Motorcycle-Era |OT| Two are better than four

Dougald · Aug 6, 2019

Any reason you only want to go with a dealer, is it just peace of mind? At that lower end of the market, at least in Europe, you're usually better off going private. These small bikes tend to change hands a lot

You'll definitely want a 250 rather than a 125 unless you're going to keep it to town speeds (under 50mph or so). The 125s can do 70, but it ain't easy.

Fallout-NL · Aug 6, 2019

Like Doug says, buying private isn't necessarily a bad way to go, especially if you bring a friend who has some bike buying experience. At the lower end of the market, there's not that much difference to what's sold privately and what you can get from a trader. A trader will charge more though.

What you want is to find that unicorn seller who genuinely cared for the bike and has documented all the maintenance. If you find a seller like that, that's a thousand times better than buying from a trader.

Deleted member 19066 · Aug 6, 2019

Dougald said:
Any reason you only want to go with a dealer, is it just peace of mind? At that lower end of the market, at least in Europe, you're usually better off going private. These small bikes tend to change hands a lot

You'll definitely want a 250 rather than a 125 unless you're going to keep it to town speeds (under 50mph or so). The 125s can do 70, but it ain't easy.

Financing. Long story short I'm starting school full time at the end of the month in a new town. I'm quitting my job and planning to get one part time and supplementing the rest with student loans, and my fiance's job can just cover rent. But now my car's kaput. Financing would let me get a vehicle quicker and spread out the financial burden. Worse comes to worse I can just wait until the loan money comes in and put in extra hours at my job to make up the difference over the semester.

Microsoft · Aug 6, 2019

BuddyDharma said:
Americans - it it possible to get a motorcycle for below $2000 from a dealership? My car's transmission blew, and I think I'm just gonna replace it with a bike since I'm moving to a new town thats much more bicycle/pedestrian/motorcycle friendly. I'm flat broke and can't buy one outright, but I've got decent enough credit to finance one.

I once saw a new 2015 or 2016 Honda Rebel 250 for $1,500 from a dealership. I regretted it so hard not buying it but I just simply cold not justify it. So I'm gonna go ahead and say it is possible but next to impossible. What state are you in?

Deleted member 19066 · Aug 6, 2019

Microsoft said:
I once saw a new 2015 or 2016 Honda Rebel 250 for $1,500 from a dealership. I regretted it so hard not buying it but I just simply cold not justify it. So I'm gonna go ahead and say it is possible but next to impossible. What state are you in?

Indiana. I'll be moving within to a place within an hour of Indianapolis so I'll have a lot broader selection when I move.

Ocho · Aug 6, 2019

I'd recommend investing in a tire pump. I've got BestRest's CyclePump that I use weekly. It hooks to my battery and is portable enough to keep with me at all times.

Dougald · Aug 7, 2019

Ocho said:
I'd recommend investing in a tire pump. I've got BestRest's CyclePump that I use weekly. It hooks to my battery and is portable enough to keep with me at all times.

I ended up buying one last night just to get me through the week, but unfortunately it's a car sized one and would take up half a pannier. At least it got rid of the warning lights on the dash

turbobrick · Aug 7, 2019

BuddyDharma said:
Financing. Long story short I'm starting school full time at the end of the month in a new town. I'm quitting my job and planning to get one part time and supplementing the rest with student loans, and my fiance's job can just cover rent. But now my car's kaput. Financing would let me get a vehicle quicker and spread out the financial burden. Worse comes to worse I can just wait until the loan money comes in and put in extra hours at my job to make up the difference over the semester.

I dunno, but financing another vehicle when you already have one (even though it needs work) doesn't seem like a smart idea. I'd either sell the car now for whatever you can get to buy a cheap bike or another car. Or I'd just fix the car, which could probably be done cheap depending on what it is. What year, make, and model is the car?

Deleted member 19066 · Aug 7, 2019

turbobrick said:
I dunno, but financing another vehicle when you already have one (even though it needs work) doesn't seem like a smart idea. I'd either sell the car now for whatever you can get to buy a cheap bike or another car. Or I'd just fix the car, which could probably be done cheap depending on what it is. What year, make, and model is the car?

