The friendly "dumb" bike questions thread
Discussion
epicfail said:
Passed my test in March so not been doing this for years..
My SV650 has an adjustable rear shock, how do I know its at the correct setting for me? I feel no need to change anything but I guess these things are adjustable for a reason.
I'm asking this a someone who has adjustable front shocks on his GTV but has never adjusted them.
Lots of guides online, alternatively you may find a local bike shop will offer a service for say £50. My local place do training courses, a few hours on a Saturday morning whilst they teach you the basics to do your own suspensionMy SV650 has an adjustable rear shock, how do I know its at the correct setting for me? I feel no need to change anything but I guess these things are adjustable for a reason.
I'm asking this a someone who has adjustable front shocks on his GTV but has never adjusted them.
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/advice/maintenance/...
I need a portable chain and lock to chain 2 bikes Tuono V4 & Tuono 660) together while we are out.
Currently looking at the Pragmasis Protector 13mm chain.
Would the 2m chain be long enough for both bikes? Other options are 2.5m or 3m.
Any other portable chains out there that are better than the Pragmasis 13mm?
Currently looking at the Pragmasis Protector 13mm chain.
Would the 2m chain be long enough for both bikes? Other options are 2.5m or 3m.
Any other portable chains out there that are better than the Pragmasis 13mm?
How do you reduce/eliminate wind noise?
I was suffering with horrendous wind noise in my HJC helmet, so got some earplugs. These seemed to work up to a point but noise was still there. So I bought a Schubert helmet as these were supposed to be "better" at reducing wind noise (Due to extensive testing etc.) but find that it's no better than my HJC.
I've currently got a choice of three types of earplug to choose from, pic below.
Are there any better ones on the market that might be worth looking at?
(I don't want to go to the cost of custom fit ones if I can help it)
Cheers all.
I was suffering with horrendous wind noise in my HJC helmet, so got some earplugs. These seemed to work up to a point but noise was still there. So I bought a Schubert helmet as these were supposed to be "better" at reducing wind noise (Due to extensive testing etc.) but find that it's no better than my HJC.
I've currently got a choice of three types of earplug to choose from, pic below.
Are there any better ones on the market that might be worth looking at?
(I don't want to go to the cost of custom fit ones if I can help it)
Cheers all.
Amused2death said:
How do you reduce/eliminate wind noise?
I was suffering with horrendous wind noise in my HJC helmet, so got some earplugs. These seemed to work up to a point but noise was still there. So I bought a Schubert helmet as these were supposed to be "better" at reducing wind noise (Due to extensive testing etc.) but find that it's no better than my HJC.
I've currently got a choice of three types of earplug to choose from, pic below.
Are there any better ones on the market that might be worth looking at?
(I don't want to go to the cost of custom fit ones if I can help it)
Cheers all.
There will always be some wind noise - earplugs (at least as I understand it) are for protecting your ears from the damaging higher-frequency noise as well as reducing the overall volume of the noise within your helmet to safe levels. You need to be able to hear "normal" noises (car horns, sirens) as well of course. I was suffering with horrendous wind noise in my HJC helmet, so got some earplugs. These seemed to work up to a point but noise was still there. So I bought a Schubert helmet as these were supposed to be "better" at reducing wind noise (Due to extensive testing etc.) but find that it's no better than my HJC.
I've currently got a choice of three types of earplug to choose from, pic below.
Are there any better ones on the market that might be worth looking at?
(I don't want to go to the cost of custom fit ones if I can help it)
Cheers all.
I bought a mixed pack of earplugs from Amazon (following a recommendation on here) with 10+ different types/sizes of disposable plugs - worth a go I think, just to find the ones that work best for you/your ears.
I just use those pink/yellow Howard Leight that you have there, they work great for me. Just buy a bag of 100 or so last a couple of years.
As you have discovered there is not a helmet on the market that you dont have to wear ear plugs with ...at least if you want to stay within health and safety guidelines for noise. Some helmets may be a few dB quieter than others, and the best can just about meet the 85dB noise limit at 30mph, but all of them are too noisy at 70mph.
As you have discovered there is not a helmet on the market that you dont have to wear ear plugs with ...at least if you want to stay within health and safety guidelines for noise. Some helmets may be a few dB quieter than others, and the best can just about meet the 85dB noise limit at 30mph, but all of them are too noisy at 70mph.
bogie said:
I just use those pink/yellow Howard Leight that you have there, they work great for me. Just buy a bag of 100 or so last a couple of years.
