I have chronic tinnitus .One of my main pleasures in life is riding the motorbike which combined with an ear virus has ended me up in the situation that I presently find myself in :-(( .
I know that wind noise is a risk to hearing loss and the onset of tinnitus , more so than engine noise, when riding a bike To mitigate further tinnitus problems ,I try to keep my speeds under 50mph ,wear 30 db ear plugs and a Shoei Neotec helmet .If the wind noise is 110 db and I reduce it to 80db with the 30 db earplugs ,I then reduce it an additional 4 db with the helmet I am experiencing 76 db which theoretically should be safe .
But is it safe after riding for 4 hours.??
My ears always seem worse after a ride and take time to settle down !
I don't enjoy the ride as much as I should as I am unsure whether or not I am aggravating the situation
Any similar experiences would be helpful
Just want to ride and enjoy life post tinnitus
Thanks
Written by
DR650SE
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If you don’t get any useful replies on this forum you might go to the British tinnitus Association website. On there you’ll find a chat service which is open nine till five UK time and a bit later on a couple of days - have a look. The chat icon is bottom right of the screen.
Hi DR650SE This is the BTA forum. There's a website - tinnitus.org.uk where you'll find the chat bubble or you can email the BTA - helpline@tinnitus.org.uk They always reply within two or three days . It's a good service.
Thanks Doglover1973 i have contacted them and am waiting for a reply . I couldn't see a chat forum on their website .perhaps i have to pay 20 quid to get onto to it ?I appreciate you helping me
Hi. DR650, if i did my name as my bike i would be CMX1100. I use a Neotec as well when i ride. I’ve tried all types of earplugs, from moulded to supposedly scientifically designed specials with partial holes for different types of noise. But i’ve found that the cheap yellow barrel type work the best, not perfect by any means but it allows me to ride. If i cut out all the background noise all i would hear would be my tinnitus screaming at me. Riding my bike is the best therapy in the world.Most people are now wondering what a DR650 and a CMX1100 is.
Hello 5050russThanks for getting back to me .I shall try the barrel earplugs as you have suggested .
Do you feel that your tinnitus is aggravated after a couple of hours ride or do you think that it is psychological ?
Just wondering if you ride at motorways speeds without due concern about your hearing ?
I have recently ordered a Madstad windscreen at great cost from the US to see if I can quieten down wind noise
Are you happy with the Honda?
I love riding the bike but need a reassure myself that i am not aggravating the problem
Good helmet,good ear plugs ,remove bash plate to stop engine noise being reflected up ,experiment with an adjustable wind shield ,wear a scarf to block wind getting up into the helmet and keep speed below 60mph
Hi DR650. I tend to only ride until the tank get low, i find stopping for only 10 minutes helps. A couple of things i have noticed is that if i turn my head slightly in either direction the noise level drops, also if i wear my water proof jacket with the high neck rather than my leathers thats better, so your scarf theory should help. I haven’t fitted a screen yet although i have one for the bike. The Honda is great by the way, small, low centre of gravity and a big engine…..great.
I find short stops help a lot whether it’s petrol or biker cafes. I read KC1961,s comment and I agree that when you are enjoying the ride the T disappears. The DCT is great, you just have to remember not to blip the throttle when you stop. The ground clearance is very good, I’ve scrapped my boot on the nearside and the footrest on the right. Really takes off from a standing start, it takes a good rider on a geared bike to beat it up to illegal speeds. Over the 45 years or so that I,ve had T, i find you just have to chill out and relax, don’t let it wind you up it only makes it worse.
Good advice about chilling out and not letting T wind you upI think the Honda would be a great bike.The DR is an 80 s design simple to work on and good for all the narrow winding potholed and gravel roads .Australia has a huge road network and low population so once you get on secondary roads some arent flash
Hi,I too ride bikes and had done so for years before T came. I had been using earplugs for about 10 years before T. After the arrival of T I never went on a bike for a few months as I hated wearing a crash helmet and being more aware of T. When I eventually did take a bike out I hated every minute of it, more so when sitting still at traffic lights or whatever. Gradually I got used to it and was able to not let it bother me too much. One thing I did find was that when using off-road bikes (I had a trials bike and an enduro bike) I was totally unaware of T, I guess that the extra concentration involved took my mind away from T. I still use bikes (road only) and altho' I'm often aware of T, especially on M-ways / long straights I find that if I concentrate on taking slow / long deep breaths I cope fairly well.
edit: I bought a Madstad screen for a Tiger 800 I had about 10 years ago, it was by miles the best screen that I've ever used. As long as above 40ish mph I could ride with my visor open in a pocket of calm, quiet, bug-free air, below 40ish bugs / insects etc could be a problem.
I am trying to get to the stage where i can freely ride the bike at motorway speeds and not worry about exacerbating the T.
I am going beyond the call of duty to protect my ears from further damage but stiil get concerned that I may aggravating the situation as the T seems worse when I take my helmet off at the end of the ride .
These days I'm an "Air-cooled, twin shock" man. I have 2014 Bonneville T100 and a 2015 Continental GT535. I also have a 1968 Bantam D14 that I mostly use during the Scottish winters whilst the others are laid up.
Hi kenny I am on my 53rd bike.I went pillion on my cousins Vespa around Stirling when I was 12 .That hooked me .I bought my first two bikes in Kirkcaldy (Lambretta and 350 MAC Velocette) The Scottish winters are a lot milder now that they used to be.Still can get cold on the bike in Australia in winter
Some good roads in Fife, I used to enjoy Burntisland to Kinghorn via Kinghorn loch but it's been a 40 limit for a few years now and all the towns and villages are now 20 so I tend to avoid the coast road when I do occasionally go to Fife. Not that I have any desire to go quick, I'd just like to be able to sit at around 55. I mostly head down the borders direction now, lovely scenery and the roads are quite quiet.
When I started working, 1977, I worked beside a guy from Aberdour who'd worked in County Motors in Kirkcaldy in the early 60s, could this have been where you bought your bikes? I like Velos, I been watching/listening to a load of them on youtube lately, they sound fantastic. There are actually a surprising number of them still around here (Central Scotland). I sometimes go along to see the old bikes when the local VMCC guys are heading off on a run and there are often quite a few Velos there. Scottish winter hasn't been too bad at all so far this year, I've had 4 wee goes on the bantam this month so far, it wasn't out at all last January.
When I look back the MAC was gutless .On the way to Aberdour from Burntisland just past the Nine Lums there is a hill .The old MAC seemed really puff going up it .I used to ride up the Jock from Burntisland ,turn right at Dunearn Hill and ride the back way over the Binn to KirkcaldyI haven't been back since 2017 and just before Covid hit .As far as winters we used to skate on Otterston Loch at Aberdour but these days with global warming you cant do that
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