First ever long ride

[3rd_times_acharm]

Going to take my first road trip on a motorcycle this weekend. im excited to go and am looking forward to ride my machine somewhere different for a change. Just hope my rear can hold up

 

[Chicknstripn]

Not sure how tall you are but I rode my xb12r 13hrs straight and only thing that bothered me were my legs. I'm 5'10" and the leg position started feeling cramped about 4hours into my ride. I didn't do much stopping though. Just quick gas and coffee stops.
BTW wear ear plugs! The wind and road will deafen you on a long trip!
Where you going to and from?

 

[3rd_times_acharm]

Not going that far but I'm going from Memphis to osyka, ms. I was going to put earbuds in and hoped that helped.

 

[Chicknstripn]

I hope they are high quality noise canceling earbuds. Otherwise they'll do more harm than good. Just a warning from experience with earbuds. I thought I had done permanent damage to my ears after a long ride jamming to music. I know it's boring as hell but I only wear earplugs now. I'm about to try out some HD helmet speakers. I'm hoping those and earplugs will work well enough together to give me
something other than the voices in my head to listen to.

 

[user_deleted]

know it's boring as hell but I only wear earplugs now.

as a board "elder statesman" i have now accrued enough years to experience first hand the ravages of time... and resultant ill-effects of youthful foolishness. life with diminished hearing and vision can be debilitating. IMO moderately decent levels of both vision and hearing mandatory so that one can ride safely and enjoyably. wear the damn ear-plugs....and sunglasses in bright sunlight. your eyes and ears will thank you and reward you with quality performance in your later years.

 

[3rd_times_acharm]

Helmet has the built in sun visor and would earplugs that I use for the shooting range be too much? I can see the benefits of wearing the plugs because of the wind but i don't want to negate all my hearing.

 

[cjanderson_90]

I wear 33 DRR ear plugs which are about as quiet as you can get without getting custom made ones and I can still talk to my friends at stoplights. If you want music im going to suggest the expensive but very very good solution. Buy a sena headset. I have the SMH10 and its the single best investment Ive made for motorcycling.

 

[3rd_times_acharm]

then I guess I will be putting in my earplugs and pray it doesn't rain. If I can't hear as well as I want then I will put in my earbuds instead with no music on.

 

[Ivy Mike]

Not only do earplugs make riding more comfortable but they stop mental fatigue as well. Your brain has to process all of that wind noise which makes you tired. And they protect your ears too. I wear earplugs on every ride, only wish I started wearing them sooner.

 

[user_deleted]

^^^^^^^^ well said mike....well said.

 

[heagachongoose]

I have a set of the ETYPlugs by Etymotic Research and have been EXTREMELY impressed by the sound quality at the decibel reduction, especially after paying less than $10 for them on amazon. New of course lol. I do not reccomend used ear plugs, nastiness. Regardless they have probably been one of the best investments of my life. I am a musician, an active gigging musician. I have played everything from Death metal shows to bluegrass festivals from anywhere from bars to arenas. I have had my EtyPlugs for a long time. They do a phenomenal job of bringing the decibels down but retaining the clarity and definition in sound. I highly recommend their products based solely on personal experience. I have not tried any of their ear bud speaker but I'm sure they are top knotch as well. I also use my etyplugs on my Buell occasionally, usually after loud shows to give my ears a break. But they work well and I can still hear the world around me, which I appreciate.

So in conclusion........... Not a sales pitch, just making a point of hearing protection and recommending a working product to a fellow Bueller. Protect your health, because one day it may be all you have.

 

[TPEHAK]

I ride with stock muffler with no earplugs.

 

[WiredForStereo]

Wind noise has been shown to cause hearing loss even in cars, example being of truck drivers having been found to have hearing loss typically in the left year. Ear plugs are a must if you're doing anything loud for more than 15 minutes. If you have ringing following noise, you have hearing damage.

I use earplugs all the time unless I'm going on a really short trip.

Lately, I've been using Shure sound isolating headphones (with the foam buds) to listen to audiobooks and whatnot on my Buell. They work quite well. My other set with the rubber buds are not nearly as good.

 

[oh9bolt]

Wind noise is the leading cause not your exhaust...

 

[Ivy Mike]

I have a Scala Rider FM attached to my helmet and with earplugs in and the radio all the way up. No wind noise and just enough of the FM radio to get through where it's not too loud or soft. Something about going for a ride on my Buell (or Triumph) and being able to listen to a Detroit Tiger baseball game. It's perfect. Yea, I can connect my cell phone to my Scala Rider but why would I want to do that?

 

[cjanderson_90]

^this guy gets it