Check your state laws. My state doesn't have a law against it.

I do it all the time, but I keep the volume low. In any case, my head is on swivel so I feel comfortable doing it.

 

my head is on swivel

I just don't see how that helps.

 

Wrong kind of swivel.

 

^ Now I understand why some people end up on so many blacklists...

As for riding with earbuds, I generally don't care to do so. I prefer the speakers and amp I mounted to my bike, combined with my iPod on whichever playlist I have chosen.

 

Can't afford speakers and even if I could, my home-built bike don't make enough juice to power them. I run a 1.2Ah battery and a generator that runs off my tires that only puts out about 5w.

 

Back to the subject of listening to music. If you are distracted by it then don't do it. Keeping the volume down can help tremendously in that regard. I'm able to lower the volume when I get into traffic but I don't think you'll be able to in your set-up. But then you won't be going 80mph either so the lower volume all the time will be easily heard but also not loud enough to distract. In other words, GO FOR IT.

 

My Bluetooth headphones have volume control, so if I need to turn the volume down I can reach up with my left hand and turn it down.

 

Auto volume is the way to go, I have it in my helmet units and in the sports car

 

These are NOT the swivels you are looking for...

Assuming you have a muffler on your bike you can either listen to wind noise or you can listen to music. Virtually everything else gets blocked out at any speed over ~28mph.

Wind noise above ~28mph will cover up important road sounds, like a car overtaking you just as much as earbuds will. Sounds that would improve your safety if you WERE able to hear them.

Of course an open exhaust will drown out just about everything.

So the only time you REALLY want to be careful with music, and perhaps reduce volume, is at lower speeds in town, where wind noise would NOT prevent you from hearing important sounds, cars pulling up right next to you, horns, people yelling, etc.

 

I'mma chime in here, too, since I'm new.
I don't even listen to music in my car anymore - the bluetooth / ipod / aux radio I got for christmas just sits there and makes pretty lights now.
Does listening to music help with wind noise? I'm afraid to listen to music while riding (as a passenger, hell, why not? I'm riding 2 up with a coworker on tuesday and I'm charging my ipod just for the trip), since I'm so nee. I guess I'm afraid it would be a distraction / I wouldn't hear the other vehicles on the road around me as well.
I guess all I can do is try it out, though.

 

You use your vision more than hearing. Haven't you heard all the reasons loud pipes don't help. You don't "hear" a car until they are right next to you anyway. At that point you are going to "see" them anyway. So anyone that's claiming loud pipes don't help but claims you shouldn't listen to music because you can't hear a car is two faced. Just do what you want and the heck with everyone else.

 

I have a cheap set of Sony jogging earphones that fit all the way around your ears and have little speakers that stick at an angle in the ear without blocking any outside sound whatsoever. Perfect for Google maps GPS step by step on the bike. I live in Virginia and it is illegal but I guarantee I would have the Judge throw it out if the officer was ignorant enough and ass hat enough to write me up for it.

 

I just have one song in my head that plays over and over.:biggrin:

 

Again, check local/state laws. Michigan lets motorcyclists use headphones but not car/truck drivers. I find I can hear the traffic around me when I do use them, but I also don't crank the music too loud either.
Go and try it while by yourself during low traffic hours before getting into traffic. If it's ever an issue turn music off. Ear buds don't block sounds like earplugs do an I use earplugs on long rides with a Bluetooth speaker on handlebars.

 

Interesting Question

Having something directly in your ears naturally throws off your equilibrium. It's a hard balance to maintain. Especially when most are hyper-sensitive while on a bike. You can't here direct or small sounds that you might need, if you can't feel. Some failure on the bike, a crash just occurring out of sight, etc. I would avoid it and view it as a peaceful time to unwind. That's just my honest opinion. People do it while running because it's such a mundane, instinctual task, like blowing spit bubbles. If you have a any question to if it's hindering you, it probably is. Let me know how it works out. I've tried it and no good.

