Headphones for motorcycle helmet

I currently have some skull candy in ear head phones and I find them uncomfortable to wear whilst riding my bike. They move about and end up jamming into my ears.

What kind of head phone options are there for this? When I did my test I had to wear a radio with a nice ear piece but I don't know what type it is called.

Thanks.

Great idea CSCOTT....... telling the world on a public forum that you regularly break the law. The one you wore while taking you test would have been the same type the police use for radio communication not for listening to Lady Gaga while riding your motorbike!
If you had an accident and it came to light that you were listening to music on headphones, not only would you get nicked but your insurance would be null and void.

In CSCOTT's defence he might want to listen to music while riding off road or on a private property. I'd try some the Scala Rider range as some of these support MP3 playback over Bluetooth. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=scala+rider&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go

M. C. Williams. For a start off it isn't illegal, it is just not advisable. I was pulled over by the Police because of my bike showing no road tax on their computer, even though I had an up to date tax disc. I had earphones on and he told me it was not advisable until I am more experienced on my bike, and to make sure they're not too loud. What happens to deaf people? Are they banned from riding a motorcycle then? My insurance would not be null and void, I already checked this with the insurance company. Secondly, the theory test for motorcycles clearly states you can wear ear plugs whilst riding because whilst riding long distances at a constant speed, the sound of the engine can cause fatigue! Thirdly, I do not listen to Lady Gaga.

Thanks L. Anderson, that's the kind I was looking for, just not that expensive :)

As previously mentioned it isn't illegal to listen to music whilst riding a motorbike. Unadvisable but not illegal.

I have no idea where "M.C. Williams" got the notion that having headphones is "breaking the law". Perhaps he is not in the UK. As others have said, it may not be advisable, but is NOT illegal. Twonks such as MCWilliams should do a bit of research before quoting drunken pub conversations based on nothing but myths.

I have an Autocom unit (no doubt that MCWilliams has written a stern letter to tell them that their product is illegal because it has two input sockets, one marked "Phone", and the other marked "Music"!). It came with speakers that fitted permanently behind the foam of the earpads in my helmet, and although I could hear my pillion passenger, the music was a little weak. I have since rewired it (I believe the newer models have an input jack), and use in-ear headphones.

The ones I am currently using are JVC HA-FX66 (now reasonably cheap, my pair cost over £25). They have the benefit of being earplugs as well as headphones, so if I turn the music off, there is no need to shove bits of foam in my ears to lessen the wind roar.

The only problem is that I have to slowly pull the helmet on so as not to dislodge the headphones. Otherwise they are fine. That's the crucial bit - make sure they don't protrude too much. Aside from being moved about by the helmet padding, they can also get very uncomfortable after a long period of use if they are the type that stick out.

(I enjoyed your riposte to MCWilliams' ill-advised bleating)

As for whether it's advisable, when I am cycling (pedal bike) I never wear headphones as I feel it is crucial to be very aware of the vehicles around me, but on my Yamaha, I often listen to music, especially on longer rides. The crucial thing is experience. If instinctively, you know when to watch for danger rather than concentrating on the music, you'll be alright. Certainly less of a danger to yourself and other road users than the thousands of people who still think it's perfectly fine to chat on a hand-held phone while driving at the same time.

Good luck.

Well I hope you enjoyed slagging me off ES7, very mature of you. I will try and respond to your post in a civil adult manner. According to my good friend a sargeant with the London Met. Police (traffic), motor-bike headphones are treated as inadvisable in theory and practically always illegal in the advent of an accident. I will break that down into bite size chunks for you:
Yes, you can fit headphones into your helmet and if you are pulled over the police may/may not offer you a warning about the inherent dangers, however if you are involved in an accident, depending on the severity of the accident and the individual officer you might well be charged with "driving without due care and attention or dangerous driving" as my friend put it, "you play straight into our hands as it is an easy charge to bring and almost impossible to disprove". On the insurance front, we all know only too well that insurance companies will do anything to avoid payment and may well use the headphone argument against you. If it is discovered that you have tampered with the inside of your crash helmet to fit the 'phones it may even render your claim null and void.
My wife who worked in the insurance industry for years says "If you believe you have 'permission' from an insurance company, I would insist on having it in writing".

So all in all a grey area but obviously not as cut and dried as you would think.

Ps. different perspectives are important and mistakes are forgivable, rudeness just shows others your shortcomings.

Cheers
MC

MC Williams - not wanting to be dragged into an ongoing debate, it appears that you have contradicted yourself. In your first post you stated "[headphone users would]...break the law" then on the second post you state "motor-bike headphones are treated as inadvisable"

I too have been pulled over by the traffic police whilst wearing earphones (for a routine motorbike safety check) and all they said was 'pay extra attention when wearing those as you can't always hear what's around you' - No mention of me breaking the law there.

I will quote the admirable Hamish Macbeth "I don't know anything about the law, I am just the police". Admittedly, he was fictional, but the point was humourously made that the police neither make, nor interpret laws.

