Helmets Continuing Quest for Quiet

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royws

I should start by saying that I like my '05 ST 1300 very much. I have noticed a slight heat problem, but I rectified that fairly well with the fairing extenders. The riding position was good, but not great, so I installed a heli riser plate and it is much better. The seat was okay, but the Sargent seat, which I bought, made riding much more comfortable. But there is one thing that I haven't been able to beat. NOISE ! My ST is hands down the loudest motorcycle I have ever ridden. Obviously, I'm not refering to the engine noise, but the wind noise is brutal. The quick synopsis of what I've done to try and make the noise problem bearable, is as follows:

CalSci windshield, stock height, a couple of inches wider and cat eye cutouts. No better, maybe, even a little worse.

Clearview medium GT with no vent. No better, maybe a little worse.

Cut CalSci windshield down to dashboard height, looking for cleaner air. Didn't get it.

Brackets in all positions (Yes, even flipped), had some success here, but not a lot.

Bought a new Shoei helmet, figuring the problem must be that I was wearing a cheap helmet. Much, much worse.

Earplugs by the bucketful from every manufacturer you can name. Most are very uncomfortable and all were ineffective.

Windjammer II for the bottom of the helmet. No help.

A new HJC helmet that I had read a review on WebbikeWorld stating that it was one of the quietest helmet they had tried. No difference.

Laminar Lip. Maybe, slightly better, but not nearly enough to satisfy me.

So, as you can see, I'm no quitter. I've read all you guys' posts about this problem, read everything I can on different windshield options, tried all I could think of that was reasonable, but I feel like I've been beaten. I have been so obsessed with this problem, that my wife who hates motorcycles (She's worked in emergency rooms all her adult life), finally told me to just trade the bike in and get something different, which, I must admit, I've been thinking about. So, tonight, I thought I'd try one more thing. I took off for a ride with no earplugs, no Windjammer II on my helmet, stock windshield in the lower of the stock positions, all the way down, Laminar Lip on (About 1" higher than the shield), and I took the visor shield off my HJC CL-SP helmet. I didn't raise my visor, I took it, entirely, off my helmet. The noise problem was cut by 75%. I can ride with this set up quite comfortably. My question to all of you is, why shouldn't I ? I wear all gear all the time, but I never thought about riding without a visor. I wear prescription eyeglasses, so my eyes are protected, somewhat. Do any of you ride with the visor removed ?

Roy
 
No Visor

Roy,

Check your state laws. Some states require eye protection. Technically, the requirement is ftypically or impact protection. Most eyeglasses do not offer this type of protection. There is an ANSI standard (z79 I think) for impact resistance.

Beside that road dust, bugs, etc can be a real pain. (Literally and figuratively)

Rob
 
I had a length of Saeng Touring Stealth Edging http://www.saeng.com/edging.htm from an old bike. I put it on the stock shield on my '03 (it's there now). One thing it does is create an airflow pattern of a taller and wider shield. As a result I can put the shield up just a couple inches, still have a good view over top (I always look over) and have a much quieter ride than with the shield in the same position without the edging. On a hot day when you want the full blast of air to keep cool, the edging comes off in 5 seconds, goes back on in a minute or two. It's not perfect, but it helps.

P.S. Ear plugs are a simple and effective fix for noise.
 
Roy,
I dont doubt what you've said, I'm sure you've gone to *alot* of effort. But my experiences are quite different.
First, how tall are you? AFAIK, the wind off the shield should pretty much hit you in the chest, not go over your head.
If it hits around your helmet, this can cause terrible noise issues.
Second, I *hate* to ride without earplugs. I've been riding with them for years and years. I dont' think I could find a way (because of wind noise) to ride without them. Is it possible that you just need to get some custom fitted ones and then all would be good?

