SOME LIKE IT HOT ! - VSOC C13 The RoadRunners

'Ear...'Ear...
Whatever bike show you go to, or whichever bike shop you go into, there are always a selection of
earplugs available to buy, cheap ones, dear ones, disposable or custom ones, but who buys
them? Certainly not the custom/cruiser bike fraternity, we are more likely to spend Ä200 making
the bike sound louder rather than Ä2 on a set of earplugs to make life quieter. I only know 2 other
bike riders outside of the VSOC and they both consider earplugs as much a part of their
equipment as they do their helmet. They both know their stuff, Brad is an observer for an
advanced motorcycle group in Essex and Adam was a racer (650 & 1000cc) in the BEMSE
league. Both of these guys would not consider riding for any length of time without earplugs. 'To
each his own' I thought, until I saw an article in the Rider magazine.
Noise is measured in decibels (db) so Rider magazine then measured the noise levels inside a
helmet at various speeds and compared it to current legislation. Legislation only applies to the
workplace, outside of work it is up the individual to protect themselves. Current UK law states that
an individual can tolerate a sound level of 85db for up to 8 hours but an employer must provide
ear protection if asked. At a level of 90db and above it is a legal requirement to provide
hearing protection.
Below are the findings they came up with, the Noise Level and Safe Listening Time figures are
National Statistics, the Speed was logged each time one of the noise levels was reached.
Speed (mph) Noise Level (db) Safe Listening time/(Riding time)
85 8 hours
88 4 hours
50 91 2 hours
62 94 1 hour
74 97 30 minutes
86 100 15 minutes
98 103 7.5 minutes
Ok, so we all know we wont go deaf after belting down the motorway at 70mph for an hour or
so...but it makes you think.....
Gary Simmons
It was the night of the Roadrunners Christmas Party and a young police officer was skulking in the
bushes at the entrance to the clubhouse car park waiting to pick up some easy drink and drive violations.
A couple of minutes before chucking out time he saw a bike 'ole biker come staggering out bumping into
cars and bikes. He plonked himself on one bike but couldn’t start it, all he managed was to turn on some
fancy blue lights that lit up the engine, he got off, scratched his head then weaved his way over to another
bike, it was totally different, a BMW, but he got it started and wobbled off down the road. The young
copper rubbed his hands with glee, ''The first of the night'', he thought, and set off after him. As he pulled
over the biker and made him blow into the breathalyser the sound bikes and cars could be heard in the
distance pulling away from the car park. The young copper checked the breathalyser, it showed a zero
alcohol reading, ''What’s happening here then,'' he said, ''I saw you staggering all over the place''. The
biker looked at him, smiled and said, ''Well officer, tonight I was the designated decoy!''
Congratulations to Dave Weiland for 10 years VSOC membership !