The 105th Anniversary Celebration

Anyone going to the this 105th celebration? I would like to go but having cash flow problems and work is really hell that time of year. I'm not to far from Milwaukee WI. about 90 miles. It would be nice to see all those hogs from around the country there. I could go for one day and come home that night. I'll see come August.

Click on the photo/link above. Lots of info. on the site. While there check out the new 2008 Harley-Davidson models.





The 2008 Fat Bob

Tip Of The Day:

Did you know that riding a motorcycle can harm your hearing. Your thinking, duh those loud pipes can make us all deaf, almost correct. The wind noise at highway speeds, any speed over 45 mph can can cause irreversible hearing loss. Wearing a helmet will help. Wearing ear plugs and a helmet is better. Wearing no helmet ear plugs a must.

I wear no helmet in the summer. I do wear one in the winter. Wearing a helmet, the wind sound was much louder than without. I started wearing earplugs two years ago. They felt weird at first. You think you won't be able to hear anything around you but that's not the case. I heard everything around me. I could hear all the moving parts in the engine when I was standing still.
I could even hear someone next to me on another bike talking to me. Now I would never ride without them.

Facts:

There is no significant difference in wind noise level as a function of speed, no matter what the helmet brand or model.

Neither the riding position nor the brand or styles of motorcycle make any significant difference in noise level.

Padding inside the helmet, open or closed vents, or added weather stripping on the helmet to alter flow patterns, does not significantly alter the noise level in a helmet.

Stopped at a stop light at a busy intersection with your helmet visor closed produces a sound level of 80-90dB SPL.

When not wearing a helmet, the wind noise at highway speed is nearly 10 times greater than when wearing a full coverage helmet.

Below 30mph, machine, exhaust and environmental noises are heard. Once speeds exceed approximately 30mph, wind noise dominates completely.

Some helmets resonate at approximately 500Hz, and actually enhance wind noise.

Legal speeds of 65mph can produce wind noise levels in excess of 108dB, this noise is loud enough to cause TTS in your hearing and permanent hearing damage.

TTS:
A common ailment of motorcycle riding is a condition known as "Temporary Threshold Shift," commonly referred to as TTS by audiologists and hearing health care professionals. TTS is caused by excessive noise exposure for a duration of time, which drops your actual acute hearing pattern to a lower level temporarily. Meaning, your hearing is less than what it was before the initial exposure. Continuous TTS exposure will result in permanent damage.


Now you know, Biker Joe