Do any of yall listen to music while riding? I have been thinkng about taking the iPod with me while riding but im concerned about safety. My buddy said " I like to be able to hear whats going on" Duly noted but as I was riding to work today a rather large V8 truck sailed by me and I didn't hear a damn thing until he had passed me. And that's with the truck having dual exhaust. So Im thinking that sound is really not too relevant while riding, as I can't hear shaZam! anyways.
So whats yall's opinion of riding while listening to music? Do or Don't Do?
I say don't do... People are out to get you when you're on a bike. You need all your attention on riding. :)
Quote from: annguyen1981 on January 18, 2006, 10:07:48 PM
I say don't do... People are out to get you when you're on a bike. You need all your attention on riding. :)
+1
roger that. Anyone else....
Quote from: that_guy on January 18, 2006, 10:35:26 PM
roger that. Anyone else....
:thumb: Aint like a car where if you wreck you stand a great chance of surviving... On a bike... Much different story.
My riding music is whatever i am singing in my head. :laugh: :laugh:
I have an Ipod and I am also planning on using it while riding this spring. I thought about the same issue but maybe just keep the volume as low as possible so you can still kinda listen yet hear the traffic around you too?
What about the people suggesting using ear plugs while riding on highway in previous posts? Ear plug is good on highway riding yet ipod is not good on street riding?
Well, I haven't done both yet so I'm confused now. I guess I will find out this spring when my real serious riding starts.
you mean you guys don't always constantly hear "highway to the danger zone!" playing in your heads when u ride? funny maybe its just me ...
~facio
No but Born to be Wild sometimes runs thru my head!! :laugh: :laugh:
i do listen to my ipod while riding and it really doesn't affect my riding as far as i can tell...
there really no reason why you shouldnt listen to music at a normal volume... if you are changing lanes and dont see the car and it honks trust me you will hear it...plus u should be paying attn with your eyes before you need to use your ears...when was the last time a car honked at you for good reason? its usually bad drivers that make riding dangerous and bad drivers usually arent courteous enough to warn us before they hit. the only possible time a real keen sense of hearing might help is if you're stopped at a light and u hear screeching...but we all stay in gear and keep our eyes on the mirrors right? :icon_mrgreen:
My music is my exhaust...that beautiful liter-twin thump and growl...or it is for about 5~10 miles, then it turns from a beautiful growl to a rather annoying drone.
I do occasionally...only because I have a very musical inclination and if I don't have something to listen to I tend to sing whatever's on my mind...and I can't sing.
All I have is a ghetto MP3 player I swiped from a buddy of mine to listen to...holds like 8 songs, that's it. Kinda pissy but hey, it works for me. My preferences tend to vary...cruises I'm usually listening to Bach and anytime I'm riding aggressively it's usually disturbed, papa roach, korn or linkin park. I've found that a lot of linkin park songs help me focus a little more on my machine, I tend to do a little better but it may be in my head.
...nothing like rounding a corner screaming "....I wanna get psycho..." at the top of your lungs...especially if anyone else can hear you over the bike...
Quote from: makenzie71 on January 18, 2006, 11:59:03 PM...nothing like rounding a corner screaming "....I wanna get psycho..." at the top of your lungs...especially if anyone else can hear you over the bike...
hehe.. I usually tend to drive my cars a bit more aggressively when I listen to Disturbed or something else heavy such as some good classic Metallica.
Ever been riding for a while with a song in your head, then you startle yourself when you start humming it? Or is it just me? :dunno_white: :icon_razz:
yup i rode with my little walkman ( tell it desided it wanted to see what it was like to roll on the ground :| ) but i did not notice much of a diffience . you just have to LOOK MORE at what your doing .. that why you can make up for them little sounds that you cant hear . but when i had mine on . i still heard everything i needed to hear . i.e. police,firetrucks,EMS umm skreeching tires :o
I usually have MY SHARONA by the KNACK stuck in my head while riding. I like to stay alert for idiot drivers and besides the many voices in my head keep me entertained anyway.
