Tinnitus, ears ringing?

[red]

But today, it was all about the FJ, man what a great bike. If my rump wasn't so sore and my ears weren't ringing so bad, I'd go back out now.

Mate, I gotta emphasise that ringing in your ear is a serious medical condition that WILL become permanent if you ride an FJ without ear plugs. I don`t mean if you ride for months without them, I mean the very next time you ride for more than 15 minutes without them could very likely be it.  And yes you will have it for the rest of your life.  it will sound that way every night in your home bed. (and all day too)

Is this only on FJ`s? the answer is a probably YES but I`ve only tested it with the standard screen. A good mate is in the Motorbike communications business and has tested many bikes for turbulence (incl wind tunnel of a standard FJ), as it affects audio systems and guess what bike he found to be the worst. You really should check out this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus
FWIW I have tested his helmet mounted audio system on a Kawasaki 1100, (years ago) then immediately transferred to my stock FJ to test the same system.(Result was terrible, while Kwaka was near perfect) Both were transmitted from a common fixed broadcast. (His House). It`s to do with the distance from your helmet to the FJ screen as much as design of that screen. (I would love to do the same test using Darrens fj mounted Kawasaki screen). New Communications systems do now work on FJ`s thanks to technology - but they won`t fix your Tinnitus.

General,

I appreciate the alert, on this problem.  I have noticed some temporary ringing in my ears after a long hard ride, but not on shorter rides.  Do I understand correctly, that the shape of the OEM FJ windscreen acts to concentrate the sound energy here?  If so, I may need to consider some alternatives to the OEM windscreen.  Any advice here would be welcome.

My helmet is similar in design and mass to the Bell Star, and I have a Vance & Hines 4-to-1 straight (glasspack) exhaust system. 
I have never liked the sound "deadening" of the helmet, but maybe it actually has some benefit (as in, the best ears ever to be run-over by a bus).      While I like earplugs for most high-noise hazards, hearing is sometimes one line of defense against deadly car drivers, and impending dangerous mechanical woes.  Earplugs on a bike would be a hard sell, to me.

At any rate, I am willing to extend the curving "tailpipe" from the muffler for some extra distance back and away from me, if you think that may help.  The V&H system now puts all the sound energy at one side, and above the OEM height.  I am hopeful that moving the "source" will change the reflected (focused) sound as a result.  Again, advice is welcome here.

Cheers,
Red

[big r]

Red, I have tinnitus and I always wear earplugs when I ride. The wind noise alone will cause damage to ears. It really sucks to be hearing the cicadas in your ears 24/7 you miss out on a lot of the quieter things in life. So, in short I would recommend that you always wear ear plugs when riding. Big R

[Pat Conlon]

The exhaust system has little or no effect on the wind noise that *will* damage your hearing.

Some Helmet designs help, but not enough to matter.

Not wearing ear protection is actually *worse* than not wearing your protective gear.
Maybe you will crash, maybe you won't..... But damage to your hearing is guaranteed...100%

If you decide against hearing protection fine, it's a personal decision, but go home and sell all your SACD/DVD Audio CDs and all your other high fidelity audio components, 'cause you will never be able to hear the subtle nuances of the music.... Gone, never to return.
Forget about hearing your grand daughter whisper a lullaby to you, as she falls asleep.  Gone, never to return.

100% guaranteed.

[The General]

No worries Red...I hear what ya saying and appreciate your interest. Pat is absolutely 100% correct. Go into that link I posted, in detail. I found the custom (injected to shape) moulded ear plugs terrific and a compulsory accessory. (I bet your doctor recommends them too!)
Also the thin light hoodie/balaclava is great to:
1. Ensure your helmet liner remains hygienic & clean.
2. Ensure ya don't drop your ear plugs every time you remove your helmet.
With these ear plugs, I`ve found safety risk for alert sounds is not compromised. In fact I can hear and participate in a normal conversation with them in place - incl in helmet communications.(and I don`t wear the ones with wire connection cause I couldn`t afford them). Also recommend getting a different colour for each ear.
Apparently they only filter out the higher decibels, so I can still hear that galvanised bucket of soul & cymbal beneath me. 

My audio specialist tells me the little hair follicles on ya inner ear end up breaking off from repeated wind noise exposure...and you can`t grow new ones. (you probably already have some broken). I read an article on the subject in a bike mag where they decided to do a quick survey of all staff. (All were motorcycle enthusiasts). They were amazed to find a little over 80% already had tinnitus to varying degrees.

[ribbert]

Also recommend getting a different colour for each ear.

By all means get a different colour for each ear (I didn't bother) but make sure you get bright coloured ones.