Hope these comments help in some way, good luck with it, Hank
 
I ride most of the time with my visor flipped up. I know I shouldn't. I wear glasses also (plastic lenses) and my line of vision is usually right over the top of the windshield weather permitting. Every once in a I get nailed by a bug but got in a habit when on 2 lane highways when vehicles are coming by I kind of duck for a second just in case they sling a rock. :04biker:
 
Roy,

I feel your pain. I'm about 6'4" tall. I have the Calsci LARGE shield cut down to stock height. I arrived at stock height after cutting it down in two 1 1/4" experiments. Still noisy. No buffeting or back pressure though. I too have noticed that when I flip the visor up on my helmet, it does sometimes (depending on where the shield height is at) get a lot quieter. I don't like riding long that way though. I've seen too many rocks and large bugs bounce (or splatter) off the front of the visor.

The only solution I've found that HELPS but doesn't solve it - is earplugs. Even with plugs it's louder than I'd like. At some heights, I even think it's louder with earplugs - the noise takes on a deeper THUMPING type sound that actually is more irritating.

It's weird. I have a buddy who lets me ride his two sportbikes (virtually no shield) and even though you're getting a lot more wind - it's way more quiet for me. If you ever find a better answer, please share it. Thanks for your post.

Good luck, Brian
 
Roy, I think you should do what works for you. Guys rode bikes for decades with no windscreen at all, just a leather helmet and goggles! Shucks, the cruiser guys are still doing it here in AZ! As long as your eyes are protected then the rest is just a question of where you wish to draw the line for your personal safety and comfort and whatever the law requires. I took a bird right between the eyes once while I was wearing a 3/4 helmet with no face shield. I was very glad I was wearing my ANSI approved safety glasses.

Doug
 
I'm a visor up rider with earplugs. Look over windshield. Windshield down and visor down at speeds over 70 mph. :biker:
 
royws said:
Earplugs by the bucketful from every manufacturer you can name. Most are very uncomfortable and all were ineffective.
Roy
Click to expand...

Foam earplugs are 30-33dB if installed properly and replaced frequently. I do not know how that level of reduction can be considered ineffective. If the plugs were preperly inserted then I wonder if you can ever be happy since there is nothing else that can get you 30dB. I say this since when I first tried a foam earplug I was unimpressed sitting on the sofa until the plug was fully/properly inserted.

As for your windshield you you have two choices to clean up the wake turbulence you are hearing. Specifically you have to get your head out of the wake turbulence of the shield. This means a reasonably low shield (head in clean air) or a quite high shield (wake turbulence mostly over head). Everything else in between has some level of wake turbulence around your head. The shield on the 1300 is reasonably far from your body and makes it tougher to minimize wake turbulence magnitude unless you are tall.
 
I wasn't able to hear everything you said about noise. I really don't know what you are talking about? I don't hear anything when I ride my ST. If you want to hear something noisy you should stand underneath the wing of a B-52 Bomber when doing an engine power trim. Sure glad I got out when I did! Life is so much quieter in the civilian world. Don't know why all the fuss about noise? Please try not to mumble when you speak and it is so much easier to understand you if you will look at me when you talk. My bike is quiet, maybe you got a Lemon!
LOVE THIS FORUM!
ALICIA
 
Roy - I had exactly the same problem, right from the first time I rode my new ST13 back in January 2005. As soon as I raised the speed above 40 mph, I noticed that awful windblast noise straightaway, which really alarmed me.

So I bought a Flip Top windscreen from Keith Munro. I got the 1" taller x 2" wider version. The difference is amazing. The flip feature re-directs the oncoming airflow right over the top of your lid.

So I can now happily and easily listen to music, hear GPS voice prompts, and have a quiet conversation with my pillion, even with the shield lowered all the way down - and at speeds of 80+ mph.

I don't wear earplugs either ... never have.

Keith M's Flip Top windshield is easily the best accessory I've acquired to date, by far.

There ya go then ... problem solved!

keith
 
Noise in the Helmet

I also have been somewhat concerned about the noise level and have so far concentrated on the helmet part of it.

