Music While Riding....

[NobodySpecific]

I am thinking though that I ought to wear ear-plugs. I don't think my bike is necessarily loud, but an hour or so of sound pressure in the helmet does leave my ears a bit numb at the end of a ride.

Wearing ear plugs has nothing to do with the sound level of your bike and everything to do with the sound level in your helmet. Not wearing ear plugs (regardless of the fairing) will cause hearing damage eventually. That numbness is a clear sign that you are creating a lot of stress for your ears.

[SRTie4k]

Never listened to music when riding, but I've also never used earplugs. Either my bike/helmet noise is extremely quiet and yours are all insanely loud, or your all just a bunch of wimps.

Anyways I prefer to focus on the sounds of the bike when riding hard since I usually stop paying attention to the tach and more rely on the engine sounds at a given RPM when negotiating corners and up/downshifting. I do the same thing in my car when driving aggressively - turn off the music so I can pay attention to RPM based on sound of the engine, listen to the tires to know when I'm getting close to their limit, the sound of the road listening for excess debris, etc.

[NobodySpecific]

Never listened to music when riding, but I've also never used earplugs. Either my bike/helmet noise is extremely quiet and yours are all insanely loud, or your all just a bunch of wimps.

Or I value my hearing, which once you lose it you never get it back. I must be a wimp for wearing leather and valuing my skin too, and for wearing ear plugs whenever I go to a concert. I know WAY too many people that have hearing damage (tinnitus, etc) and I will do EVERYTHING I can to avoid that. Call me a wimp if you want to, I don't have to prove how "tough" I am to make myself feel good.

[DocCola]

I listen to my iPod when I slab. Get's way to boring and mundane without it. I'm one of the types that the music helps me concentrate more. Helps me stay in my zone no matter how I'm riding. I use to do the same thing in Iraq. Ear bud in one ear while I was up in my turret so I could still hear my surroundings, but the music would keep me in the zone and keep me calm.

Anyway, now I'm switching from ear buds to a bluetooth headset. Ordered the Scala Rider G4 yesterday which has really high reviews. Got the powerset so me and the girl can chat while riding. Plus we both have Droids now so we we are going to hook them up so we have nav, music and whatever else we need. The G4 is what I've been waiting for since it's sterio sound instead of mono and supports AD2P. :-)

[Subee13]

I have MP3's on my Zumo and its great. If you are navigating the directions interupt the music and help you pay attention to an upcoming turn. If you are not its just great to have. I keep the screen on the music screen so I can pause if I need to.

+1 I need to do this. I just need to find good earphones to fit in my helmet.

[Billy]

If I'm going on a long as ride I listen to the Ipod. If I'm just cruising around locally I wear plugs.

[DB Duramax]

I'd like to but can't seem to find any earbuds that feel ok inside my helmet, they usually hurt my ears?? What do you guys use?

[KawiSmurf]

I'd like to but can't seem to find any earbuds that feel ok inside my helmet, they usually hurt my ears?? What do you guys use?

JVC Marshmallows. The inner-ear part is made of a foam similar earplugs, so it holds them in place comfortably, and blocks out a decent amount of external noise.

[KawiSmurf]

I hear these work extremely well, they're custom fit, but they are very pricey...

Big Ear BE-1C

[DB Duramax]

Thanks!!

[SRTie4k]

Or I value my hearing, which once you lose it you never get it back. I must be a wimp for wearing leather and valuing my skin too, and for wearing ear plugs whenever I go to a concert. I know WAY too many people that have hearing damage (tinnitus, etc) and I will do EVERYTHING I can to avoid that. Call me a wimp if you want to, I don't have to prove how "tough" I am to make myself feel good.

You can relax man, it was a joke.

[wego72587]

I listen every time I ride. Ipod in my left pocket with the buttons facing outward. that way I can pause it as needed or skip tracks. I'll most likely be deaf in 5 years.

Music every time I ride. I do the same with my iPod in my left pocket with the buttons outward. one ear only though, i like to hear my baby purr with the other one

[fjrrider RI]

I commute to work in traffic and wouldn't ride in it without my mp3 the cheapest way to provide music on the bike. It's is hard to keep the volume up high enough in traffic as the bike and car noises drown out the music as I can still here well enough. A voice activated volume and music control would be nice (have to stop at a light to change the settings)! I concentrate on the visual aspects of riding and can still hear any loud road noises.

[NobodySpecific]

I rode with my Shure's again the other day (first time in a very long time), and I had the volume almost as low as it could go on my iPod, and I could still clearly hear the bike, the road noises around me, and the music, even at highway speeds (on a naked bike with a loud helmet). They are fantastic.

[Brendan]

I can't listen to music. I drive in Boston, too many sirens from cop cars and meat wagons.
I even have to come off my throttle at intersections so I can listen for them sometimes. (Maybe that's the Micron Exhaust's fault)

[nhbubba]

All the damned time.
Found this thread looking into in-helmet audio options.

[Chippertheripper]

If you find something outstanding let us know. My current setup is a c-box xb2 or something. It doesn't get too loud so sometimes it's lost in the wind noise.

[gadget]

If you find something outstanding let us know. My current setup is a c-box xb2 or something. It doesn't get too loud so sometimes it's lost in the wind noise.

I have the C-Box GMRS X2, with the installed speakers in my helmet and a bluetooth connection to my Droid X.
I stream Pandora.

Since there are no earplugs I can hear other external noise just fine plus the VOX option is easy to get used to so I can chat with similar outfitted folks on our rides without having to mess with a mike button. Channel 4

I also have the option to answer a call if it is important.
The only call that I have answered was my son. He called from Pitsburgh on his Droid and I actually heard him better through this system than ever before.

[fineout]

when i drive to work i have foam earplugs in and then have headphones too, i can barely hear it so im not sure its worth much, but it helps on the boring ride to work.

when im just riding for fun i dont wear them

[LaRNZ]

I Use the sony earbuds with my iPod, put on a playlist and go nuts, iPod is in my left pocket facing up, hit next when I dont like a song, earbuds block out most of the wind noise, but can still hear bike, horns, sirens...

[SVRACER01]

Never listened to music when riding, but I've also never used earplugs. Either my bike/helmet noise is extremely quiet and yours are all insanely loud, or your all just a bunch of wimps.

well vented and/or light helmets are loud. period. my RF800 was super quiet, my X11 is not

[nhbubba]

Guy @ work bought a Cardo Scala Rider G4 set for himself and his missus. We were screwing around with it with his iphone today. It's pretty impressive. I am granfathered in on the AT&T unlimited plan and stream pandora all the way from home to work, a ~1 hour, 60 mile drive. My thing is that it sometimes gets in this streak of queing up some real crap and you have to skip through. Can't do that on the MC; I have to suffer through. But the G4 has that bluetooth remote profile magic. Sure enough you can blast through the pandora stuff.

They tested the call quality and its pretty good. Normally I don't give a flying fuck about the phone when riding. But lately that 'tude hasn't been sitting well with the missus. She requires I answer my leash on demand. She has authorized an intercom if it means I can be reached while on the slab. If I can get kewl tunes while I'm at it, I might just be in.

Reading up on the Sena SMH10 too. Seems like a contender.

[nhbubba]

Bought a Scala Rider G4 yesterday. Should be here Wednesday. Might be able to report back as early as Thursday.