It's an old Chevy Aveo, and it's been paid off for while now. Its transmission blew, which is gonna be a $2000 fix minimum (I don't remember if that quote included the busted clutch as well, with would be another $200.) I think the cheap bike is the best option right now.

Fallout-NL · Aug 7, 2019

BuddyDharma said:
It's an old Chevy Aveo, and it's been paid off for while now. Its transmission blew, which is gonna be a $2000 fix minimum (I don't remember if that quote included the busted clutch as well, with would be another $200.) I think the cheap bike is the best option right now.

I know it's different in America, but I am firmly against financing of any kind when it comes to something that depreciates as quickly as a motorized vehicle (there's exceptions like a new GT4 Cayman, but that's not meant for mere mortals like us). That's why I would second turbobrick's idea to maybe try to fix the Aveo - perhaps you can even do it yourself if you have a friend that's mechanically inclined. I know it's unlikely and a-hell-of-a-job, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And going into debt sucks ass.

Dougald · Aug 7, 2019

I'm generally only for financing if it's something like PCP where the payments are kept artificially low and you're essentially treating it like a monthly bill. But even then you've got to be wanting to change your car every x years to avoid the balloon payment

Rotkehle · Aug 7, 2019

PCP is like renting, right?

Deleted member 19066 · Aug 7, 2019

Yeah, you guys have convinced me to buy one from a private seller. It'll take a few weeks, but there seems to be some available in my price range in the area when I move and get our finances situated. If my Aveo had 50,000 fewer miles I may have sprung for the repair, but it's just not reliable enough.

Really, my car broke down at an ideal time. Had it broken down a month ago, I would have been in a much more precarious situation. Now I'm moving to a nice little college town with lots of bikes lanes and walkability. Not having any motorized transport for a few weeks will suck, but it won't be debilitating like it is in my current city. I'm feeling good about it.

Dougald · Aug 7, 2019

Axelotl said:
PCP is like renting, right?

Your dealer calculates how much the vehicle will depreciate by over the term of finance and you only borrow that much. So say you buy a bike @£15,000 on a 3 year finance deal that is valued at £9,000 at the end, you only borrow £6,000. It keeps payments incredibly low, but it means after 3 years you either have nothing, have to take a new deal, or have to pay £9,000 to keep your bike.

It's basically leasing but cheaper and you technically own it and are responsible for upkeep.

Rotkehle · Aug 7, 2019

That's a really cool concept. I don't think that we have anything similar here.

Microsoft · Aug 7, 2019

The USA is just so huge that you really need your own vehicle to get around. If you don't have a vehicle, you miss out on opportunities. Vehicles are moneymakers here.

Fallout-NL · Aug 7, 2019

True, true.

turbobrick · Aug 7, 2019

BuddyDharma said:
Yeah, you guys have convinced me to buy one from a private seller. It'll take a few weeks, but there seems to be some available in my price range in the area when I move and get our finances situated. If my Aveo had 50,000 fewer miles I may have sprung for the repair, but it's just not reliable enough.

Really, my car broke down at an ideal time. Had it broken down a month ago, I would have been in a much more precarious situation. Now I'm moving to a nice little college town with lots of bikes lanes and walkability. Not having any motorized transport for a few weeks will suck, but it won't be debilitating like it is in my current city. I'm feeling good about it.

I would just dump the aveo for whatever you can get. No offense, but the aveo is a terrible car in general. Even if you buy a used transmission for about $500, and if you need a clutch for another $150, unless you install it yourself you'll be spending like you said $2k. Instead of spending $2k on fixing the aveo, I'd sell it for a couple hundred or whatever you can get, and save up for a better vehicle.

Dougald · Aug 8, 2019

Been riding all week, absolutely fantastic. My route has very little traffic and is almost all 50/60mph twisty country roads, so I don't even mind the commute. I did take the panniers off so I can get through a few sets of traffic lights more easily, though.