I notice that the vents at the top rear of the helmet make virtually no difference open or shut, but the forehead vents have a tremendous effect. Open is very noisy while closed is much quieter. Considering making some soft covers to convert the vents to an exit flow instead of an entry flow as an experiment.

A little experimentation with the front shield indicates the edges contribute a lot to the noise environment. Pressing in reduces it noticably.

If I shrug, thereby closing up the gap a little at the bottom of the helmet, noise is very reduced, leading me to think maybe a gaitor or other filler would help a lot.

A little worried that completely eliminating air flow within will make the helmet hot in the summer and fog up at times. Restricted vision not a good idea.

I'm very interested in the Laminar Lip as I have read it works well, but now you say no?

I'm leery of wearing earplugs while riding or even earphones/earbuds as I believe it's important to be able to hear the traffic environment very well.

Like to hear more on this.
thanx, Gonzo
 
ST1300 Alicia said:
If you want to hear something noisy you should stand underneath the wing of a B-52 Bomber when doing an engine power trim.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh... as we used to say in Va. Beach, home of Oceana Naval Air Station: "The sound of freedom!!"
 
Sounds like you have very senstive hearing issues. That is a difficult dilemma to crack, but you can always get ANSI/OSHA approved safety glasses and go with whatever works for you.

At work all our welders and machinists prefer the OSHA approved foam ear plugs. Properly applied they are very comfortable and, the best part, is that they are the least expensive of all the various ear protection devices available. The sound levels are still very good in terms of being aware of what is going on around you. They are designed to lower the mid to high frequency sound levels that can damage your hearing.
 
I have tinitus and am sensitive to the noise issues also. So far I have found my 06 ST to be a lot quieter than a stock Concours. Be sure you are inserting your ear plugs properly. Howard Leight makes several models in different shapes for different ears. You must pull the lobe of your ear down, roll the plug thin, insert and hold for at least 15 seconds while it expands.

I have a Rifle screen on order and will let you know how that works out. If you want maximum protection but want to look over the screen, I would target the top of the screen to your nose.

If you duck your head down an inch or two and find the noise level drops a lot, then try the Saeng edging metnioned before, it did wonders for me on my Connie.

Helmets can make a lot of difference, if you dont mind lack of ventillation, there are some really quiet ones out there - check reviews in Motorcycle Consumer News or Rider magazine. Make sure your helmet fits snug enough, though - that is very important.

I always ride with my visor up and wear safety glasses. You can definitely order a pair of safety glasses with your Rx.

Good luck - keep us posted.
 
I have an '06 with the stock windshield in the upper of the two manual positions. I wear a Scorpion EXO700 helmet and use foam ear plugs. With the screen in the full up position there is very little wind noise. If I lean far forward (to stretch my back), there is virtually no wind noise.

Peeking over the top of the windshild yields more wind noise and putting the screen in the full down position there is too much noise if I forgot to put in my ear plugs, or if I put them in improperly.

Interstate: screen full up (or close to it)
Backroads: peek over the top
Twisty bits: screen all the way down
Hot weather: don't know yet, but anticipate screen all the way down and possible at the lower of the two manual positions.

I love the flexibility of the electronic screen. Particularly if I forget my ear plugs or don't have one or both of them inserted properly.

A previous poster makes a good point about sizes of earplugs. My ear canals are rather small. I recently purchase a variety pack of ear plugs from:
http://store.yahoo.com/earplugstore/unfoamtrialp.html

If I don't find something suitable in the foam variety pack I will try the SilentEar or QuietEar re-usable silicone plugs.
 
Roy - not sure how your helmet is constructed, but I had an old HJC where the edge of the shield did not inset into the helmet and the corners, where the pivot screwed into the helmet, were raised up by cover plates. This helmet always ended up with a lot of wind roar or slap right next to my ears because of the sharp edge of the shield in the wind. I was also running an open face which was much quieter. When I used duct tape to smooth the edges on the full face it got better - but was not a practical solution.

