Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Just wondering if some brands of helmets are better than others when it comes to wind noise?? Does paying more equal less wind noise??

kwakkadakka wrote: Does paying more equal less wind noise??

NO! after 24 years of looking for the ultimite Quiet helmet I can safely tell you that there are none
The closest I have found was a BMW system 4 but with the flip up lids its because the chin piece is deeper & therefore cuts out more wind.
Here's a hint in winter.........Use a KSRC neck warmer to get rid of most of the noise

Cheapest fix for wind noise is earplugs.

My Shoei TZR is prone to a lot of wind noise especially at high speed but it was the only helmet I could find that would fit properly.

Deci-Damp earplugs are great and a neck warmer helps a lot to cut the noise.

what they all said. if you really want to cut wind noise, there are neoprene skirts available for helmets that make a pretty good seal around your neck. have a look here http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/windjamm ... locker.htm i don't know anyone whos used them, but i would imagine they are pretty good at their job. might get a lot more fogging though. the neck warmer is probably the best option though, cheaper too

... I'll add that some are better than others, but it's all in the range of noisy->very noisy. The best I had was my Shoei TZ1 (~$600), the XR1000 (~$500) wasn't bad either - but other's found them too noisy, so I think it's all fairly subjective and may depend on fit as much as helmet design. My HLC (~$400) and THH ($100) were bad - the current RJays ($85) is ok.
As Rob said more expensive doesn't equal quieter.

Use the plugs, neck warmer, or even just your average scarf.
ty

What happened to Jonno's post? - did you remove it mate?
I thought it was a good post.
ty

My Shark RSX is A LOT quieter than my Rjays Predator-looking thing!

ty wrote:What happened to Jonno's post? - did you remove it mate?
I thought it was a good post.
ty

It was too long I thought and just went ah stuff it

Noise inside helmets can go above 112db or so I read in a test online somewhere recently, most of this noise comes from the back of the helmet strangely enough. Vents and ill-fitting visors also cause some minor attributing noise. There is no helmet that will eliminate such noise totally, all you can do is limit it as already suggested above.

The main problem is worn, compressed or incorrectly fitted helmet liners especially around the neck area, this is where the majority of external noise enters the helmet according to the test.

Properly fitted ear plugs are a must for hearing health if you are concerned about it. Be aware that portable iPod and such simular player’s (basic) ear buds will not protect you, most are ineffective at filtering out unwanted harmful noise, besides I found you end up cranking them way up to damaging levels to hear the sound/ lyrics above the unwanted noise level.

You can buy pro’ musician buds or plugs that have to be moulded to your ear canal shape but are rather exy to have fitted and are very effective.

However the $2 squish and roll foam jobs work well but no guarantees naturally.

Well just to keep to my usual silly arse shit.
You put the helmet over your head then you get some of this http://www.superior-industries.com/foam ... pAodx3jxFw.
I would advise cutting a whole in your visor and then placing a straw in your mouth b4 using it

I had some cutstom fitted plugs made on site by Earmould & they work a treat, but you still get noise its just not as loud.
Give Joanne Vella a buzz on 9671 5301 for Sydney..... or she can send you in the right direction for other states

Apart from earplugs, as everyone else has mentioned, helmets are noisy. Admittedly some noisier than others. With that in mind, I have found that the BMW Sport Integral helmet is very, very, very quiet.....as helmets go. They are also one of the lightest...and for me at least...most comfortable helmets on the market. But....and it's big butt......Pun intended...they are exxie!!! I gave a mate mine to try and he could not believe how light, quiet and comfortable it was. He always wears a top of the range Shoei or Arai, after trying on mine, he went looking for one for himself. However, he didn't end up buying one, as he was unable to find a plain gloss black colour. the only plain black they do is a Matt black, which he didn't like. Personally, mine is still the best lid I have for long distance work. I wear it when doing more than 700 klms in a day as it never gets annoying like most other lids do and being so quiet, it makes it easier to live in at the 900-1000klm mark! Butt....once again...they are ugly!!!

if ya have enough concentration to worry about the noise, then u aint going fast enough!!

bung some $2 chemist foam plugs in and you will definitely be able to nitce a difference... for me they make the ride a little more enjoyable, but they also prevent me getting as tired as quickly.. without plugs and 4 hours sees me getting really drowsy, with em and that gets pushed to 7 or 8 hours...

my rxt was pretty crap when i came to noise, always had a head ache after a sunday run.
my new arai vector is great but at higher speeds the wind noise is the only problem but not as bad as others i have owned {mostly dirt bike helmets}
but ill have to grab some ear plugs soon since im going deaf and want to save whats left. then again it could just be selective hearing.

Strika wrote:I have found that the BMW Sport Integral helmet is very, very, very quiet.....

Agreed. I have one sitting on my helmet shelf. I got it as part of the prize when I won my trip to the Nurburgring...... have I mentioned that before?

Jonno wrote:Properly fitted ear plugs are a must for hearing health if you are concerned about it. Be aware that portable iPod and such simular player’s (basic) ear buds will not protect you

I'm looking for some good "in ear" noise cancelling headphones. There's a few on the market but finding opinions about how well they work whilst riding a bike is near on impossible. I want them to get rid of the wind noise whilst riding, yet allow me to hear people when I talk to them.