So I'm riding to work this morning and I was thinking about helmets, and wind noise. Even with ear plugs, I find wind noise in my helmet to be distracting.
On top of that, as an ex-drummer, I suffer from some mild tinnitus. It is a condition that is not reversible, and can only get worse if one doesn't care for his/her ears around loud, continuous noise. So I certainly want as quiet a riding experience as possible, especially for longer trips.
I'm thinking I should first get some stronger earplugs (although the ones I found are up there, in terms of db blocking index), but I also am wondering about my helmet. I have a modular (GMAX).
Can anyone tell me if a non-modular, full-face helmet would be any quieter?
Last edited by CraigCBR; 11-20-2012 at 11:37 AM.
Reason: spelling
I have a HJC FG-15. I don't wear ear-Plugs or earphones and I don't have any problems with wind noise. It's there, but definitely not loud or distracting. I'm sure that I won't hear anything if I wear ear-Plugs.
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It would seem so, less pieces for wind to get through. Schuberth helmets are the quietest, but insanely expensive. I have a Shoei Qwest, and I wanted a helmet I didn't have to use earplugs. I've been up to 80 and with the vents open, and it was quiet.
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There's quiet and then there's 'quiet'. My RF-1100 never seemed overly loud, but after some 6-8hr rides my ears would ring for a while afterwards. Since then, I've been wearing earplugs whenever I am going out for more than 10-15 mins. Even to this day the odd time I don't use plugs (forgot them, wrecked them, etc) I still don't find my helmet loud, but I know it's loud enough to potentially do a lot of damage over time.
Riding a motorcycle is noisy, and I think even those who say their helmet is quiet enough without plugs would be surprised to know what the acual dB reading is when going down the road (and how quickly it can start to do damage).
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It would seem so, less pieces for wind to get through. Schuberth helmets are the quietest, but insanely expensive. I have a Shoei Qwest, and I wanted a helmet I didn't have to use earplugs. I've been up to 80 and with the vents open, and it was quiet.
I too have a qwest, and while the sound is tolerable at high speed, i still wear ear plugs. When i dont wear the ear plugs on shorter trips the sounds feels deafening at first in comparison but soon get used to it.
For ear plugs, i use cheap foam ones (buy in bulk off amazon or similar). Most are rated at around 30-40db depending on which frequency you're looking at. In order to get much better you'd have to pay alot more for custom fitted ones. The foamies are very effective and very comfortable. I think i saw somewhere that its not possible to go much above 40db reduction with ear plugs because after that you're limited by the transmission of sound through the jaw rather than the ear canal.
Dont read this as a knock on the Qwest, its a very comfortable helmet, with (apparently) very good protection, and while ive not tried any other helmets, reviews do rate it on the noise front even if not being number 1
The newer and tighter the helmet, the quieter it'll be. As I'm sinking into my mid-40s, I want to preserve every little bit of hearing I have left. At the pistol range, I wear foam plugs under hard-shell muffs.
On the bike, I either wear foam plugs, OR some homemade earbuds I constructed from those same ear plugs (Howard Leight NRR 33s bought in boxes of 200 pair) and a set of, say, Skull Candy phones.
I thought about getting some of those really fancy ones from Bose or Klipsch, or getting a set of custom-molded plastic jobs from the MC show, but I think mine do just as good a job and for a fraction of the cost.
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I have a HJC FG-15. I don't wear ear-Plugs or earphones and I don't have any problems with wind noise. It's there, but definitely not loud or distracting. I'm sure that I won't hear anything if I wear ear-Plugs.
Wear the plugs; your HJC is making a LOT more noise than you realize, and you WILL damage your hearing. You can hear what you need to hear with the plugs in.
Think of earplugs as if they were sunglasses for your ears. If you wear sunglasses inside, they block too much light and you can't see well, but if you get out into the sunlight, you can see better because your eyes aren't overwhelmed with the bright sun. Same way with earplugs; they block the noise generated by your helmet so that you can hear the sounds you need to hear, and prevent the damage that the constant noise is doing to your hearing.
I wish I had started wearing earplugs when I started riding; I would not have the significant tinnitus that I have now if I had . . . .
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You can improve the situation by ditching the modular helmet. Modular helmets ARE noisier. There's air getting in the openings that let you lift the front of the helmet. I have non-modular full face helmets and they are distinctly quieter.
That said, I love my cheap HJC modular helmet and my cheaper HJC MX helmet. I wear earplugs every time I get on either of the bikes.
Are you sure that your helmet is fitted correctly (not too large/loose and shaped properly) and that the modular front is sealing properly when it is closed?
Good luck.
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I've been considering about starting to wear plugs. I have minor tinnitus from working in a warehouse with dozens of conveyor belts for a couple years and I'm beginning to notice it more and more.
I'm thinking about going to Harbor Freight and picking up a bag of the disposable foam plugs. My Bell RS-1 is pretty quiet, I don't really notice the noise too much. But then again, I don't want to make it worse.
Are you sure that your helmet is fitted correctly (not too large/loose and shaped properly) and that the modular front is sealing properly when it is closed?
Well- I'm not entirely sure on the fit & shaping (not sure what shaping is tho). It feels snug, but doesn't feel overly tight. Hard to determine a proper seal but it looks good. It's a GMax GM54S. I bought it based on price, design, and other good reviews that mentioned nothing about noise. However, I just read a review here and this pretty much answers my question about noise levels in modulars. Well, at least this one. Guess I need to add "new helmet" to my shopping list. Definitely going with non-modular, full-face.
Will continue to use foam, high db earplugs as well. Thanks very much for all the feedback gang-
Wind Noise & Helmets
1989 Honda NX250
2009 Honda CRF230L
Guess I need to add "new helmet" to my shopping list. Definitely going with non-modular, full-face. 