As you have discovered there is not a helmet on the market that you dont have to wear ear plugs with ...at least if you want to stay within health and safety guidelines for noise. Some helmets may be a few dB quieter than others, and the best can just about meet the 85dB noise limit at 30mph, but all of them are too noisy at 70mph.
Agreed. ALWAYS wear ear plugs.As you have discovered there is not a helmet on the market that you dont have to wear ear plugs with ...at least if you want to stay within health and safety guidelines for noise. Some helmets may be a few dB quieter than others, and the best can just about meet the 85dB noise limit at 30mph, but all of them are too noisy at 70mph.
You can get those pink/yellow ones in green too, which is a slightly lighter foam, i.e. less pressure on your ear if you're wearing them for a long time. I bought a box each for home and work, and they last for ages.
TheInternet said:
Amused2death said:
These seemed to work up to a point but noise was still there.
The most important thing is ensuring you are using them properly, a lot of people don't at first.Roll the plug to compress (lengthways) then use your other hand to pull up the top of your ear and insert them deep enough that they completely block the ear.
As others have said get selection and find ones that work best for you.
Amused2death said:
Thanks all, at least I know I'm not alone dealing with the issues of wind noise. I'll keep persevering.
As mentioned to me by Krikkit of this parish, Amazon do a selection box for under £4https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B1STC2C?ref_=cm_sw_...
So you can find the pair that fit you if they're out there.
talksthetorque said:
Amused2death said:
Thanks all, at least I know I'm not alone dealing with the issues of wind noise. I'll keep persevering.
As mentioned to me by Krikkit of this parish, Amazon do a selection box for under 4https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B1STC2C?ref_=cm_sw_...
So you can find the pair that fit you if they're out there.
Currently only about half way through my first box of Howard Leight greens.
Speed addicted said:
I was about to post the same thing, getting the plugs into your ears properly makes a huge difference.
Roll the plug to compress (lengthways) then use your other hand to pull up the top of your ear and insert them deep enough that they completely block the ear.
As others have said get selection and find ones that work best for you.
I've tried a set of loops recently and they mention pulling at the top of your ear to get them in properly... they're still pants... but I'd never tried it with the foam ones before. Might just be the improvement I'm looking for!Roll the plug to compress (lengthways) then use your other hand to pull up the top of your ear and insert them deep enough that they completely block the ear.
As others have said get selection and find ones that work best for you.
ETA... what's the highest SNR in that selection on Amazon?
Edited by lukeyman on Saturday 28th May 21:07
Anyone who complains about ear plugs not working isn't fitting them properly; I'm not being catty, it's just the truth. Someone linked a good video a couple of years ago which made me change slightly how I fitted plugs, for even better results; I think it was this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzbKJEFULio
The change for me was to put them in even deeper than I was fitting them before, once fitted you cannot see them from in front, in fact I can barely get them out with my fingers. I can ride with my (noisy) Arai at high speed for many hours without any noticeable after effect. Off the bike if someone is talking to me and I am not looking at them I cannot hear them. I usually use Oxford branded EarSoft FX 39dB SNR and, as they mould themselves to the shape of your ear canal, they should work for pretty much everyone, all of the time.
There are other choices available, I don't think they give greater protection, but improve convenience: I've just purchased Auritech's as I'm doing IAM at the moment and the ride for a bit/chat for a bit format doesn't lend itself to taking a couple of minutes to fit foam plugs after each stop. Initial impressions are that with a bit of care fitting I can get decent protection, but they cut more of the engine noise than I'm used to and I don't think they offer the same cut in noise as the foam plugs so when riding myself I expect I will continue to use the foam plugs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzbKJEFULio
The change for me was to put them in even deeper than I was fitting them before, once fitted you cannot see them from in front, in fact I can barely get them out with my fingers. I can ride with my (noisy) Arai at high speed for many hours without any noticeable after effect. Off the bike if someone is talking to me and I am not looking at them I cannot hear them. I usually use Oxford branded EarSoft FX 39dB SNR and, as they mould themselves to the shape of your ear canal, they should work for pretty much everyone, all of the time.
