My Big Ear earplugs are one pair of many that I have . . . and never use.

Way back in our early days riding motorcycles John and Bill and I often rode without helmets. That changed as years went by but initially we mostly took them with us in case we found ourselves in states with helmet laws.

I was the one who rode without a helmet the most, and I was also the one who continued to do so the longest. It was only a good bit later when, now married, I made the decision that I would do my best not to curse my wife with a husband who was mentally gone due to a bad head injury in a crash. I have never ridden without my helmet since, and that’s a good thing considering my crash on the Honda last year. If I hadn’t had my helmet on that day I’d probably be dead.

But there was a time, back in the early days of the OFMC when I inadvertently led John and Bill to wear their helmets less.

I had ridden my bike out to Lincoln, Nebraska, for my high school reunion. Around this time I had been reading about ear plugs and how they help protect your hearing. On my way home I decided to give them a try. I picked up some inexpensive ones from a drug store and put them in.

Riding with ear plugs was a revelation. Things were so much quieter. It was really pleasant.

The potential downside of using them was that I frequently found myself racing along on US 36 through northern Kansas at more than a little above the speed limit. Without the familiar sound of the engine to tell me roughly how fast I was going it was all too easy to go really fast. Fortunately for me I did not run into a radar trap along the way.

But I was very impressed. And of course I had to tell Bill and John about this.

Their interest was piqued and drug store ear plugs are cheap so they each got some. The thing was, their experience was different from mine. One of the biggest reasons they each wore their helmet much of the time was that the wind noise was uncomfortable for them. That was because neither of them had windshields on their bikes. Now me, I had a windshield right from the start. I never liked that blast of wind and the very first modification I made to my bike was to add a windshield.

Without windshields, they just weren’t comfortable without helmets, at least at high speeds. But now, with the earplugs, that discomfort was gone. And both of them started riding without their helmets a lot more. Unintended–and unexpected–consequences.

Both of them eventually went back to wearing their helmets most of the time long before I ever did. But what was funny was that while they both totally adopted ear plug use I never really did. I still carry them with me all the time but I almost never think to put them in. I know it would be good if I did but it just never seems to cross my mind when I’m gearing up.

But hey–I never ride without the helmet. And I never expect to again.

Biker Quote for Today

Motorcycles are almost as good as guitars for meeting girls.