Strugglin...

[Teek]

I zip my front zipper up tight before I get up to any faster than 55, or if it is really windy out. Also I am down to the mesh part of my jacket because of the heat, and it fits tighter than when all the outer covering is zipped on over it, and it's slimmer (it's essentially the inner part of my Joe Rocket jacket, it has 3 stages). That helps a lot that it is form fitting. If your vents are full length and really wide it might make you feel better; in my experience wind mostly catches an open main front zipper on a jacket, but yeah, if you feel a difference try it. I also snap my visor completely closed, I usually ride with it cracked open so I can smell the ocean or the sage in the canyons, also because it's cooler that way, otherwise I fog my shield when we have a lot of humidity. Both help with wind tug and noise, and tucking your position on the bike in a little helps with heading into the wind. Getting your helmet down a bit lets your profile slip through the wind better, especially if you have those cool spoilers on the back of your helmet. Make sure you have good gloves too, even bugs can sting if they hit you at 55-65mph, and cars can kick up gravel.

[fred]

I always ride with earplugs, especially when I'm heading on the freeway. It helps with comfort more than any single other thing I've done. I have a spiffy custom silicone pair that have valves in them that close up at sound levels over 80dB. When I'm just idling at a light or whatever, I can hear fine, but as soon as I get up to speed, they kick in and quiet things down a lot. They really help things quite a bit.

[SeqArtMark]

Just a quick update since Patrick doesn't seem to be around much anymore.  I learned via PM that he's selling for financial/personal reasons, not fear of the highway.  I was glad to hear that he is planning to get another bike in the future but it's just not the time right now.

[miss kittie]

+1 on the earplugs. I can't believe what a difference that makes in my being comfortable with the wind. August in my neck of the woods means convection heating, wind and thunderstorms in the afternoon. It makes for challenging riding conditions but I am happy to say that each day I ride I get a little more comfortable with it.
I am thinking about getting a zero gravity sport touring windscreen next to see if that makes freeway riding less tiring.
After going awhile at 75mph it feels like the wind is really pushing on my chest, but it sounds like it really depends on the individual as to whether a touring windscreen makes a difference.

[fred]

My bike came with a huge windscreen, but I took it off very soon after I got the bike just to stay cooler. The windscreen did deflect a lot of wind, but I like the wind to cool me down more than I need it deflected for comfort. That's just my opinion though... Perhaps if it gets cold or I go on a really long ride I'll put it back...

[miss kittie]

That's a good point I had not thought of. Our hot weather should be winding down this month so maybe I'll wait. So far the longest ride I have been on is a half day and that did not involve much freeway riding. But if I want to get from here to somewhere like Jackson Hole or Yellowstone or even Moab or Southern Utah, it will require hours of riding the ole interstate. (If I want to get there in a day).
Ah, such problems
I love my bike!

[Toogoofy317]

Fred what kind of ear plugs do you have. Never heard of the kind you described. I have speakers fitted in my helmet so I usually listen to my Ipod but can't hear it much on I-4 and my doc recommeneded them.

On my Shoei the bottom wind screen that goes in and out helps like a million times better! The top anti-fog one was taken with my tank pack. I hope they are enjoying it  . The pack is useless to them because they didn't bother to take the straps and there was nothing but that piece and my bungee cord in the pack! What a disappointment to them I suppose. Left it in my apartment parking lot for two hours! Jerks!!!!!!!

Mary S.

[fred]

Fred what kind of ear plugs do you have. Never heard of the kind you described. I have speakers fitted in my helmet so I usually listen to my Ipod but can't hear it much on I-4 and my doc recommeneded them.

On my Shoei the bottom wind screen that goes in and out helps like a million times better! The top anti-fog one was taken with my tank pack. I hope they are enjoying it  . The pack is useless to them because they didn't bother to take the straps and there was nothing but that piece and my bungee cord in the pack! What a disappointment to them I suppose. Left it in my apartment parking lot for two hours! Jerks!!!!!!!

Mary S.

I use the insta-mold earplugs with filter from http://www.earinc.com/. This company actually creates local franchises, so the guy who came out and did the molding was from http://earplugs4u.com/, which is their LA area franchise. He was really cool and it didn't take long at all to make them. They are way way more comfortable than foam ear plugs and I've worn them all day. I wear them every day for riding, but I occasionally wear them to concerts and the shooting range and they do a great job there as well. Just make sure you tell the guy you want your ear plugs for motorcycle riding so they can make sure to make them very flush with your ear so your helmet doesn't knock them off...

I've also found that the helmet plays a huge role in noise level. I had a crappy KBC helmet that was super noisy and upgraded to a decent Icon that is way less noisy. I still wear earplugs though because even the quieter helmet gets too loud at freeway speeds...