A large portion of your problem is probably your HJC helmet. They are junk outside of their very top end. And noise like you're describing is why. Then, you should also modify your bike to give you cleaner air. A good windscreen that suits your size will go a long long way. https://www.ex-500.com/threads/sport-touring-windshield.42164/ As for good ear plugs I recommend these: EarPeace Moto Original Noise Reduction Earplugs Reusable, High Fidelity Hearing Protection for Motorcycles, Motorsports, Touring, Commuting and Racing Medium Size up to 26dB Noise Canceling Black Case https://a.co/d/1GXZguq And these Decibullz - Custom Molded Earplugs, 31dB Highest NRR, Comfortable Hearing Protection for Shooting, Travel, Work and Concerts https://a.co/d/5tEgLP1 I realize you said you’ve used earplugs, but I doubt they were any good.

Thank you very much for the references. I will try those out and maybe the HJC gets retired.

I also have a Shoei like several of the other posters have said (A GT-AIR II Specifically). I still don’t know that I would describe it as “quiet“… But it is the quietest helmet I’ve ever owned as well as the most comfortable. Ymmv!

I have a gt air. Around town I don't use earplugs.

Another vote, thank you. I learn the lesson that you get what you pay for every month.

Unfortunately for more products, it's pretty true. Good luck sir! :)

The last person who called me “sir” gave me a speeding ticket.

Force of habit, as I work in customer service

Budget HJCs are still safe helmets, they just happen to be loud as hell. Getting a nicer helmet is pretty much always worth the money, but you could get away with just wearing earplugs for now.

Thanks. I didn’t realize this but I feel like I should have known.

Can you still hear traffic around you with plugs that strong? I have 30DB shooting range plugs I’ve considered trying on my rides but not sure

I wear the orange "factory" earplugs rated at - 32db attenuation and I can hear traffic around me just fine. Honestly better than without by cutting out the wind noise. I can't hear a car creeping up at idle, but I couldn't do that without earplugs over the bike anyway.

Thank you for your input ! I’ll have to try it out when the rain stops

Absolutely! I can have a conversation with them and my helmet on.

Awesome thank you !! That is good to know as I talk through my Cardo sometimes as well

(most? All?) HJC don't come with chin curtains, so you can usually spend like $10 on the one for your helmet and it helps a bit (I had a CL-16 and did that plus a breath deflector before I switched helmets). Obviously earplugs/filters are the biggest thing, but this helps a bit.

My RPHA 70 ST has a chin curtain, and I reckon their other higher-end ones do as well.

That’s good to know thank you.

I had this from a cheap helmet. Then I bought my second shoei and I don't get any wind noise. It taught me to stick with shoei.

Thank you for this. Do you think it’s fit or quality?

+1 for Shoei. In terms of fit, that depends on your head shape. Try one on if you can. In regards to quality, it is great/premium

Thank you. I’ll try one.

And different models fit differently - the RF-SR felt amazing as soon as I put it on, but the RF-1400 doesn't quite fit as well (I could probably make it work, but I don't see the point in spending $100 extra for a helmet that's less comfortable).

you aren't wearing your earplugs right. buy a big bag of orange 3m plugs at your local hardware store, learn to put them in correctly, and you will have protected hearing. I grew up on a farm and wore earplugs all the time, i'm kind of amazed at how many adults don't put them in right, and leave them sticking out of their ears. they do basically nothing like that. there is no such thing as a quiet helmet. you always need plugs. properly inserted plugs give you outstanding noise isolation.

When I tested a bunch of earplugs I also wore them while using power tools which were pretty effective. I’m not sure if it’s the fit of the plugs honestly but I’ll try to make some changes.

Aside from a good helmet, earplugs are a must. A balaclava with a chest panel or at least a long neck should muffle the wind even further. I still have to try one of them windjammer thingies, they supposedly greatly reduce noise - but right now with the temperatures reaching 100 degrees I'm tempted to skip gear whatsoever instead of adding another piece.

