SAY WHAT ???
* The noise level riders are exposed to at speeds over 40 mph is predominantly due to wind noise. Under 40 mph, the noise level is predominantly from the tires, road, engine, etc.
* For most motorcycle configurations, the rider is exposed to 90 dB(A) at speeds as low as 35 mph, and up to 110 dB(A) at speeds of 70 mph.
* The difference between various helmet styles (open or closed face) and motorcycle styles (naked or faired) made little difference to the noise exposure level.
To summarize, it doesn’t matter what type of helmet you use (or don’t use), whether your motorcycle has a fairing or not, or how quiet your pipes are. At highway speeds, you will be exposed to noise levels of 100 dB(A) or more.
To put those numbers in perspective, OSHA sets the following limits on maximum periods of time that workers may be exposed to noise without using hearing protection: 8 hours for sound levels up to 90 dB(A), 2 hours for 100 dB(A), and ½ hour at 110 dB(A). [Note that the dB(A) scale is logarithmic so each increase of 10 dB(A) on the scale represents a ten-fold increase in sound intensity. Thus, your ears perceives sounds at 110 dB(A) to be 10 times louder than 100 dB(A) sounds and 100 times louder than 90 dB.