Quote from: phire on January 19, 2006, 02:09:41 AM
Quote from: makenzie71 on January 18, 2006, 11:59:03 PM...nothing like rounding a corner screaming "....I wanna get psycho..." at the top of your lungs...especially if anyone else can hear you over the bike...
hehe.. I usually tend to drive my cars a bit more aggressively when I listen to Disturbed or something else heavy such as some good classic Metallica.
Ditto :thumb:
Since no one else has pointed it out...you might want to check to see if it's even legal to wear earbuds while riding in your state. I'm almost certain that it is not legal in MA. I know a lot of people still do it, but it might mean a bigger ticket if you do get pulled over...and you don't necessarily want to give them another excuse to pull you over (like bright white wires hanging out the bottom of your helmet).
Just my $0.02.
Quote from: surlybruce on January 19, 2006, 07:14:56 AM
I usually have MY SHARONA by the KNACK stuck in my head while riding. I like to stay alert for idiot drivers and besides the many voices in my head keep me entertained anyway.
Thanks, now I'll have that stuck in mine as well... :mad:
Quote from: Badger on January 19, 2006, 07:58:48 AM
Since no one else has pointed it out...you might want to check to see if it's even legal to wear earbuds while riding in your state. I'm almost certain that it is not legal in MA. I know a lot of people still do it, but it might mean a bigger ticket if you do get pulled over...and you don't necessarily want to give them another excuse to pull you over (like bright white wires hanging out the bottom of your helmet).
Just my $0.02.
Badger makes a good point. Maryland allows one earpiece for music. Pennsylvania allows only communication devices (i.e. two-way radios... no tunes) :dunno_white:
I have rocked out a few times on long highway-eating sessions and once or twice on skyline drive in VA. Honestly, I generally find music so distracting that I enjoy the ride less, and I would NEVER attempt it when there is any chance I will end up in traffic.
good input. I just noticed that my buddies joe rocket jacket has a hole on the shoulder/collar area for headphones to go through. I get kinda music hungry while riding alone. Sometimes i start humming or talking to myself then I realize im being kind of insane by talking to myself. I don't see why the iPod would put me in any grave danger.
samhkang makes a valid point with the fact that alot of riders use earplugs and what is the difference if what the concern is, is hearing other cars?
It's not the greatest idea to listen to music while riding, 'cause you really want to have all your senses available... Especially on the street. But, you can't hear much more than wind at freeway speeds anyway.
So, I guess I'm saying... You should avoid it when you're just putting around or riding for fun, since some of the fun is the noise you make. But, if music will keep your attention at its peak while on a long commute, then it might be safer to ride with music. The trick is getting the volume right... If it's too loud, it WILL take your mind off the road, you won't be able to hear a damn thing, and it will (IMO) make your ride more dangerous...
I've ridden with music a handful of times... The problem is that it makes me go faster. :o
Be really mindful of your behavior while listening to music... Avoid anything that makes you want to dance, 'cause you probably will... :nono:
I agree: when you are riding long distances I think that some music would be entertaining and take your mind off the uncomforable nature of the GS500 seat.
When doing my after-school backroad runs though, I prefer to listen my stock muffler (yeah, I've been meaning to change that)
On the subject of 'stuff that's distracting'...doesn't Dainese make a bluetooth helmet? Why bother listening to music when you can while away the miles on the phone? :nono:
:laugh:
I was trying to figure out how to work my phone with my helmet on... I figured I could get a hands-free in there, but it would be pretty hard to dial with my gloves on. :laugh:
You don't have voice activated dialing?
Not all of us have a "rich man" phone.
We have to use buttons l
Quote from: Badger on January 19, 2006, 03:32:00 PMYou don't have voice activated dialing?
Sorta... It doesn't work all that well... I usually don't use it 'cause it takes longer to repeat myself 5 times than it does to just find the number in the list.