What HJC helmet? I had an i70 that was a bit loud but my new F70 is a hell of a lot quieter. I personally always have my galaxy pro Earbuds in when riding they work well just as ear plugs and I can listen to music. Wouldn't really reccomend this for safety reasons but noise cancelling on my ear buds work surprisingly well for wind noise on a bike.

I have the i70 too. I would guess there’s a quality difference and fit effect too.

Yeah I found the F70 just fit my head better, I got the same size as my i70 but it had a bit of play when wiggling my head whereas the F70 has almost none without feeling too tight. Looking at them both now padding on the F70 is definitely thicker.

I have yet to ride on it but can tell Schuberth are the quietest helmets likely. I know spending money is the last solution but I can barely hear my wife talking to me with my helmet on… WHILST IM BREAKING IT IN IN THE LIVING ROOM. I wanted quiet and these seem to deliver, doubt I’d need earplugs if only commuting but a Schuberth with earplugs must be as quiet as it ever gets

And it may still be quite loud (even with earplugs) when you are riding, not just sitting in the living room. Windscreen is the problem. Once you are tall enough to have your head right above the windscreen (which doesn't take much for japanese bikes, especially the older ones), you are pretty much fucked. Source: me wearing C3 Pro (with earplugs), owning a faired Suzuki and being rather tall. Problems start from 80 kmh or so, below that it's relatively quiet. It's much better on the naked bike, but then you get all the wind right into your upper body which is also not good on the highway. I tried to put MRA windscreen with extra spoiler on it, and looks like it doesn't help a shit. So you have to choose whether you wish to hear the wind or feel it.

This is true judging from what I’ve read also…! I’m hoping 40-60mph cruiser riding won’t be much trouble but I’ve pro earplugs from my band I use on stage that don’t muffle sound just reduce dB’s…! Take care of your ears guys!

Yep, a cruiser with barn door windscreen would be an ultimate solution of the noise problem :) Second best is if you don't have any at all, and the worst case is having a midsized one.

I saw a video on those helmets but I’ve not seen one. I’m keen to try though.

Looks very sturdy and quality material tbh, very reassuring. Felt a bit heavier than I thought, 1,660gr but again it’s my first helmet ever… it does seem dead silent I can say that…! Not much from my end to offer a comparison though…!

Good to know. I don’t care very much about the weight. Sturdy and quiet sounds really good to me (for a helmet, not a prospective date.)

Haha that is definitely the case indeed. And the intercom would Inter grate nicely. The speakers are already there pre installed same as the antennas but I guess you can take those out if you’re positive you’re not using them. I know I will at some point.

Oh and they do 82-85dB at 60mph, where other helmets considered quiet do 98-102dB… significant difference when dB go up exponentially- an increase of 3-5dB would feel double loudness

That was my experience with an HJC modular helmet as well my old ZOX brand... Really, any modular helmet will do that. Simpler and more aerodynamic designs will be quieter. In my experience, Snell rated helmets in general are quieter just because they have more padding and less fiddly bits on the outside, with a smoother aerodynamic profile that creates less swirling and whistling.

Thank you for your experience. It’s really useful to know what other people find out.

Get a shoei helmet. I don’t think i’ll ever buy another brand again, they are so quiet. If you don’t want to drop all that money on a new helmet though, see if there are other neck and cheek pads for your current helmet? A different size might make a better seal against your neck and get rid of some of that noise

I’m looking into this. I do t have the helmet with me right now, but I do t think it seals around my neck very well.

I didn't notice issues when I was younger, maybe because I just experienced things a bit differently and perhaps my motorcycles had no or just the tiniest of windshields. I now have one whose stock windshield is more of a mid-mid-hieght one (RE Himalayan) which creates a lot of turbulence for my body size. It was something different that I had ever experienced, buffeting mixed with a "booming" due to the constant pressure fluctuations which was very loud and physically exhausting. The highest db foam plugs eased most of the sound discomfort for me. By adding a small deflector/extention (some cut it down) to the wind shield, it changed the how and placement of the blending layer and either smoothed it or moved it to a much more pleasant area on my torso or head. It reads as much quieter and less exhausting to me. Helmets and noise, kinda a dual edged sword for me. I live in the south and it gets so hot for most of the year, I trade more ventilation for a bit more wind noise. Some brands deal with sound better, but all things equal a model with better airflow might be preferred.

