Motorcycle Explorer June 2015 Issue 6 | Page 150

This issue we take a look at something that it seems over 70% of riders neglect to look after. Hearing, it's more than just putting in plugs. GET THAT HEARING PROTECTION Not a very sexy topic I grant you but now that I’m in my 40’s I come to appericate things that I took for granted, like listening to a television without it being set to 400dB and pissing off the whole household. One of the things I have protected is my hearing, my eyes I can do nothing about as I now have my first pair of reading glasses stuck to my face so the keyboard is clear. So I wanted to look at all things that have an impact on our health as riders, we will get to things laying eggs in your anus while you camp for this issue I wanted to talk about something that takes a toll on us all, no matter how far we ride away from home. You may feel that wearing a full face helmet when riding is enough but the levels of noise we are exposed to can damage the hearing be that temporary or permanently. The problem is that the damage is very gradual rather than all at once so like the frog in the slow boiling water it can be ignored… until you find your hearing has become frog soup and then it’s often too late. There are those that don’t like earplugs due to the noise reduction of the traffic, a fair point when most of the cars out there seem intent on killing you. It’s not just ear plugs that can be used to help in the protection of your lug holes – let’s have a look. In this article I will be looking at the ways we can change things to add extra layers of protection when out on the road. What levels we are exposed to and how to fit various levels of protection.