Unfortunately no pics as my office is in a secure site and I'll catch hell for walking around taking photos.

Fallout-NL · Aug 8, 2019

Dougald said:
Unfortunately no pics as my office is in a secure site and I'll catch hell for walking around taking photos.

Boo!

Good to hear the commute is fun though.

Ian · Aug 9, 2019

Anybody tried (or even heard of) Vozz helmets? (http://www.vozzhelmets.com)

As a bespectacled rider, having a helmet I can put on and take off without removing my glasses sounds great, but I've never heard of them until recently so I'm not sure of their comfort, safety record etc..

Rotkehle · Aug 9, 2019

Never heard of them. But as someone with glasses I can recommend Helmets like the Schubert C3

Ian · Aug 9, 2019

Nice. I've never tried a Schubert but I'll keep that in mind, thanks!

Briareos · Aug 9, 2019

Ian said:
Anybody tried (or even heard of) Vozz helmets? (http://www.vozzhelmets.com)

Interesting, thanks. Reading this review.

One small but handy advantage of the rear-entry helmet is that your balaclava stays in place. With conventional helmets, my balaclava nearly always gets pulled down and out of place when I pull the helmet on; in my experiment with the Vozz, the balaclava stays in place, not over my eyes.

Going to see if there are any retail distributors near me.

Scotch · Aug 9, 2019

Looks interesting, that Vozz helmet. Always good to see someone trying something different. I wonder how noisy it is.

Fallout-NL · Aug 9, 2019

Ian said:
Anybody tried (or even heard of) Vozz helmets? (http://www.vozzhelmets.com)

My first thought was "is that safe, no chinstrap?" - then I saw him take off the helmet which blew my mind. I would definitely like to try that.

Arucardo · Aug 9, 2019

That's a cool idea. After I saw the side profile of the helmet I couldn't help but think it looks like a Moomin helmet

Can't unsee it now...

Dougald · Aug 9, 2019

I've seen the Vozz, they are supposed to be safer and easier to remove in an accident than a traditional flip helmet

I highly recommend the X-Lite X1004 as a glasses wearer. Really nice lid, and if you buy the carbon version, not too heavy either. Or the equivalent Nolan helmet, as X-Lite helmets are just premium Nolans.

Ocho · Aug 10, 2019

I moved in with my girlfriend this past weekend and the train (to get to work) is no longer in walking distance. So I can either commute all the way Downtown (by car or motorcycle) or go to a park and ride that's a lot closer (22 min~).

The Texan heat must be frying my brain because even when we're on the hottest month of the year I'm still trying out the park and ride option on my bike. Not a bad deal, overall. I'm taking the freeway on the mornings and it's usually not very hot (if I don't stop in a stoplight). Coming back from work is a little insane but manageable. I just missed commuting on my bike. Makes me happier to ride a little every day.

Rotkehle · Aug 11, 2019

Congrats 🎉🎈🎊🍾 for moving in. This is always a big step. I know what you mean. I try to ride as much as I can. Buying some Brötchen or cold cuts for breakfast -> bike, visiting my mother 1.2 miles away -> bike etc. I hope you don't get burned to death in the Texas sun.

Indoor know if I had posted this videos before and I don't know if they have English subtitles, so this is a little hard to understand if not, but I always love to see those men's from Männertours (Mentours)

Chopper Honda C185TTour through East Europe

Ural Tour

CB50 Tour to Croatia

Mofa (Max Speed 25 km/h) Tour to the Bodensee

They have also always some episodes before those longer versions where you can see the preparations for their journey. The whole premise is to take garbage/damaged bikes to ride a set destination that is not always reached. Especially the Ural tour is awesome for this.

my best friend finally got his new bike with thebroad support of his family, me and my mother. It took one year for the license andto find a bike that fits him and his wallet. Its a BMW F 650CS. Under 30k km on the clock. 2,5k€, ABS and Brembo brakes.
But we still need to rise the seat and adjust the rear shock.