Ultimatelly I got a Shoei RF1000 and this is much quieter. My RF1000 has a setting on it that projects the sheild slightly out - you turn the lever to get the shield in snug to the helmet at which point it gets much quieter. But even with the Shoei there are positions on the sheild where the wind slaps down on top of the helmet. This is somewhere in the middle.

Best of luck, but you seem to have determined that it is something to do with the helmet. By taking of the shield you smoothed the flow.
 
Roy,

I fully understand how important the wind buffeting issue is. Prior to getting my ST I had a FJ1200 which was a fantastic machine, but the wind buffeting drove me nuts! It had a small screen that directed the airflow right at my head, either right below the helmet or right above it depending on several windshields that I tried over time. The buffeting was so extreme that my ears would ring for hours after getting off. The small and much lower windshield on the FJR is the primary reason that I opted for the ST with adjustable windshield instead.

I am currently running a Calsci medium windshield, but have a Clearview Stock size on order. (I had to cut the Calsci as it didn't fit right with the wind deflectors.) I think the after-market shields all deal effectively with the back pressure, but a degree of wind buffeting is a fact of life on bikes. While I am sensitive to the noise like you, I feel that the ST is much quieter than most bikes I have ridden and has the advantage of real-time adjustments.

I recently discovered that most of the noise is actually AMPLIFICATION of the buffeting by the helmet. I have a HJC Symax which is a highly functional helmet, but also a very loud one. I noticed that I was tending to run with the helmet shield cracked open a bit as it was quieter. Over time I found myself raising it more ans more as it got quieter. I now manage the wind buffetting noise by raising it relative to the position of the motorcycle windshield. I will likely get some safe eye protection and try running it all the way up. Fortunately, I haven't gotten any flying objects (like bees) in my helmet doing this!

Thanks for bringing up this great topic.

Rick
 
ST1300 Alicia said:
I wasn't able to hear everything you said about noise. I really don't know what you are talking about? I don't hear anything when I ride my ST. If you want to hear something noisy you should stand underneath the wing of a B-52 Bomber when doing an engine power trim. Sure glad I got out when I did! Life is so much quieter in the civilian world. Don't know why all the fuss about noise? Please try not to mumble when you speak and it is so much easier to understand you if you will look at me when you talk. My bike is quiet, maybe you got a Lemon!
LOVE THIS FORUM!
ALICIA
Click to expand...

Ha! Right ON Alicia. I flew B-47 in SAC. I was often outside the aircraft when engines were running. Now I live with audiograms which go to below -55db at 5000cps (idle speed of J-47 engines) and bilaterial tinnitis... Complain about noise, me? Nah... I just run the shield all the way up and sit comfortably in the turbulent free bubble behind it. No fetish here about looking thru the shield... do that all the time in my truck, so why not on the bike?

JR
STOC 394
03ST1300A
Lake Livingston, TX
 
Regardless of anything, the sound level in your helmet at speed will be between 100 and 110dB. Different screens, helmets, etc. change that slightly, and may move the noise into different frequencies. Different helmets have various things that catch the wind and whistle or rumble. Different screens move the air up or down your helmet. The laminar lip creates a smoother airflow, less buffetting, but not much less noise. May help to create a more stady-state noise, easier to ignore.

But, at 100 to 110dB, you are causing permanent hearing damage in under 15 minutes. Full stop.

Therefore, you really need to find some earplugs that don't suck. And wear them. Try the Howard Leight Max series - they are very soft, very comfortable, and cut noise by around 30dB. I've worn them for a couple of years now and really like them.

Aerostich offers a sampler pack of a lot of different types of earplugs. Get it.Try em all.

And when you are putting the plugs in, they should go in *deep*. Roll them thin between your fingers, lick them to get them slick (yeah, gross, deal) and slide them way in. When they expand, it should be like you just put your head under water in the pool - everything just gets quiet.

Permanent hearing loss isn't anything to **** with.

Even wearing earplugs, I'd guess i've dropped a few points of sensitivity since I started riding bikes. More ringing in the ears now too. Sigh.

Will
 
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