If you finish a ride and find that your ears are ringing, then you have done permanent damage to your hearing. Do this over and over again, and you will end up with significant hearing loss by the time you're a senior citizen.

 

And, from experience, if your ears ring too many times, they will start ringing constantly, for the rest of your life. Believe me, that is awful. Plus having hearing loss makes it even worse. So, protect your hearing health with earplugs!!! Whether it's riding the bike or mowing the lawn or at the dance club (yeah, I know, we're too old for that), wear plugs.

 

PS: hearing aids, as nice as they are, are not a good replacement for your own hearing.

[carolinarider]

I always wear them, even on my 20 mile commute to work each day..ear damage adds up over time, even on short rides.

[Peter Parts]

Sure looks like a thread about proper windshield (windscreen) adjustment is badly needed.

 

A few days ago, somebody posted an unfair description of Harley riders as people who will always put cosmetics ahead of function and BMW riders as the reverse. Really? How do you feel about windshields?

 

I've posted some summaries of recent research (and absence of research) on noise damage for bikers in other threads recently.

 

Likewise, see comments about getting your hearing tested from time to time (usually free even in countries with old-fashioned medical systems). A hearing test can sometimes detect the difference between hearing loss through aging and loss through damage since the frequency patterns can be different - at the least, it provides you with a baseline.

 

Ben

[Selden]

Ahh, you haven't seen the video showing how to do it with a shoe !

Video

I tried that; all I ended up doing was denting the wall.

 

However, if someone will provide an empty wine bottle at BRR, with the cork pushed completely in, I'll bet I can get the cork out without tools or breaking the bottle or destroying the cork. I'll also need a plastic bag.