Arucardo · Aug 11, 2019

Anyone watch MotoGP today? That last pass, fuuuuuuck... Also, Moto 2 was crazy too

Sidewinder · Aug 11, 2019

Axelotl said:
Congrats 🎉🎈🎊🍾 for moving in. This is always a big step. I know what you mean. I try to ride as much as I can. Buying some Brötchen or cold cuts for breakfast -> bike, visiting my mother 1.2 miles away -> bike etc. I hope you don't get burned to death in the Texas sun.

Indoor know if I had posted this videos before and I don't know if they have English subtitles, so this is a little hard to understand if not, but I always love to see those men's from Männertours (Mentours)

Chopper Honda C185TTour through East Europe

Ural Tour

CB50 Tour to Croatia

Mofa (Max Speed 25 km/h) Tour to the Bodensee

They have also always some episodes before those longer versions where you can see the preparations for their journey. The whole premise is to take garbage/damaged bikes to ride a set destination that is not always reached. Especially the Ural tour is awesome for this.

my best friend finally got his new bike with thebroad support of his family, me and my mother. It took one year for the license andto find a bike that fits him and his wallet. Its a BMW F 650CS. Under 30k km on the clock. 2,5k€, ABS and Brembo brakes.
But we still need to rise the seat and adjust the rear shock.

Congrats to your best friend on the Scarver and the license! I wanted to buy this bike too 4 years ago but never found one for a decent price and/or low mileage. Went for a Suzuki V-Strom instead which is fing awesome too ;)

Rotkehle · Aug 11, 2019

Sidewinder said:
Congrats to your best friend on the Scarver and the license! I wanted to buy this bike too 4 years ago but never found one for a decent price and/or low mileage. Went for a Suzuki V-Strom instead which is fing awesome too ;)

The seller is a good friend of his grandfather. An old motorcycle police officer and racedriver. Tons of additional equipment came with the bike.

Fallout-NL · Aug 11, 2019

Axelotl said:
An old motorcycle police officer and racedriver.

Good taste in tires too.

Microsoft · Aug 11, 2019

Axelotl said:
Congrats 🎉🎈🎊🍾 for moving in. This is always a big step. I know what you mean. I try to ride as much as I can. Buying some Brötchen or cold cuts for breakfast -> bike, visiting my mother 1.2 miles away -> bike etc. I hope you don't get burned to death in the Texas sun.

Indoor know if I had posted this videos before and I don't know if they have English subtitles, so this is a little hard to understand if not, but I always love to see those men's from Männertours (Mentours)

Chopper Honda C185TTour through East Europe

Ural Tour

CB50 Tour to Croatia

Mofa (Max Speed 25 km/h) Tour to the Bodensee

They have also always some episodes before those longer versions where you can see the preparations for their journey. The whole premise is to take garbage/damaged bikes to ride a set destination that is not always reached. Especially the Ural tour is awesome for this.

my best friend finally got his new bike with thebroad support of his family, me and my mother. It took one year for the license andto find a bike that fits him and his wallet. Its a BMW F 650CS. Under 30k km on the clock. 2,5k€, ABS and Brembo brakes.
But we still need to rise the seat and adjust the rear shock.

I'm impressed at the quality of those images. Crystal clear and a lot of contrast.

Rotkehle · Aug 11, 2019

Microsoft said:
I'm impressed at the quality of those images. Crystal clear and a lot of contrast.

iPhone XR

I love how good those smartphone cameras and the designated software got.

Dougald · Aug 11, 2019

Any reason he chose the 650CS? It's a really unusual bike to see that's for sure

I like it though! But I'm a BMW fan, obviously.

Ocho · Aug 11, 2019

Arucardo said:
Anyone watch MotoGP today? That last pass, fuuuuuuck... Also, Moto 2 was crazy too

It was spectacular.

Rotkehle · Aug 12, 2019

Dougald said:
Any reason he chose the 650CS? It's a really unusual bike to see that's for sure

I like it though! But I'm a BMW fan, obviously.