I actually bought those 180 earmuff headphone inserts. Used some velcro and put them in the ear pocket in my helmet. That way they're not in my ears so they don't really block sound - just create more. Also, they produce almost no bass and I keep them low. But that's only for the long highway commuting I do. When I'm out for fun, I'd rather hear the exhaust.
well as far as the earphone wires showing . i normaly run mine behinde my back then up to the helment :) not near as noticsable . and in texas your not allowed to have earbuds of music while you drive that i know of . but everyone still does it
Quote from: FearedGS500 on January 19, 2006, 05:31:03 PM
well as far as the earphone wires showing . i normaly run mine behinde my back then up to the helment :) not near as noticsable . and in texas your not allowed to have earbuds of music while you drive that i know of . but everyone still does it
HB 6907 prohibits the use of earphones and cellphones while operating any vehicle.
However, Texas has no restrictions toward helmet speakers.
It is illegal to have headphones in while driving in Washington, and pretty sure it is illegal while riding a bike. That being said, and I've never tried, but I doubt you'd ever get pulled over for having 1 earphone in. 2 probablly wouldn't matter either. However if you were riding a wheelie up highway 18 (Like the j@ck @$$ I saw behind me yesterday), got pulled over, and had headphones in; I'm sure they'd up the ticket some.
I don't see the problem as long as you don't have it too loud that you can still hear sirens. I mean going above 40 you don't hear much anyways.
I use my Mp3 player while riding. i admit its not the safest thing to do but im not that smart. :icon_razz:... anything by crossfade is good for riding.
plus i constantly watch my mirrors so im not to worried about not knowing whats going on. Only issue I thought about is coming on base. The base gaurds won't let me on at all if I had headphones on. so it looks like im limited to weekend and for fun rides only for headphones.
ah, youth - wasted on the young...
i used to ride with a walkman (dating myself), then helmet speakers - now i just use ear plugs.
Quote from: ginoe on January 19, 2006, 09:19:59 PM
ah, youth - wasted on the young...
i used to ride with a walkman (dating myself), then helmet speakers - now i just use ear plugs.
well im not really "youth" but i think it's fine to listen to music if you want to.
I know someone who rode for a year with music. Then he stoped. (because his wires turned to mush from the rain and sun.. well more rain then sun.) He says he doesn't miss it and said that he is probably more aware.
Does anyone else wear earplugs when they ride? I started this last riding season (yay Chicago) and have found a huge difference in my level of fatigue. I can literally ride for hours longer with plugs in than I could without; yes, I always wear a helmet. If you're gonna ride with an iPod or whatnot, get the sound reducing earbuds, I can guarantee you'll appreciate the difference.
Yes I do too. Must wear them while on the HARLEY with the evel drag pipes [ they keep the moose in the wood line ] for sure. Used them last summer on the GS 500 on my trip to NOVA SCOTIA reduced fatigue quite a bit . My fat ass did not find the seat too bad for the long haul even my [ hemroid ] did not act up too much. [ girl on the 250 REBEL that I rode with ]
Quote from: SmartDrug on January 20, 2006, 02:36:14 AMget the sound reducing earbuds
How much did they run you? Link?
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Koss-Sparkplug-Portable-Stereophone-SPARKPLUG-/sem/rpsm/oid/123481/catOid/-13225/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do
These are awsome, like having both earplugs and music buds. You can even make them better by getting some better earplugs, cutting a hole and slipping them onto the koss heads. (They have a funnel that directs the music through the ear plug part)
* Thoes are white.. I don't like white. Mine are normal black. I'm sure they are out there in black still if you want them that way
** The only problem is, they are more earplug then earbug. Ie, you have to use two hands and pull your ear back and roll the ear plug part. (Untill you get use to them, and can jab them down there.. ;))
*** Jfyi, they are not as slient as ear plugs themselves, but much much better then earbuds. I'm sure more expensive ones will be better, but $100 better? I don't think so.
Can you actually get your helmet on without ripping them out of your ears? That's the problem I have... I found some ear-buds that have an extra part that goes over your ear... They kinda work... :icon_rolleyes:
I've got a one hour drive to work, I could not do it without music. I don't have it so loud that i can't hear whats going on around me. I do tend to ride a little faster if Disturb, System of the down, or anything hard is playing.
