The Importance of Motorcycle Gear in Preventing Hearing Damage

The various types of hearing protection available will be covered in this blog post, along with the importance of motorcycle gear in preventing hearing loss.

Although riding a motorcycle can be exciting and fun, putting safety first when driving is important. Hearing protection is one area of safety that is often ignored. Motorcyclists are subjected to loud noise levels, which might permanently damage their hearing if suitable safeguards aren’t taken.

Look Also: The All New Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sport First Look

How Can Ride a Motorcycle Damage Your Hearing?

The typical motorbike engine noise is 90 decibels (dB). However, the noise many motorcycles produce often exceeds 100 decibels, making ear protection necessary. When motorcyclists do not wear ear protection, this becomes a concern.

According to the US Department of Labor, hearing damage can occur after fifteen minutes of exposure to noise levels above 100 decibels.

Typically, people assume that the noise of motorbike engines mostly causes motorcyclists’ hearing loss. Yet, several studies indicate that wind noise is the main contributor to hearing loss in riders. Wind noise is the amount of noise turbulence produced when a rider is riding around. If the right hearing protection is not used, you risk gradually losing your hearing permanently.

Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) is a condition that causes hearing loss in motorcycle riders as the third cause of hearing loss. Long-term exposure to loud noises in excess results in TTS, temporarily reducing your acute hearing pattern. In other words, your hearing has gotten worse since the exposure. Sustained exposure to TTS will permanently harm your hearing.

How to Prevent Hearing Loss When Riding a Motorcycle?

 An individual’s quality of life may be greatly impacted by irreversible hearing loss from noise exposure. High noise levels can also cause tinnitus, a ringing in the ears that doesn’t go away. Tinnitus can occur in conjunction with hearing loss. In addition to making it difficult for a person to focus, sleep, and even work, tinnitus may be extremely upsetting.

The good news is that hearing loss can be avoided by using the proper motorbike gear. Motorcycle riders can dramatically minimize their exposure to noise by using earplugs, helmets, and other protective gear.

1. Earplug

The best and most affordable motorcycle gear for hearing damage is the use of earplugs. They function by lessening the volume of sound entering the ear canal. According to research, using earplugs can reduce your exposure to noise by up to 30 dB. It can significantly improve the likelihood of preventing long-term hearing loss.

Even the low-cost foam earplugs from the supermarket offer significant ear protection. Not the price exactly, but how you put them in your ears is important. Hence, it doesn’t matter if you choose inexpensive or costly earplugs as long as you use them to protect your hearing.

2. Helmets

Helmets are essential motorcycle gear for hearing damage prevention, in addition to earplugs. In the event of an accident, helmets shield the head and lessen wind noise. For motorcyclists, especially at higher speeds, wind noise can be a substantial source of noise exposure. By wearing a helmet, riders can prevent hearing loss by limiting the amount of wind noise in their ears.

Motorcycle riders can wear inflatable noise-reduction muffs that physically wrap over their ears and smart helmets with noise-canceling technology.

3. Bluetooth headsets

Intercom systems and Bluetooth headphones are two communication tools that might help lower noise exposure. Riders can speak with one another using these gadgets instead of shouting over the sound of the motorcycle. By doing this, the level of noise exposure can be decreased, and fatigue brought on by attempting to talk while riding can be avoided.

4. Other protective gear

Using gloves and other protective clothing can also help lessen noise exposure. For instance, gloves can lessen vibration, which can also gradually cause hearing loss, while jackets made of noise-canceling materials can assist in the masking engine and traffic sounds.

Conclusion

It is simple to lose yourself in the excitement of a fast motorcycle ride. Therefore, you must take preventative precautions against hearing loss if you are concerned about your hearing over the long run. Wearing earplugs or any other form of protection is not a luxury but a necessity.

It’s crucial to remember the shocking truth that exposure to noise exceeding 100 dB can result in permanent hearing loss in as little as 15 minutes. So, once more, safety equipment is required. We hope you like our post about the importance of motorcycle gear in preventing hearing loss.

FAQs