It was just the best bang for the buck. But we definitely have to rise the seat. It's currently at 750mm and he should rise it to 810mm. He is 195cm tall.

Microsoft · Aug 12, 2019

I tried going back a few pages and I couldn't find the relevant comment. I don't remember who told me but I asked about the first service. Well, after a little bit of research I found manufacturers cannot deny you your warranty if you service the motorcycle yourself. So, I did the oil change myself. Well, not me, I showed my cousin how. He did a good job other than it being messy as hell. It was fairly easy and I didn't notice any big metal shavings, or none at all. Broke in beautifully. I just made sure the drain bolt and filter were bolted right. It was some $65 dollars for all the parts/oil or so.

So yeah, as long as you use OEM parts, they won't deny you warranty service. Keeping receipts definitely helps.

amoy · Aug 13, 2019

Microsoft said:
Nice. I KNOW that was a lot of fun.

Lots of vibration tho, usually I never stop between short trips, but had to take a break because my hands were feeling funny at the time of the picture.

Axelotl said:
Congrats 🎉🎈🎊🍾 for moving in. This is always a big step. I know what you mean. I try to ride as much as I can. Buying some Brötchen or cold cuts for breakfast -> bike, visiting my mother 1.2 miles away -> bike etc. I hope you don't get burned to death in the Texas sun.

Indoor know if I had posted this videos before and I don't know if they have English subtitles, so this is a little hard to understand if not, but I always love to see those men's from Männertours (Mentours)

Chopper Honda C185TTour through East Europe

Ural Tour

CB50 Tour to Croatia

Mofa (Max Speed 25 km/h) Tour to the Bodensee

They have also always some episodes before those longer versions where you can see the preparations for their journey. The whole premise is to take garbage/damaged bikes to ride a set destination that is not always reached. Especially the Ural tour is awesome for this.

my best friend finally got his new bike with thebroad support of his family, me and my mother. It took one year for the license andto find a bike that fits him and his wallet. Its a BMW F 650CS. Under 30k km on the clock. 2,5k€, ABS and Brembo brakes.
But we still need to rise the seat and adjust the rear shock.

Like Motor Trend's Roadkill but with bikes!? Thanks!

Brah, is your friend a giant or is that bike very small? First pic is messing my brain. Congrats on the license and bike :D

Rotkehle · Aug 13, 2019

amoy said:
Like Motor Trend's Roadkill but with bikes!? Thanks!

Brah, is your friend a giant or is that bike very small? First pic is messing my brain. Congrats on the license and bike :D

I don't know Motor Trends Roadkill, so I can't confirm this.

Yeah, he is like 198 cm high.

amoy · Aug 13, 2019

Axelotl said:
I don't know Motor Trends Roadkill, so I can't confirm this.

Yeah, he is like 198 cm high.

Kinda the same vein, centered on junkyard cars, fixing them up just enough to get them on the road and then try to cover as much ground as possible to their destination. Lots of zipties and elbow grease to keep the cars going. It was pretty fun.

Might need some bar risers added to the list of modifications.

Rotkehle · Aug 13, 2019

amoy said:
Might need some bar risers added to the list of modifications.

Sure that. This will be a slow process because of money. The list of needed modifications is long.

FernandoRocker · Aug 15, 2019

A little bit of background. Back in 2013, I went to a concert in a small venue, and feeling invincible, I sat down really close to the speakers. The next day I woke up with a ringing in my ears. I didn't think think too much about it, because I was used to a small ringing after a concert, and it usually disappeared after 24 hours or so. But that time was different... the ringing didn't disappear. I went to the doctor the next week, and my ears were damaged (not a lot, but enough to develop tinnitus).

At first it was hard, but I learned how to live with tinnitus. After a couple of years, my brain/body got used to it. I was able to completely ignore the ringing. My life came back mostly to normal.

I purchased a motorcycle back in 2014 (Honda Rebel 450), then in 2015 I purchased a Honda CX500 Custom. I rode those bikes mostly on the weekend. Just a quick ride. But I never wore any gear... just regular clothes.

