Reducing helmet noise...

[fastar1]

Forum Sponsor

Time to redneck engineer something.

The wind noise in my helmet SUCKS. And I've been hearing the fz6 is known for helmet buffetig due to the aerodynamics. I'm throwing on a better screen this summer to help.

I can't ride with ear plugs/ ear buds because I feel a pressure in my head, and I can't hear the outside world.

I notice that if I shrug my shoulders up to my helmet, the wind noise is gone.
So, who has rigged up something to seal off the air from rushing under?

Im thinking of getting some mesh material, or even panty hose, to basically seal up the gap between my neck/chin and the helmet. I don't want solid material so I can still maybe stay cool in the summer.

Helmet is a shark RSI.

What ingenious idea does anyone here have??

I have the exact same problem with the exact same bike. Are you tall by chance? Anyways I fixed it 100% with a homemade helmet skirt.

I used a nomex helmet skirt like they use for karting, and velcroed it to the sticky elastic band thing that is used on Windjammers (the windjammer itself had no effect on eliminating the noise). Kind of a crude but effective. With the bottom tucked into may jacket it eliminated the whistling under helmet noise 100%. Looks goofy but it was sooooooo quiet and I am a quiet freak.

The nomex material wasn't ideal but it had to be heavy enough not to get blown around, so at least that was taken care of. But it would have been nice to allow some more airflow (even in the winter, to avoid condensation buildup on the visor) and better rain protection. It actually did a decent job of keeping me dry because it was so thick and absorbent, it would take a lot of rain to soak through the material. But when it did soak through, that was it. Water dripping down my neck, inside my jacket, and it would take a long time to dry. I just got the nomex because it was the shape and purpose I needed, but maybe something like neoprene with ventilation slots strategically located would work better?

Oh and the helmet skirt eliminated those neck stings you get on the highway, bonus.

 

[fastar1]

For anyone considering custom molded earplugs please don't get ripped off. $50 or $100 is insane.
you can buy a set of radions on ebay for $8-15. it's a silicon that you mix up. feels like play doh, very easy to use.
most of those custom earplug places probably just use it. it's not rocket science or a skill. you mix it up, squish it into your ear, smooth it out, 10 minutes later you have custom ear plugs.
you can even mold them around headphones if you want. there's lots of video tutorials.

OP, I know what you mean about the buffeting. I got an MRA xscreen. haven't tried it yet. it just clips onto the stock screen when you need it to and breaks up the air and redirects it. twisted throttle sells them.

Couldn't disagree more. They are NOT the same.

The good earplugs are 100% silicone and cannot be molded inside your ear. You need to have a mold made and then sent off to a place that makes the plugs. The cheap ones are some kind of plastic mix that allows them to be shaped by hand.

Best $110 I ever spent for biking. Maybe best $110 spent on ANYTHING. Hell, I use them for everything; vacuuming, hair trimming, long drives on the highway, sleeping in noisy places, airplanes, subway... IMO everybody should get them whether they ride or not!

 

[Major]

I use disposable ear plugs. Came in pack of 12 for $10 or so. My Shoei RF1100 also came with a chin sock which does help on keepi g some noise down.

There is a good windjammer review on web bike world here: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/windjammer/helmet-wind-blocker.htm

Found it on eBay for $20 and thinking of getting it. Probably won't use it till mid to late Sept.

 

[Kedo]

There is a good windjammer review on web bike world here: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/windjammer/helmet-wind-blocker.htm

Found it on eBay for $20 and thinking of getting it. Probably won't use it till mid to late Sept.

I am looking for one too but with not much luck.
Either they are in the UK or Australia (won't arrive until late August) or Cyclegear wants $25.00 for US priority mail without any other shipping options.

 

[fyrebug]

Couldn't disagree more. They are NOT the same.

The good earplugs are 100% silicone and cannot be molded inside your ear. You need to have a mold made and then sent off to a place that makes the plugs. The cheap ones are some kind of plastic mix that allows them to be shaped by hand.

Best $110 I ever spent for biking. Maybe best $110 spent on ANYTHING. Hell, I use them for everything; vacuuming, hair trimming, long drives on the highway, sleeping in noisy places, airplanes, subway... IMO everybody should get them whether they ride or not!

well you're free to disagree on whether they worked for you, but you're wrong about the mix. I know a thing or 2 about rubber as I do quite a bit of work with silicon for special effects and product design. I have some smooth on product right here that I could infact mold onto your face, and you could go buy yourself some sugru if you wanted. it's silicon and hand moldable. I also have silicon that isn't hand moldable. lots of different mixes, all silicon.

if you found they fell it it might have been because you didn't do them correctly. I say might, maybe you did do it correctly so try not to take offence. I've thus far had no issue with my $8 pair and while I don't have a $100 pair to compare them to, they're a definite step up from foam ones for not much of a price difference. the foam ones don't last either so if we view them in that regards I'd argue they're atleast a better purchase than foam.

Forum Sponsor