There are other choices available, I don't think they give greater protection, but improve convenience: I've just purchased Auritech's as I'm doing IAM at the moment and the ride for a bit/chat for a bit format doesn't lend itself to taking a couple of minutes to fit foam plugs after each stop. Initial impressions are that with a bit of care fitting I can get decent protection, but they cut more of the engine noise than I'm used to and I don't think they offer the same cut in noise as the foam plugs so when riding myself I expect I will continue to use the foam plugs.
I originally posted this four years ago, but it maybe useful. I now have moulded ear plugs which are great but the performance is the same with correctly fitted disposables. Also the big thing I forgot to put in before. Learn to fit them correctly. Watch the videos from the manufacturers. foam earplugs should rolled thin, then inserted into the ear canal and allowed to expand. If you just stuff them in, they won't fit or work.
I did this stuff for a living for 30 years,. I must get a life one day
FROM 2018.
I'll try and keep this simple and leave my Anorak off smile
(no chance)
Hearing protection comes in different levels of protection. One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that more is better. In other words the bigger the number the more protection you have so it must be better. Wrong! It is very easy to over protect and that's when you can't hear anything and in the worse case it feels like sensory deprivation.
Most of the noise exposure for motorcyclist comes from wind noise hence there are lots of variables, time spent at speed, helmet type and design, fairings, screens and their position compared to rider size, etc etc.
There is a very good research paper by the association for European transport published in 2002 that does a good job of pulling all this together in relation to occupational exposure for police motorcyclists. In summary over 30mph it is likely that your exposure will be around 80 to 90 dB(A) and at high speed could be over 100dB(A). But unless you do this for many hours every day, like the police riders, it is very hard to guess your exposure.
The requirement for hearing protection in the UK (and Europe) at work is based on actions levels that you need to supply at 80dB(A) and mandate at 85dB(A) but this based on an 8 hour exposure. Things to bear in mind. These actions levels are based on the idea that someone is exposed to this levels 8hrs a day 5 days a week, any other exposure pattern needs to be calculated out.
The dB(A) thing means it is measured compared to the sensitivity of the human ear to various frequencies, Decibels (dB) are a logarithmic scale, therefore 3 dB is roughly a doubling in noise energy (eg a lot)So 83dB is double the noise energy of 80 dB, 86dB(A) is double the noise energy of 83dB(A) so there is hell of difference in exposure between 80dB(A) and a 100dB(A), but the human ear can only really start to tell things are nosier with a 5 dB difference, in other words we are rubbish at judging when noise levels are getting harmful.
So how by much do you need to reduce (attenuate) the noise? If we can reduce the exposure level at your ear to round 70dB(A) that would be about right and would still allow you hear a reasonable level of conversation/ traffic etc, if you reduce below 60dB(A) it feels odd!
So back to buying ear plugs You'll see two main pieces of of information on the box
1) SNR (single Number rating) this is the simplest way of assessing the amount of protection the ear plugs will give.
2) HML values (High, medium and low frequency) three figures.
There may also be a full octave band breakdown with lots of figures, Anorak required!
Focus on the SNR value, for most purposes this will do.
Let's take the example given above, the Howard Leight Laser lite has an SNR of 35 dB(A), so if you if you were exposed to 100dB(A) the noise level at your ear would be 65dB(A), except we knock off 4 dB(A) of the SNR for what we call real world conditions (incorrect fitting by the user) so we would actually estimate a noise level at the ear of 69dB(A). So that is a fairly high level of protection and I would recommend if you are planning to travel at high speed for long periods most days.
I current use the 3M E.A.R classic with an SNR of 28dB(A) I ride the bike a couple of days a week for a few hours and mixture of roads and speeds so I find that this gives me a good balance of protection vs hearing the world around me.
So go for the well known brands with evidence of testing to BS-EN standards,
Try a range of products until you find one that works for you in terms of fit, comfort etc
Try different SNR protection levels until you find the one that matches your riding, the level of noise reduction you are comfortable with, and is comfortable to wear.
Moulded ear plugs made to fit you are excellent and probably the best option overall but disposable ear plugs give very good levels of protection if used correctly
I could go on, and on and on, but I really recommend that you wear hearing protection unless you are just going for a short low speed bimble. Noise induced hearing loss is an absolute swine that serious affects peoples' quality of life.
