Helmet noise

That helmet seems to be dead before arrival

Rocket Scientist said:

This spring the wife and I decided to get full face helmets for safety reasons. Since we both have long heads like the creature in the "Alien" movie, we went with Arai as they have a special line of long helmets. Real happy with them except they really amplify the sound of the exhaust. My Rocket isn't terribly loud with the Maddogs on it, but it's annoyingly loud with the full face. Even the old Valkyrie I'm riding till my rockets fixed is loud in these helmets, and it has stock exhaust. Anyone else have this problem ?

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It's disturbing you even with the earplugs in? What kind of exhaust do you use, straight pipes?

cr0ft said:

It's disturbing you even with the earplugs in? What kind of exhaust do you use, straight pipes?

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Maddog slip on mufflers. Not particularly loud, have a rather deep tone. They were fine when wearing a piss bucket. We'd wear earplugs on long rides. Had three pipe Tors on it at first. They had a very annoying resonance at highway speeds.

Fred - a test report.

70kms Without plugs vs 70kms NoNoise Shooting Frequency filter plugs.
The Flare Isolate test will be forthcoming once they’re here.
Overall noise down (I suppose not unnaturally) - especially pushing. Much less wind noise.
Usually for this short hop to my mates workshop I don't use plugs. This will now change for other reasons (more on this in a mo').

There is a sort of low rev dependent blipping sound suddenly very evident (The Thugs have supertrapp discs on and are sort op blippy sound wise). And the inlet blap sound from the ITG open filter is suddenly more evident at certain speeds. I think some of this is what you're getting from the Arai. The Arai is killing some sound but not all frequencies equally - and whilst it may well be resonance I think there is also simply a re adjustment of the frequencies that hit your audio receptors.

Now - oddly- the plugs seemed to have me riding smoother and more attentive. Balance/control felt better. Now this surprised me - I know noise can actually be detrimental to concentration (locked in a room with servers I need plugs to concentrate at work). But physical confidence ??

Now this may be a bit of smoke'n'mirror effect. It's something I did notice on the run to the UK last year but I put it down to being in "long range" mode. I know I ride differently on planned long runs - not slower, often actually faster - but mates who've ridden with me say I'm quite different - very much more predictable.

But it's enough for me to start using the plugs for anything except popping to the village for bread.

More once the Flares arrive.

Blimey!. These Flare (isolate Mini) thingies are different.

The sensation at first is they do nothing. You hear most things. Then it dawns on you very slowly there is just less of it.
First tried with small pads - but whilst they sealed I felt they were going to fall out so put medium pads on. Good solid fit.

I think that once you know your size - you'd better order some spare pads. Not sure how long they'll last.

NOTE medium is the largest pad size for minis. If you are a big chap or chap-ess - you may need the non mini version. They feel smaller than they appear in photos too.

Unlike all the one size fits all plugs, they do not fall inside your ear, leaving you grasping for something tiny to extract them - possibly when suffering with "white finger" disease from vibration.
I had a scare last year when I could not retrieve a plug (all I seemed to do was push it further in) and had to ask a nice lady with long nails for help.

And unlike the disposables which always seem to be applying pressure somewhere uncomfortable - these do not.

Side by side at home in and outdoors. The Flares are definitely quieter compared to the No-Noise. Ruddy Tinnitus aside.

But the difference is not so much just quantity but also quality.
The No-Noise notably kill some frequencies more than others. As they are sold with different filters - I suppose we should not be surprised.

The Flares seems to just drop all sounds - I could hear crickets chirping (just). Nothing really gets lost - it's just less intense.
Where they notably score is outside when the wind whistles across your ears (like whirling a tube around your head as a kid) - nothing - zilch.

Worth an investment for trial? - hell yes. Will I be going all out for Titanium versions - Maybe. I want a month or so of road testing first.

One thing I think is worth noting. I think you need to keep them on your person (not in top case or tank bag) when not in your ear.
They are metal - the metal does touch flesh when fitted. Last thing you want is a heat or cold burn in your outer ear.
The little baggy they come with is frankly a bit useless imo. I'll use the tube that came with the No-Noise.

I have been very happy with the Flares. They are definitely quieter than the No-noise. I find them to be very comfortable compared to every other earplug I have tried. I use the Medium pads too. I rode for 30 minutes today without the plugs. I put them back in after that. Much better. I can still hear my phone and music clearly (via the Scala headset). The volume is up higher but is still clear. The main benefit is the wind noise reduction. It is now a gentle background noise. Amazing.

I have the Titanium plugs. I haven't tried the cheaper aluminum plugs so I don't know if there is an improvement with the titanium. I can't imagine they would be hugely better though.

One other thing. I have the Isolate Minis rather than the larger Isolates. They fit inside my ear entirely and do not interfere with the helmet at all. They stay in place much better than the No-noise. The No-noise tends to come out slightly after riding for a while (at least with my ears). That made them much louder.

I have been using them for a couple of months. Would I buy them again? Absolutely!

I am ordering some more pads though. They seem durable, but I would rather have a spare set than ride without the Flares.

Important thread here. Please keep us posted.

Boony said:

I am ordering some more pads though. They seem durable, but I would rather have a spare set than ride without the Flares.

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Flare say a set of pads will last 6-8 weeks. They also say do not immerse the foam in water simply wipe the outside clean - and do not use alcohol etc.

My plan is simple - ride with these until I know how well they last and then either forget them or buy lots more foam pads and maybe a Titanium set.

I am indeed grateful for you pointing them out. Looking more at the sizing the Large pads are only 0.5mm larger than Mediums. The Isolates are a bit fatter than the Isolate-minis. Flare say the size matters not - so If you don't NEED the large pad I'd agree - go for the minis and they fit in your ear-well without touching anything in the lid.

Oh and they specifically say NOT to attach a cord to them - it stops them working as well.

Claviger said:

That helmet seems to be dead before arrival

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Not hugely surprised. There are a massive number of lid mfrs. Honestly their best bet would be to get other marques to OEM fit their system. But I'll bet cost would be an issue for volume sales.