Then in mid 2015 I had a daughter, and I decided to sell my motorcycles. During that period, I started to become more safety aware.

Well, fast forward to November 2018. I needed a method of transportation, because we had just one car (still do) and my wife got a new job and she couldn't drop at my office anymore. I decided to purchase a new motorcycle.

But now I did prepare myself. I purchased a full face helmet, a motorcycle jacket, boots and gloves. And since November 2018, I have been riding my motorcycle 5 days a week.

But in December 2018/January 2019, my ears started to act weird again. The ringing was coming back, but worse. I started to hear the humming bassy noises from neighbor's A/C units at night right inside my head ). The ringing was very loud too. My ears were extremely sensitive. I was not able to sleep properly for weeks. Me and my wife even had some problems because of it. I didn't know why it started to happen again. I even created this thread: https://www.resetera.com/threads/era-i-need-help-im-going-insane-serious.90009/

Well... after a few months, I read on Reddit about ear damage from riding motorcycles. I didn't think it was affecting me because:

My motorcycle is small and doesn't make a lot of noise
I was using a full face helmet

After months of suffering, I discovered the issue. It was the motorcycle and me not using a good helmet and ear plugs. That particular helmet created a gust of wind tunneled directly into my ears. I never cared about wind noise. But it was affecting me.

I purchased a new helmet and ear plugs, and now I'm better. It took a few months, but I'm much better now. Take good care of your ears. I suffered for months, and I don't want you to experience what I experienced. Buy a good helmet and wear ear plugs.

Microsoft · Aug 15, 2019

FernandoRocker said:
A little bit of background. Back in 2013, I went to a concert in a small venue, and feeling invincible, I sat down really close to the speakers. The next day I woke up with a ringing in my ears. I didn't think think too much about it, because I was used to a small ringing after a concert, and it usually disappeared after 24 hours or so. But that time was different... the ringing didn't disappear. I went to the doctor the next week, and my ears were damaged (not a lot, but enough to develop tinnitus).

At first it was hard, but I learned how to live with tinnitus. After a couple of years, my brain/body got used to it. I was able to completely ignore the ringing. My life came back mostly to normal.

I purchased a motorcycle back in 2014 (Honda Rebel 450), then in 2015 I purchased a Honda CX500 Custom. I rode those bikes mostly on the weekend. Just a quick ride. But I never wore any gear... just regular clothes.

Then in mid 2015 I had a daughter, and I decided to sell my motorcycles. During that period, I started to become more safety aware.

Well, fast forward to November 2018 (7 months ago). I needed a method of transportation, because we had just one car (still do) and my wife got a new job and she couldn't drop at my office anymore. I decided to purchase a new motorcycle.

But now I did prepare myself. I purchased a full face helmet, a motorcycle jacket, boots and gloves. And since November 2018, I have been riding my motorcycle 5 days a week.

But in January 2019, my ears started to act weird again. The ringing was coming back, but worse. I started to hear the humming bassy noises from neighbor's A/C units at night right inside my head ). The ringing was very loud too. My ears were extremely sensitive. I was not able to sleep properly for weeks. Me and my wife even had some problems because of it. I didn't know why it started to happen again. I even created this thread: https://www.resetera.com/threads/era-i-need-help-im-going-insane-serious.90009/

Well... after a few months, I read on Reddit about ear damage from riding motorcycles. I didn't think it was affecting me because:

My motorcycle is small and doesn't make a lot of noise

I was using a full face helmet

After months of suffering, I discovered the issue. It was the motorcycle and me not using a good helmet and ear plugs. That particular helmet created a gust of wind tunneled directly into my ears. I never cared about wind noise. But it was affecting me.

I purchased a new helmet and ear plugs, and now I'm better. It took a few months, but I'm much better now. Take good care of your ears. I suffered for months, and I don't want you to experience what I experienced. Buy a good helmet and wear ear plugs.