Here endeth the lecture but if anyone has any questions or wants more detail let me know, otherwise I'll go back to my usual lurking mode thumbup
I did this stuff for a living for 30 years,. I must get a life one day
FROM 2018.
I'll try and keep this simple and leave my Anorak off smile
(no chance)
Hearing protection comes in different levels of protection. One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking that more is better. In other words the bigger the number the more protection you have so it must be better. Wrong! It is very easy to over protect and that's when you can't hear anything and in the worse case it feels like sensory deprivation.
Most of the noise exposure for motorcyclist comes from wind noise hence there are lots of variables, time spent at speed, helmet type and design, fairings, screens and their position compared to rider size, etc etc.
There is a very good research paper by the association for European transport published in 2002 that does a good job of pulling all this together in relation to occupational exposure for police motorcyclists. In summary over 30mph it is likely that your exposure will be around 80 to 90 dB(A) and at high speed could be over 100dB(A). But unless you do this for many hours every day, like the police riders, it is very hard to guess your exposure.
The requirement for hearing protection in the UK (and Europe) at work is based on actions levels that you need to supply at 80dB(A) and mandate at 85dB(A) but this based on an 8 hour exposure. Things to bear in mind. These actions levels are based on the idea that someone is exposed to this levels 8hrs a day 5 days a week, any other exposure pattern needs to be calculated out.
The dB(A) thing means it is measured compared to the sensitivity of the human ear to various frequencies, Decibels (dB) are a logarithmic scale, therefore 3 dB is roughly a doubling in noise energy (eg a lot)So 83dB is double the noise energy of 80 dB, 86dB(A) is double the noise energy of 83dB(A) so there is hell of difference in exposure between 80dB(A) and a 100dB(A), but the human ear can only really start to tell things are nosier with a 5 dB difference, in other words we are rubbish at judging when noise levels are getting harmful.
So how by much do you need to reduce (attenuate) the noise? If we can reduce the exposure level at your ear to round 70dB(A) that would be about right and would still allow you hear a reasonable level of conversation/ traffic etc, if you reduce below 60dB(A) it feels odd!
So back to buying ear plugs You'll see two main pieces of of information on the box
1) SNR (single Number rating) this is the simplest way of assessing the amount of protection the ear plugs will give.
2) HML values (High, medium and low frequency) three figures.
There may also be a full octave band breakdown with lots of figures, Anorak required!
Focus on the SNR value, for most purposes this will do.
Let's take the example given above, the Howard Leight Laser lite has an SNR of 35 dB(A), so if you if you were exposed to 100dB(A) the noise level at your ear would be 65dB(A), except we knock off 4 dB(A) of the SNR for what we call real world conditions (incorrect fitting by the user) so we would actually estimate a noise level at the ear of 69dB(A). So that is a fairly high level of protection and I would recommend if you are planning to travel at high speed for long periods most days.
I current use the 3M E.A.R classic with an SNR of 28dB(A) I ride the bike a couple of days a week for a few hours and mixture of roads and speeds so I find that this gives me a good balance of protection vs hearing the world around me.
So go for the well known brands with evidence of testing to BS-EN standards,
Try a range of products until you find one that works for you in terms of fit, comfort etc
Try different SNR protection levels until you find the one that matches your riding, the level of noise reduction you are comfortable with, and is comfortable to wear.
Moulded ear plugs made to fit you are excellent and probably the best option overall but disposable ear plugs give very good levels of protection if used correctly
I could go on, and on and on, but I really recommend that you wear hearing protection unless you are just going for a short low speed bimble. Noise induced hearing loss is an absolute swine that serious affects peoples' quality of life.
Here endeth the lecture but if anyone has any questions or wants more detail let me know, otherwise I'll go back to my usual lurking mode thumbup
hiccy18 said:
Anyone who complains about ear plugs not working isn't fitting them properly; I'm not being catty, it's just the truth
Couldn’t agree more.Roll them up.
Lick the tip.
Stretch the sticky out bit of the ear (Tragus?) to open up the ear canal.
Shove the frigger in like you’re trying to make it hit your brain.
Release the tragus and let it expand.
Keep a finger tip lightly placed over the end of the plug while it expands if need be to stop it from pushing itself out a little as it does so.
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