You should not quote police officers as if their judgement is beyond question, a useful guide, certainly, but they can merely adduce evidence, and then it is up to either the Magistrates, the District Judge or the Jury to evaluate it.

As for the actual charge of "Driving without due care and attention" (I will not dwell on the more serious "Dangerous driving"), yes, if the police are so minded then even eating an apple can be such an offence whilst driving. However, you appreciate that it is a grey area. You will be well aware that almost every new car has some form of music/radio system and also GPS/SatNav systems. The only difference would be the proximity of the speakers to the listener's ears. I hope you realise the error of suggesting that a motorcyclist cannot listen to something, whereas a car driver can.

As for "enjoying" abusing you, no. I was astounded by your ex-cathedra statements that were clearly made from a point of ignorance and wanted those who were unsure of the situation to put them to one side. It is one thing to advise someone to pursue what you may think is a safer course, it is quite another matter to imply that you are well versed in the law.

Insurance companies are indeed wily, but will only come down hard for non-disclosure of A) Offences (motoring or other) or accidents, or B) Performance enhancements to the insured vehicle.

I trust that this settles the matter, and that others reading this thread will observe that although you feign civility, "I will break that down into bite size chunks for you", is just a little condescending.

If you are wondering why I am so confident, please note that I can put "LL.B. (Hons)" after my name. (That's short for "Law Degree")

Regards,
ESVII

Agreed, I wasn't totally conversant with the law but came from a point of having been charged with such an offence in the mid-eighties. The law may have changed since.
I then went and spoke to my police friend and my wife about the subject and wrote accordingly. I must still emphasize that I still don't think that the law views the act of wearing headphones whilst riding a motorbike very favourably and people should be aware of the fact that it MAY go against them in the case of an accident but obviously
it seems it would depend on the circumstances; the officer; the courts and probably the riders own record.
No condescension intended btw just an ill advised choice of phrase, in hindsight.
Happy trails
MC

there is no law against wearing in ear headphones.

forgot to say i run a motorcycle training school and i am cardington trained.so put those headphones in and enjoy the tunes.

M. C. Williams, stop being pedantic and argumentative. he didnt want to know if it was against the law or if it was unadvisable, he just wanted suggestions on makes of earphones for the use during riding. i also need some...suggestions/

Hi. Buried deep within this debate of the law is my suggestion (if that's what you mean? Your post was truncated) for the JVC HA-FX66.

That's what I use, and they are ok (for me, at least).

As I said in my original reply, the ones that have very soft rubber that creates a seal are great because they double up as earplugs. Also beware the ones that stick out far from the ear because they will either snag on the helmet lining as you pull it on, or soon become painful because of the pressure on the ear because of the padding in the helmet.

Hope this is clear, and helps.

Try bed phones, not used them on my bike but they seem to fit under my helmet!

There are reasonably priced bluetooth enabled helmets on the market now that do away with the need for headphones or visable trailing wires. Mine was £150, good for all legal speeds.

I bought a pair on ebay very cheap about £8 they are a flat type with velcro and I use them with a Fiio headphone amp about another £8. I have excellent sound, enough to drown out my 2l Hog which is a miracle to say the least.

Hello folks... I can answer this question, once and for all...
I, myself am a "Cop"...
I train the Police Drivers, both on Motorcycles, and in Cars, under Blue Light conditions...
I also train the "Normal" drivers you see, in the "Paddy Wagons" (those people, who are normally drunk... and tend to throw a Paddy... not a slur on our Irish Brehren)...

The answer to your questions are...
No... using earphones, or headsets inside your helmet are NOT illigal...
if they were... then we (as Officers, and Upholders of the Law) would not be able to have and use them ourselves. As you can prob gather... we are not allowed to break the law ourselves, by doing or having something that we are possibly going to prosicute somebody else over... How else are we supposed to hear and respond to our radios otherwise?

The only addendum I will make... is that NORMAL "In The Ear" earphones, like the normal Walkman ones... just wedged behind the fabric of your Helmets "Ear-Flaps"... would, in some cases be classed as Illegal... because, they are not designed for the task in hand... and if you came off, the hard plastic lumps, would go straight through the side of your head... the strong part of your head, is at the front... the sides are realitivly thin in the bone department...
the permissable way of doing it, would be to buy the "Flat" speakers, which fit behind the "Ear-Flaps" of your Helmet... or to buy earphones, that go OVER the actual ear... like you see us, bouncers, security, Motorcycle driving school learners etc etc wear... (the ear fits through a hole, and is held in place by the curved bar, which sits behind the ear... something like a Bluetooth Headset... speaker on the outside, held by a bar behind the ear...)

If anyone would wish to discuss this issue further, I will be happy to...
Just phone, and ask for me... If I am free, I will happily talk to you.

I hope that this clears things up for you...

Road Safety and Traffic Dept.
Haywards Heath Police Station
Sussex Police
UK...

Non-Emergency Switchboard - 0845 60 70 999

Its not such a miracle that only 5% of people responding to his post are on topic!