Unfortunately, helmets don't really help at all with wind noise on a motorcycle. If you already have hearing damage, you may not notice that you are further damaging your ears. I can't remember the word use to describe it, but 60db is twice as loud as 50db. Motorcycles hover around 95-110db. It is recommended to stay below 85db.

My state is one where it is illegal to wear anything in your ears while operating a motor vehicle. Horrible law. I may or may not abide by this particular law :) Because it's a stupid law.

Briareos · Aug 15, 2019

Good reminder. I always wear earplugs just so that the habit is ingrained, even when it's inconvenient. Also have mild tinnitus in my left ear (from before motorcycles), trying to avoid it getting worse...

Scotch · Aug 15, 2019

FernandoRocker said:
A little bit of background. Back in 2013, I went to a concert in a small venue, and feeling invincible, I sat down really close to the speakers. The next day I woke up with a ringing in my ears. I didn't think think too much about it, because I was used to a small ringing after a concert, and it usually disappeared after 24 hours or so. But that time was different... the ringing didn't disappear. I went to the doctor the next week, and my ears were damaged (not a lot, but enough to develop tinnitus).

At first it was hard, but I learned how to live with tinnitus. After a couple of years, my brain/body got used to it. I was able to completely ignore the ringing. My life came back mostly to normal.

I purchased a motorcycle back in 2014 (Honda Rebel 450), then in 2015 I purchased a Honda CX500 Custom. I rode those bikes mostly on the weekend. Just a quick ride. But I never wore any gear... just regular clothes.

Then in mid 2015 I had a daughter, and I decided to sell my motorcycles. During that period, I started to become more safety aware.

Well, fast forward to November 2018. I needed a method of transportation, because we had just one car (still do) and my wife got a new job and she couldn't drop at my office anymore. I decided to purchase a new motorcycle.

But now I did prepare myself. I purchased a full face helmet, a motorcycle jacket, boots and gloves. And since November 2018, I have been riding my motorcycle 5 days a week.

But in December 2018/January 2019, my ears started to act weird again. The ringing was coming back, but worse. I started to hear the humming bassy noises from neighbor's A/C units at night right inside my head ). The ringing was very loud too. My ears were extremely sensitive. I was not able to sleep properly for weeks. Me and my wife even had some problems because of it. I didn't know why it started to happen again. I even created this thread: https://www.resetera.com/threads/era-i-need-help-im-going-insane-serious.90009/

Well... after a few months, I read on Reddit about ear damage from riding motorcycles. I didn't think it was affecting me because:

My motorcycle is small and doesn't make a lot of noise

I was using a full face helmet

After months of suffering, I discovered the issue. It was the motorcycle and me not using a good helmet and ear plugs. That particular helmet created a gust of wind tunneled directly into my ears. I never cared about wind noise. But it was affecting me.

I purchased a new helmet and ear plugs, and now I'm better. It took a few months, but I'm much better now. Take good care of your ears. I suffered for months, and I don't want you to experience what I experienced. Buy a good helmet and wear ear plugs.

I'm curious, what helmet did you use before and after? I'm really fussy when it comes to helmet noise. I went through a couple of helmets before landing on the Shoei Neotec which I'm very happy with, but even that helmet can get a bit loud for me if the wind catches it just wrong. Like you said, sometimes the wind comes in through the neck and blows directly against my ears. Maybe I should just wear a bataclava or something. I _always_ ride with earplugs regardless.

Arucardo · Aug 16, 2019

I always use earplugs no matter how short the ride is. According to my last health check-up for work I have exceptional hearing for someone my age and I intend to keep it that way.

I bought some pluggerz earplugs this year that are designed to block wind noise frequencies and let through other sounds like car horns, engine noise, etc. I definitely recommend them or something similar over regular foam earplugs.

Riding a naked bike at 60mph/100kmh or more even with a fullface helmet is a bad idea if you ask me.

Rotkehle · Aug 16, 2019

I use extra for my ears created earplugs. A good friend of mine does this professional for work. It filters the frequency's of the windnoises and still enables me to hear the intercom.