 

Doc I have to disagree with just about everything you said. Everyone is different and you may be affected that way but not the general population. I will almost guarantee with earphones like mine even you would not have problems. :https://goo.gl/photos/UGSWhxUar5zRSv6g9

 

I have speakers in my helmet... and AVC.

I like them.

 

AVC? Is that some sort of fancy air conditioning?:biggrin:

 

Like I said, some can. That's great. You have your vision, hearing, and feeling (touch), that are mainly used when riding. Touch is only used for what's on the bike. That leaves two. I just don't think it's wise to take your hearing away when it's such a big asset. That's just me and most people I've ridden with. People should enjoy what they want and can. Maybe I have just been called to too many accidents where people either stated they didn't see it coming or they were aware, but because they didn't hear it. Most say speakers were too loud, headphones in. The other thing is that some of those incidents wouldn't have mattered if they had all senses available. Just some thoughts.

 

Automatic Volume Control

Big ole Harley Geezer Glides use it to automatically adjust the sound volume based on vehicle speed. As you speed up the music gets louder. When you slow down it adjusts back down so you're not blowing other people away from you at a stop light or something.

 

Muchos gracias! Shoulda known. My BMW has it... the car, not the bike.

 

Forget the ear buds. You want good hearing protection under that helmet. I use ear plugs rated at 32 db noise reduction. I ride with a Sena SMH-10 in my helmet for intercom and GPS sound but it uses some very thin speakers. It is like listening to a car stereo. If you keep the volume turned down you can hear the sirens and horns and anything else worth hearing right through the ear plugs and over the sounds coming from the speakers. If you're not too bright those same speakers can drown out the traffic noises the same way as a car stereo can drown out all external noises.

 

I use earplugs now, whenever I ride---why? Because I don't like the sound of the wind that I hear with my full-face helmet. They are very effective but they aren't illegal. Yesterday, an ambulance was about 1/8 mile behind me and I hadn't heard it but saw it in my rear view mirrors and then I pulled over.

Riding a bike is a multi-media-multi sensory experience, with concentration required by all the senses at all times.

When I've had a Motorcycle that came with a built in stereo, Like my new 2000 Honda Valkyrie interstate, with it's like 150 watt, cassette player or my 2000 BMW K1200LTC with it's 8 disk, 300 watt, CD player or my 2012 Goldwing, with it's 550 watt surround sound, MP3, and USB inputs, I always had the volume up high from Mozart to Rob Zombie or from Hank Williams JR to Wagner, it was always on, with never a problem. Same way in my Pickup, always on and fairly loud, with never a problem.

Enjoy life and ride free.

Sam:biggrin:

 

Edit:never mind.

 

How important is safety to you, and how much would it bother you to not hear music for a while. I liked to smoke one every once in a while at work, but learned to do without it when I got on at the dynamite factory.

 

The Shake hasn't been on since 2015. I wouldn't expect a reply.

 

After I suddenly lost my hearing in one ear and everything sounded like a broken speaker, I basically did without music for 2 years. It really isn’t life shattering. So same with anything else. You will survive.

 

Another ancient thread resurrected. If I listen to music it is satellite radio and played through the built in four speakers on my bike, but most of the time I listen to nothing but the wind and road noise. I can't readily wear my hearing aides under my helmet so I find music playing is mostly lost to me. I like the relative silence that I achieve when riding.

 

I've done it, but prefer the speakers built into the fairing a lot more. On a long ride, like going across Oklahoma or Kansas, ears get sore in about 3 hours.

 

I have earbuds that fit fairly snugly in my ears so they also function as ear plugs to some extent. I rely on my eyes over hearing while riding. The biggest thing I have to keep in mind is the music I'm playing while riding, if I'm playing something too aggressive I'll end up excessively speeding so playing something mellower is usually preferred.

 

I've done the exact opposite same thing listening to "slower" music. I'll check my speedo and find I'm running 5 - 10 MPH below the speed limit.