Survey: Hearing loss in riders

As a service to humanity, a couple of colleagues and I are trying to
get an idea of the extent of hearing damage in motorcyclists. It is at

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/holn1

and we would be very grateful if you could all fill it in. Before
anybody asks, there is no profit motive behind this: we are doing it
for the sake of science.

 

In

Wot?

 

As a former MIoA I ought to be first in the queue, but having had a
quick look I think my overall mileage over 40 years is probably not
enough to make my contribution significant. If you really think it is
worth it I will take part.

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+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Everybody's welcome. Finding that forty years of riding doesn't affect
hearing is a finding as well.

 

Yeah, I did it, but had to note at the end that my current mileage in no
way reflects the kind of mileage I was doing back when I commuted by
bike, all year round. A few miles for kicks at weekends and the odd run
to France doesn't justify the whistling I listen to every night when i
go to bed.

It also doesn't seem to ask things like "Did you spend a decade
attending gigs with shitty excuses for PAs which have left you unable to
hear a foghorn go off six feet from your right lughole".

 

Most of my mileage in the last 35 years was in my youth and that was
when the damage was done. (fecking tinnitus and knees)

 

I got down to Q13 and boggled a bit so I read forward and my brain
exploded. **** that shit.

My hearing deficiencies (slight deafness, inability to hear low
frequencies and tinnitus) are more due to racing exhaustless bangers,
tuning rally cars in steel sheds, moshing at rock concerts and the
forced insertion of Spicky knobends than helmet noise in any case.

 

OK. I may be some time. As Champ said the mileage per day takes a bit of
working out.

--

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR Moto Morini 2C/375 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+

 

I figured I'd leave the reference-spotting for the second viewing (at an
undetermined point in the future) and just enjoy it for what it was
first time round.

Tried introducing the mrs to Barley last night. She lasted less than 4
minutes before leaving the room.

 

I initially read that as spiky, which concerned me somewhat.

 

No, but I've a vague recollection of the post.

 

ogden wrote

I'll agree with nearly every word of that and add...

well nothing at all of any real consequence, or substance for that
matter but it makes me feel good to do it and that is what counts and if
you don't like it you know exactly what you can do.

 

We're trying to dig out the mix of riding that people do. The aim is
to back the online version with a paper version plus hearing test. The
online one gives us a lot of information but no hard numbers. Hearing
tests will give us hard data for a small number of people, which we
should be able to match up to their questionnaire answers to infer
something about the larger data set.

 

I would have carried on, but a day-by-day breakdown of mileage! ffs.

 

I had more or less the same reaction. The questionnaire is far too finicky for
me, but I'll respond here.

I've got tinnitus and I put the blame 100% on riding without earplugs for a few
years, followed by a couple of years of earplug use without understanding how
to properly insert them (!). Now it's too late, I know how to use the plugs and
I do, every time, but the tinnitus is here to stay.

There's no question whatsoever-- if you ride without ear protection, even
wearing a so-called quiet helmet, you *will* experience permanent hearing
loss and probably have tinnitus, too.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.motorcycles/msg/cae83c4e3daca015

FWIW, I also ran the light show for a band back in the early 80s which certainly
didn't help.

 

What kind of frequency? Mine feels as if it's about 50000 Hertz, way
above anything sensible.

 

I went to fill it out, but as I don't really ride the bike
often/regular enough to fill in the average usage per weekday I'm
assuming this isn't meant for me?

I randomly use the bike during the week, so I've no idea where to begin
guessing.

 

I got hearing damage and realised it at the time, I was riding along
the freeway with no earplugs for hours and suddenly there seemed to be
an echo to the constant white noise. A bit like a bell ringing every
second, which was the same noise compressed as the roar of the wind.
Sounded like a short echo, but it was the cells dying apparently and
cutting back in again.

 

Fill it in with last week's figures.

 

LOL. Oh fucking hell.

Missed that 1st time around.

Not surprising as it was embedded in a sir.wankpot post.

P.

P.