Quote from: Scorpio65 on January 22, 2006, 02:53:10 PMI do tend to ride a little faster if Disturb, System of the down, or anything hard is playing.
I can totally relate... I had about a 45 minute ride and figured I'd probably need about an hour worth of stuff... So, I loaded a bunch of hard/fast tracks up...
I got about halfway through the tracks by the time I got there... :oops:
I used to listen music while riding but on longer distance (read 600miles) :icon_razz: ear plugs made my ears hurt like h**l.... Better plugs might help.. but I learned to listen music made by the twin... :icon_mrgreen:
Necro-res
I'm gonna take a 3 hour trip to miami this weekend. I was thinking about bringing my ipod and playing it while on the highway (bringing my camel back too). Not gonna use it on streets, only the highway. I was also thinking about getting a remote and running it down the sleeve of my left arm so I can pause/play and skip when I want
I just stick mine to my tank with a neodymium magnet (the battery sticks to the magnet). Doesn't go anywhere and it's a lot easier to handle.
Quote from: makenzie71 on November 07, 2006, 09:47:52 PM
I just stick mine to my tank with a neodymium magnet (the battery sticks to the magnet). Doesn't go anywhere and it's a lot easier to handle.
wow....I would keep strong magnets away from a hard drive (a magnetic device)
magnetic fields can corrupt your data :cry:
It's digitally stored. Magnets won't do anything. I use an N60 1/2" X 1/2" magnet. These magnets are powerful enough that two placed against opposite sides of an aluminum can will crush it. They're of the most powerful commercially available magnetic alloy.
Magnets only effect magnetically stored data.
~~important to note that I mean the sides of the can. I have a set of 2X2X2 magnets that will crush a can if placed at the ends...and you'll have a hard time pulling them apart. Lots of blisters from these babies...
Cool! Where do you get those magnets?
Chilly
I don't leave home most days without my MP3 player in my ears.
I do love music, but I also don't let it become my focus while I'm riding. Remember, your number one task is staying safe on the bike. Don't try to change the station/track to something else until you double check your surroundings and know whats going on.
Quote from: makenzie71 on November 07, 2006, 10:25:17 PM
It's digitally stored. Magnets won't do anything.
Inside the ipod is a magnetic harddrive, the same as in any laptop computer. The hard drive is made of a material that is magnetized. Each song on the ipod is represented on the harddrive as a series of changes in a magnetic field. Taking a magnet to your ipod can destroy the delicate series of magnetic fields which represent the songs on your ipod, effectively destroying them. I'm surprised you haven't experienced any data corruption. :o
Quote from: makenzie71 on November 07, 2006, 10:25:17 PM
It's digitally stored. Magnets won't do anything. I use an N60 1/2" X 1/2" magnet. These magnets are powerful enough that two placed against opposite sides of an aluminum can will crush it. They're of the most powerful commercially available magnetic alloy.
Magnets only effect magnetically stored data.
~~important to note that I mean the sides of the can. I have a set of 2X2X2 magnets that will crush a can if placed at the ends...and you'll have a hard time pulling them apart. Lots of blisters from these babies...
Oh, do you have an ipod nano or a shuffle? Those are run off flash drives. Which, you're right a magnet won't harm. I have a video ipod with a 30GB magnetic hard drive.
the two big ones are grade N-64...they're special. You can find just about any other grade on ebay. Just look up neodymium.
Sorry Tussey...I wasn't aware apple used an analog medium...seems odd considering the cost. My RCA piece stores information digitally so it's uneffected.
The larger capacity mp3 players all use hard drives. Which still are digital, BTW.
I have have never listened to music while riding so don't know how distracting it is. However I can't see how people can compare them to ear plugs. With ear plugs you are simply lowering the outside sound level. You can still hear the traffic and if you use comfortable ear plugs they are not distracting.
i ALWAYS listen to music when i ride, keeps me in a good mood and more sane, just like in a car... i am actually more aware of my surroundings, and i dont really hear anything when im not listening to music... but on the other hand, i only use 1 headphone sometimes.....
if you listen to music, use just one headphone!!! although i usually have both in...