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After years of thinking they were a waste of time today I purchased a £4.79 packet of three (silicone!!!) ear plugs.

wow what a difference just had a run back from brighton to London and it felt great. it cut down on the wind noise but I still could hear cars around me!!

Im converted!

Have to agree. Earplugs are a must. Mine are only £9.99 for 100 though.

The trick with earplugs is putting them in correctly !
It was only last year, when I was shown the correct way at a safety seminar at work that I was shown the correct way by a little welsh woman from the HSE - the difference was amazing!

The trick is to put your left arm up over your head, grab the top of your right earlobe with yer left hand & pull it up. Then insert your earplug into right ear.
Do the same with opposite hand/ear & that's it - then go out & try it on your bike

Or get some earplugs that are moulded to fit your ears. I got some the other year, and the difference between them and the ones I'd used before was amazing.

The guy said they cut the noise down by about 35dB.

I have used them for years and would never do without them now.
I have tried all different types some are hopeless, others are quite good but not any good for re-use.
As far as the none personal ones go, (I have never tried the molded to your ear types), I have found Howard Leight MAX units to be the best for me. You really do have to make sure you fit them properly or the will not work and almost certainly pop out. When fitted right they are brilliant and I find them very comfortable.
Not sure why, but I do get the odd occasions when they don't seem to want to go in, maybe the ear channel swells up slighlty on occasions, (??). On those days I use the re-usable Howard Leight QUIET, which are shaped and just pop in. I know that these do not fit all people and on some days they have popped out when I have used them. If they do fit you, they are very convenient to pop straight in, but are nothing like as quite as the MAX units. Then again they are dead easy to clean and last for ages.
I know the MAX units are supposed to be for one off use, but they have a smooth finish and clean up very easily with a tissue and warm water and I use them quite a few times before disgarding.

Army issued personal earplugs.....very good, very expensive, for the army

I use Max Lite earplugs, recommended by Ride and you can get 200 pairs for £15.30 from HERE

I was using Laser Lite and Max Lite plugs and found that they were brilliant if I could get them to stay properly seated in the ear every time. Unfortunately, despite ensuring that I used the correct technique for inserting them I found that one or both had a tendency to migrate out of the ear canal. So, last summer I decided to splash out on Ultimateear custom made silicon plugs. They felt strange at first but I soon became accustomed to them. I don't think the attenuation is any better than the Max or Laser Lites but the fact that they never move after insertion means that overall protection is improved. Not cheap but I'm glad I got them.

I've never used earplugs ...... did someone just say something ?

D-Rider wrote:I've never used earplugs ...... did someone just say something ?

If that's the truth (and not just a joke) then you really should try them. Never mind the health and sefety reasons; they just make the bike sound sooo good

sidestand wrote:The trick with earplugs is putting them in correctly !
It was only last year, when I was shown the correct way at a safety seminar at work that I was shown the correct way by a little welsh woman from the HSE - the difference was amazing!

The trick is to put your left arm up over your head, grab the top of your right earlobe with yer left hand & pull it up. Then insert your earplug into right ear.
Do the same with opposite hand/ear & that's it - then go out & try it on your bike

Oh my god! Was sure that was a wind up but me and the other half both just tried that technique (now chaps) and it's brilliant!

Nice one Sidestand. I should be able to hear people talking bollocks for years now!

D-Rider wrote:I've never used earplugs ...... did someone just say something ?

You are joking, Andy?

Andy? Can you hear me?

That's why he's on here every night, typing away at the keyboard, if he goes down the pub he can't hear anybody.
Can't even hear anything of the crowd when he goes to watch Coventry at the weekends,
Then again last time I was there I couldn't hear their lot either!

in all seriousness, ear protection is incredibly important - wear it!