I would have lost 4 or 5 by now if not for the bright orange and even then they were difficult to find. Try throwing one over your shoulder a few feet then turn around and find it, much harder than you would think. I even backtracked 20k's once (they did cost $170) to a nondescript section of road I had stopped on briefly and found it. (I'm deaf in one ear and don't notice it's missing until it becomes painful)

Noel

[Pat Conlon]

Heh, heh.....they do tend to bounce a surprising distance when they hit the ground....

[rktmanfj]

I developed tinnitus a couple of years ago while taking a Rx medication for a week... the label said 'may cause headache' but there was no doubt, the shit gave me one every time.  I think there's a connection, but of course, there's no way to prove it.

Regardless of the cause, I'm considering going back from pods to an airbox... the pods seems to be at a frequency that, at times, really bugs me, especially when I forget my custom earplugs (or custom earbuds) and use the orange Howard Leight plugs instead.

+1 in getting them in a bright color... I had my new set made in black, and those SOBs are hard to find.

[Arnie]

I have some "custom" injected earplugs, but I prefer the Howard Leight foam one.
I gotta admit that I don't put even them in for short rides of less than 10-15 min, but do use them for anything longer.
One of the safety companies here in Australia currently has a sale on. 
200prs for $30  27db attenuation.
I don't need 200 pairs of earplugs, but if 2-3-4 others here in Aus want to split a box for cost plus postage, please PM me.

Arnie

[movenon]

I like the foam ones also. But I have to have a few extra with me as they do have a tendency to fall out when I take my helmet off. And yes bright orange is a good color for them.... I have lost some high freq hearing also, pretty close to the frequency of my wifes voice..... 
I am going to have to get a better couch......
George

[ribbert]

the pods seems to be at a frequency that, at times, really bugs me, especially when I forget my custom earplugs (or custom earbuds) and use the orange Howard Leight plugs instead.

I don't put my plugs in until the edge of town, my ears are my extra set of eyes in the traffic.

You're right about the pods. It annoyed me initially but has turned out to be a good thing, keeps me off the throttle around town.

I CANNOT ring it out without plugs, it hurts. Mind you, the one ear I do hear from was restored surgically and tends to be a little more frequency sensitive.

A bit of hearing trivia. With only one ear you lose the ability to identify the direction a sound is coming from. So, if a Kenworth is bearing down on me, air horns blaring and tyres howling there is a 50/50 chance I will look the wrong way.

Noel

[ribbert]

I like the foam ones also. But I have to have a few extra with me as they do have a tendency to fall out when I take my helmet off. And yes bright orange is a good color for them.... I have lost some high freq hearing also, pretty close to the frequency of my wifes voice..... 
I am going to have to get a better couch......
George

If they fall out when you take your helmet off, they're not doing the job.
Do you twist them before inserting them?

Noel

[movenon]

I like the foam ones also. But I have to have a few extra with me as they do have a tendency to fall out when I take my helmet off. And yes bright orange is a good color for them.... I have lost some high freq hearing also, pretty close to the frequency of my wife's voice..... 
I am going to have to get a better couch......
George

If they fall out when you take your helmet off, they're not doing the job.
Do you twist them before inserting them?

Noel

Yes I twist them in. They don't always fall out and not from both ears. Just my helmet seems to grab them or maybe its my thumbs in taking the helmet off. Operator error  .

Until this thread I guess it was something that I just didn't think to much about other than it was one of those minor things that seem to go on in life that you just keep putting up with Noel.

I will just have to pay attention to the problem. Better technique on my part.

George

[ken65]

my ears haven't stopped ringing in about 15 years at a guess, but I'm lucky compared to others in that it doesn't bother me, it drives the wife and kids up the wall having to yell at me if there's any back ground noise, it can drive some people insane Ive been lead to believe, i blame it on not caring , operating earth moving equipment, and loud music, sometimes id have to stand in front of big speakers with 1 ear plug in and a radio ear piece in the other, no protection at all, sometimes it gets a bit embarrassing  when i answer a phone or at the supermarket, if you value your hearing ,simple ,where plugs of some sort, the only time i can hear clearly now is when I'm reading,lol.

[tmkaos]

I work in a noisy engineering workshop all day long, so ear plugs are a must, background is about 80db. I wear plugs on the bike for anything over 15min long, the FJ is a noisy bugger. Correctly fitted they block out the higher freqs and take the worst of the lower freq away but I find they don't take away any traffic noises, in fact I think by blocking out the worst of the wind and motor noise it actually makes it easier to hear the things you need to.

James

[ribbert]

....... one of those minor things that seem to go on in life that you just keep putting up with Noel.

George

George, I hope that was just poor composition and not a Freudian slip!