Although we may not think of them as “Safety Gear” per se, almost all of us use ear plugs of one sort or another; anything from cheap foamies to high dollar custom molded ear plugs.
I was following a rabbit hole on the Adventure Rider site yesterday and came across a very interesting observation by one of the reviewers for a motorcycle supply vendor. To wit- one of their testers had a very adverse reaction to a set of plugs that completely sealed the ear. Evidently the inability of the inner ear to quickly equalize pressure due to the sealing effect of the ear plugs caused the tester to suffer an extreme loss of balance. Fortunately. the problem manifested itself before the tester got on his bike.
Sounds like a fairly rare occurrence to me, but, then again, it only takes once…..
Keep this scenario in mind and use the same procedure you would in getting the feel of a new helmet prior to plunking down your hard-earned. If you’re contemplating using a set of full seal earplugs when you ride, first wear them around the shop/house for at least thirty minutes to an hour to minimize your chances of being blessed with a “surprise” in the middle of your favorite set of high speed twisites.
Be safe,
Dave
Nancy Kirner
Additionally, I had a bad experience with my regular earplugs. I typically cut them in half so they don’t get dragged out of my ears when putting on my helmet. Earlier in the day, I had used my very old and now-rigid custom earplugs that were inserted with some oil. Evidently, there was residual oil in one ear, so when I put the shorty regular (flesh-colored) plugs in, the plug really went in – deeply. So deep that I needed to go to the emergency room to get it pulled out. At first they tried super glue and a Q-tip – that only glued the plug to my ear. Finally, de-brieding tweezers were able to grab it after shoving it in even farther into the ear canal. All’s well that ends well. Lesson? Don’t install flesh-colored earplugs with silicone oil.
Ken MacAaron
This is a reach out to Hill Country BMW riders in regards to selling some of my “gear” now that I’ve had to put the “Motörrad lust” away.
My question: Is there a forum where used but serviceable BMW riding wear, cycle luggage, etc. can be advertised?
David Barnett
Greetings Ken,
Dave Barnett here from HCBMWR- thanks for your interest. At this time the only portal for listing gear for sale is the HCBMW “Member’s Forum” which is available only to HCBMWR members in good standing (dues current).
Another avenue is the Hill Country BMW Riders Facebook Page which has both a public and private section.
Although we may not think of them as “Safety Gear” per se, almost all of us use ear plugs of one sort or another; anything from cheap foamies to high dollar custom molded ear plugs.
I was following a rabbit hole on the Adventure Rider site yesterday and came across a very interesting observation by one of the reviewers for a motorcycle supply vendor. To wit- one of their testers had a very adverse reaction to a set of plugs that completely sealed the ear. Evidently the inability of the inner ear to quickly equalize pressure due to the sealing effect of the ear plugs caused the tester to suffer an extreme loss of balance. Fortunately. the problem manifested itself before the tester got on his bike.
Sounds like a fairly rare occurrence to me, but, then again, it only takes once…..
Keep this scenario in mind and use the same procedure you would in getting the feel of a new helmet prior to plunking down your hard-earned. If you’re contemplating using a set of full seal earplugs when you ride, first wear them around the shop/house for at least thirty minutes to an hour to minimize your chances of being blessed with a “surprise” in the middle of your favorite set of high speed twisites.
Be safe,
Dave
Additionally, I had a bad experience with my regular earplugs. I typically cut them in half so they don’t get dragged out of my ears when putting on my helmet. Earlier in the day, I had used my very old and now-rigid custom earplugs that were inserted with some oil. Evidently, there was residual oil in one ear, so when I put the shorty regular (flesh-colored) plugs in, the plug really went in – deeply. So deep that I needed to go to the emergency room to get it pulled out. At first they tried super glue and a Q-tip – that only glued the plug to my ear. Finally, de-brieding tweezers were able to grab it after shoving it in even farther into the ear canal. All’s well that ends well. Lesson? Don’t install flesh-colored earplugs with silicone oil.
This is a reach out to Hill Country BMW riders in regards to selling some of my “gear” now that I’ve had to put the “Motörrad lust” away.
My question: Is there a forum where used but serviceable BMW riding wear, cycle luggage, etc. can be advertised?
Greetings Ken,
Dave Barnett here from HCBMWR- thanks for your interest. At this time the only portal for listing gear for sale is the HCBMW “Member’s Forum” which is available only to HCBMWR members in good standing (dues current).
Another avenue is the Hill Country BMW Riders Facebook Page which has both a public and private section.
Cheers,
Dave