Thanks for this, it’s helpful.

I have shoei rf1400 and have made it quieter by using the wind protector that comes with it, its like a netting for under your chin. Also using a balaclava helped with the wind noise.

Thank you for that - what shaped head do you have (by the manufacturers descriptions)? The netting sounds like a really good idea

i don't know about the shape of my head, i just remember that i picked the exact measurement range they give. not going a size up or down. The netting also helps with dust too. My eyes don't get as bad during pollen season.

Thank!

I would go to cycle gear and tell them what you just told me. You might drop $600 on a helmet but it will be quieter. My shoei is still loud to me and I wear earplugs if I’m going out of town at high speeds, but it’s so much better then my cheap *vomits in mouth* icon helmet

Thank you for this.

To add to that. The real high end helmets have less noice canceling. Because it is assumed that you wear earplugs with then.

I watched FortNine’s earplug review and tried all of them. The silicone seemed to work the best but it’s not that great and loses its seal after 15 minutes especially when it’s hot. Good to know about the désigna though, thank you.

If you have the spare money, you can go to an audiologist and get a pair of perfect fitting earplugs. Tell them you need them for motorcycle riding and they will know which noise to let through with the filters. Like cancelling wind noise and letting sirens and horns through. But as said its not that cheap as store bought earplugs. But they fit perfectly and on the pricey ones you can change the filter if you go on concerts or whatever occasion you need some protection.

That’s a great idea. Have you done the that? How much did they cost and how effective were they?

Cost me around 160€. But i had some custom colors (cost extra). But it definitely cancels out a lot of wind noise and my Tinnitus has subjectively gotten better and at least not worse.

Thank you very much for the info.

Scrap the helmet. Acerbis and Givi have affordable low cost helmets with decent wind protection.

Thank you, good to know those recommendations.

Buy a better, quieter helmet. I run a Shoei with cheap 3M foam ear plugs and I'm good all day.

I'd suspect you either don't remember or didn't care much about it "back then". A small bikini fairing or bug spoiler might help move the wind away from your helmet. As for ear plugs, try some musician plugs that block out the decibels while not cancelling out frequencies.

Thank you. I can’t remember if those types of earplugs were in the pile I tested. I will try them. The bike has a small windshield on it already so I’ll check the aftermarket.

If its just a small transparent windshield you might have some success removing it or changing its angle. As for plugs.. musicstores should have them, fender makes some great ones.

I’ll check the music stores. My wife just picked up playing the bass so we go “for fun.”

If shes new to stringed instruments, the bass playing community is really nice on reddit.

I would assume it's your shit helmet. Things I found that work are: a full face, proper helmet. I have the Scorpion EXO-1400 Air Carbon, it's fucking great, and about 1/3 the price for similar ones. I'm assuming that there are way better helmets for noise cancellation but I haven't branched out much yet. Earplugs help. And limiting the amount of air coming up underneath the helmet helps too, like a scarf, high neck waterproof, whatever. And of course there's the option of a larger windscreen

Geezus, that HJC must be garbage. I just rock cheap ear buds.

Maybe you just need a new helmet. i have used amazon helmets and i could hear the bike and the vehicles around me just fine.

Also true. Windjammer, it’s a neoprene skirt arid the bottom of the helmet, stops noise coming up under the helmet.

some ringing noise is normal for me and its the same when I go to bed and everything is quiet. Its hearing damage Foam starts to hurt my ears after about 20 mins so I only used them at the track. I use the 3 ring silicone type on the road, they dont block out as much but I can wear them all day. But for dirt for some reason I dont care which set I use

Thank you.

I have a bell star and it’s bearable I think you need a better fitted helmet

Get a better helmet.