Listening to music while riding? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Listening to music while riding?

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DuanevanGaalen

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So on the safety course I was told to get some ear plugs for riding as the road noise would eventually damage my hearing. In true DvG fashion I got to thinking: why not listen to music instead? So here's a few questions for you...

  • Would noise isolating earphones (the kind that go in your ear, that is) serve the same role?
  • Are there any laws/regulations forbidding this?

Ok, so only two questions. Just really looking to get a feel for whether or not this is a feasible idea.

Thanks!
 
Search the forum. There's 2 threads going on this RIGHT NOW let alone all the old ones
 
alot of people ride with ear phones, or get bluetooth comm units and play music through them

as long as its not high volume over the traffic I dont see anything wrong with it
 
I dunno, are deaf people allowed to drive?
 
Beanz said:
I dunno, are deaf people allowed to drive?
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I'm partially deaf in my left ear. And I know at least one other GTAM member has lost hearing due to a motorcycle accident. We're all still ridiing

=P
 
Robp said:
Of course they aren't, how the hell are they supposed to hear sirens.
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They don't need to. They can use their eyes to see the emergency vehicles and their flashing lights. If they are not within eyesight just yet, they can hopefully use their brains to figure out why all of the cars around them are stopping and pulling over to the side.
 
I'm all the way deaf in both ears. I'm also cybernetic now due to my cochlear implant.

So I can answer some questions on this. If I'm wearing the device I can hear, if I am not I can't. On the motorcycle it is a problem to a certain extent because I haven't yet found a full-face or 3/4 helmet that won't knock it off when trying to put the helmet on. So I don't wear my implant's processor and ride in silence. I try to compensate for this by wearing a hi-viz vest and as I hopefully buy new gear (this is my first season) all of it would be yellow, orange or red to make me as visible as possible. Maybe one day someone will make a helmet with more space in the ear cavity so it fits.

Not being able to hear the engine means I don't hear wind noise or strange engine noises much less sirens.

I shift by feel. The vibrations in the frame getting smoother or buzzier and also how the feel of road changes when in a different gear. You don't need any hearing at all to shift. None.

I don't think I'm missing too much to be honest. I've read that apparently the noise of the wind and engines is so high that you really need the earplugs or you'll end up deaf. My bike is a 250cc thumper and I've gotten it up to 120 km/hr. That's it's maximum, it can't go faster than that so I probably don't have to worry about being pursued by the police. I sometimes wonder how loud it is at WOT.

Yes, it's a more of a risk. So are other things. C'est la vie.
 
I have posted this already but anyway, I listen to music while riding and honestly find myself more focused on the road. I only have the left one in my ear and keep the music on low- loud enough to hear it but not drowning everything else out. I find it helps me focus more because when I'm on the highway, if all I hear is wind my mind sometimes starts to wander.
 
Sounds a little unsafe... I already can't see **** behind me and find myself having to wiggle around to check my rear. Being able to hear properly might save my skin someday...
 
shootingrubber said:
Um - If I'm not mistaken, deaf people are allowed to drive...
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Hahaha. My bad, I forgot the sarcasm emote.

Seriously, of course they're allowed to drive. Driving doesn't require hearing, it requires sight. I was trying to point out the ridiculousness of when people say riding with earplugs or headphones is unsafe because you can't hear.
 
Anything that takes your attention away from the task at hand can be dangerous. Maybe listening to tunes is not so bad, but playing with the ipod when riding certainly is. And sure deaf people can drive, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea for you to give up one of your senses voluntarily. I've tried riding with tunes and definitely found it distracting, but that's just me. Just like I turn the radio down in the car when I'm looking for a street address, the music can distract you.
 
Certain music can also make you ride faster :-/
 
I often listen to music (Not loud enough to drain anything) but also use the Google Navigation on my phone for directions. It dims the music and says the navigation prompt to you.
 
Buy/Find your favorite in-ear headphones.

Then go to http://www.complyfoam.com/ to find replacement "tips" for them. They're exactly like ear plugs, except there's a small hole down the center of them for vibes to travel through.

They're ALMOST as quiet as actual ear-plugs, I'd say maybe ~3 Db difference (which is significant, but still a VAST improvement over no protection at all).

For reference, my iPod is only at or less than 1/2 volume level when riding with these.
 
Sony noise cancelling ear buds, low volume classical music and i'm nice n calm.
At hwy speeds, my music is really faint but still audible. Makes commuting
To and from work more bearable.
 
Type17 said:
Sounds a little unsafe... I already can't see **** behind me and find myself having to wiggle around to check my rear. Being able to hear properly might save my skin someday...
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If you're relying on hearing the giant SUV about to run you down from behind, you're screwed.

To the OP:

1. Yes, they do.
2. No, it is not against the law.
 
Griffin said:
If you're relying on hearing the giant SUV about to run you down from behind, you're screwed.
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It's not that I'm relying on it, I just don't want to give up that sense. It's a comfort thing for me, others may not care or feel the same way.
 
I listen to music whenever I ride. If its too loud I have had some sirens sneak up on me, but at a reasonable level I dont miss anything. On the highway I find you cant hear much with or without ear plugs, so you might as well have music playing and use visual cues as much as possible.
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