Wind noise inside a motorcycle helmet can reach 115 dB or more at highway speeds. Hearing loss can be caused by sounds of just 85 dB or more, so this is a huge problem. Here’s how to fix it with the 5 quietest motorcycle helmets available. What Makes A Helmet QuietThe easier a helmet slips through the wind, the quieter it will be. Some of the quietest helmets on the market (and the only manufacturer that lists dB figures) are made by Schuberth. They are also the only helmet manufacturer with a wind tunnel in its headquarters. Shoei is probably in second place when it comes to quiet helmets, that company is also heavily reliant on wind tunnel testing, even designing its own rig to move a helmet side-to-side and up and down in the tunnel to accurately recreate real world riding conditions. AerodynamicsSpecifically, it’s turbulence that creates noise. That turbulence can be caused by an anything that disrupts the wind flow. Gap in your visor seal? Air getting caught under your chin?

That’s how a helmet gets noisy. It’s also how you make a helmet quiet, by starting with a shape that allows the air to smoothly reconnect behind the helmet, and eliminating those trouble spots. If you want a quiet helmet, look for a clean, smooth aerodynamic shape free of external vents and wings and which features a quality, adjustable visor seal and closes tightly around your neck. How Do You Make A Helmet Quiet?If you don’t ride with them now, start doing so. Wind noise induced hearing loss is a real thing (I suffer from it) and sitting in such a high decibel environment for extended periods exacerbates fatigue. RideApart highly recommends Howard Leight Max Lite earplugs. Buy a box of 200 and stash extra pairs in all your pockets. Wind blocking sleveGoing further, a chin curtain helps, as does a good visor seal. The screws which mount your visor base plate can often be adjusted to find a perfect fit and the Shoei RF1200 innovates with a novel visor location adjustment, enabling you to quickly and easily get a perfect seal.

It’s also worth considering a neoprene wind-blocking sleeve which seals the gap between helmet and neck both reduces noise and keeps errant detritus out of your face. Of all the major helmet makers, only Schuberth lists how loud its helmets are. RideApart’s own wind tunnel is beset by construction delays, so lacking any repeatable, non-variably-polluted objective test method, we’re going to have to bring you anecdotal reporting. These are the five helmets that, in decades of cumulative riding careers, the RideApart staffers report are the quietest currently available. Continue Reading: 5 Quietest Motorcycle Helmets >>ISVR ConsultingUniversity of SouthamptonHighfield Southampton, SO17 1BJ UKTel   +44 (0) 2­3 8059 2162Fax  +44 (0) 2­3 8059 2728consultancy@isvr.co.ukwww.isvr.co.uk  Noise levels under motorcycle helmets can be very high. Above about 65 km/h or 40 mph the wind noise generated by the airflow over a motorcycle and rider exceeds the noise from the motorcycle itself.

Daily noise exposures of working motorcyclists without hearing protection may regularly exceed 90 dB(A).What does the noise under a police motorcyclist’s helmet sound like?Your browser does not support the audio element. We have measured noise levels at the ears of police motorcyclists in a wind tunnel and on the road, with several different helmets and motorcycles. sendra biker bootsNoise levels in the wind tunnel were similar to those on the road.  motorcycle dealership tamworthThe graph above shows some examples of noise levels measured under motorcycle helmets during our tests on the roads.  motorcycle dealers lake ozark moAlthough both BMW motorcycles were ridden by the same person wearing the same helmet, the noise levels differed. buy used buell blast

The BMW 1100LT has a windscreen which can be raised and lowered, and the noise levels varied with the height of the windscreen.  The Kawasaki was ridden by a different person with a different helmet.  Police motorcycle in the wind tunnelThe measurements in the wind tunnel showed the main source of noise to be the turbulence at the edge of the windscreen’s wake acting on the helmet. barbour wax cotton motorcycle jacketsThe rank ordering of helmets by the noise level depended upon the motorcycle and in particular the windscreen height - a helmet which is relatively quiet on one motorcycle can be relatively noisy on another and vice-versa. kawasaki vulcan for sale nzLow windscreens direct the turbulence to the base of the helmet, and modifications to improve the helmet seal around the neck can reduce noise levels on motorcycles with low windscreens.

High windscreens direct the turbulence to the helmet visor and forehead, and modifications to improve the sealing of the visor to the helmet shell are then effective. Such simple modifications to helmets can reduce noise levels by between 5 dB and 8 dB at the ear.Wind tunnel tests with a flying helmet containing active noise reduction earmuffs demonstrated that noise levels as low as 70 dB(A) at 80 km/h and 80 dB(A) at 115 km/h were achievable at the ear. Similar systems within a motorcyclist’s helmet suggest that this potential will not be realised unless the earmuffs are well isolated from the helmet shell and liner. Another method of achieving similarly low levels is to wear good earplugs. Many police forces in the UK are now providing these for their motorcyclists.If you ride a motorcycle and your hearing sounds muffled afterwards, or if your ears ring, then you are suffering temporary hearing damage, which, if repeated regularly, may become permanent hearing damage. We recommend you consider wearing earplugs under the helmet. 

Because the earplugs reduce the noise, you may seem to be travelling more slowly, so take extra care to check your speed until you get used to the earplugs.This project was carried out for the Home Office by ISVR Consulting, the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Wolfson Unit for Marine Technology and Industrial Dynamics, and Hampshire Constabulary.We have also measured the noise exposures of motorcycle patrols for one of the motorist breakdown rescue services.  The measurements were carried out during the motorcyclists’ normal duties to determine whether their full-day noise exposures were below the limits of the UK regulations.References in the open literature:M.C. Lower, D.W. Hurst, A.R. Claughton and A. Thomas, 1994; Sources and levels of noise under motorcyclists' helmets. Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics, 16, pt 2, 319-326. ISBN 1 873082 59 2.M.C. Lower, D.W. Hurst and A. Thomas, 1996; Noise levels and noise reduction under motorcycle helmets. Proceedings of Internoise '96, Book 2, 979 - 982.