[Beezer]

The thread was getting multiple pages long. I read most of it and I guess I'm in a small minority.
I'm of the "To each his own" mentality. If someone likes something which harms nobody else, they have every right to enjoy it. However:
I've been on the receiving end of some bad stuff in motorcycle accidents. Months in hospitals, permanent damage, close to death. Twice.
Still I choose to ride motorcycles. I do however try to do it to my best advantage. I follow every sensory input closely while I'm riding and I want no distraction. Sound, sight, smell and feel. I've so sorely been shown what happens when you loose any of them. Music is a distraction I just can't afford to have. Part of that is because of the damage from the wrecks, but I really think part of it is the preservation instinct. Guys, if you're comfortable riding with music playing and you're sure it isn't distracting, then enjoy. I just think that for that instant you have to be alert and ready to react to some abrupt change, you shouldn't be waiting for that really cool guitar solo.

 

[Scared]

you shouldn't be waiting for that really cool guitar solo.

And you shouldn't be waiting to someone to run over you. You listen to music in your cage right? Enjoy the ride the way you want to enjoy it. If that is in peace with your own thoughts, then by all means. If it is jamming to some death metal, then by all means. We ride to enjoy it, not to be paranoid.

But their is a time and place for it. Not riding by a church at 9:00 on a Sunday listening to Marilyn Manson for example.

Edit: If your new to riding, then I agree, you'll need all of your senses.

 

[Beezer]

" We ride to enjoy it, not to be paranoid. "

I guess I should have touched on that. When I'm riding I absolutely do enjoy it. I really think if a rider feels safe and he's sure he can ride with music that's perfectly fine. Paranoia? Nothing could be farther.. It's a "Zen Of Road". The engine, road sounds. Sensory input tells us what's going on around us. Sudden noises can be a warning.

It's kinda like this.. True story: Two years ago a family member had a close relationship with a young man. He was killed while he walked to church one Sunday morning. He was killed when he crossed a railroad track and was run over by a train. He didn't hear it coming because of his ear buds. That really did happen.

Is there a difference between that and riding a bike? You tell me, but that's not paranoia. It's more like weighing the importance of music over staying alive.

So many times I've approached an exit watching a car ahead of me in the center lane. Something just tells me the guy is going to exit at the last minute. I've been right more often than not. I watch as he zips across a lane to barely make the exit. I've been correct a surprising number of times. I could have been following to his right blissfully absorbed in a Steely Dan tune, but I was watching from a safe distance and thinking "What an idiot."
I've been riding motorcycles since 1968

 

[Mark-B]

I ride with music on more times than not on long highway stretches. But, in town, or in any form of traffic - even if it's just people queuing up behind me on the road - music is off.

On longer hauls, I actually seem to concentrate better for longer periods of time with some form of ambient distraction.. With music off, on longer stretches, my mind tends to wander away from the ride.. With music on, I'm a machine plugged into the ride on every level other than sound .. "usually" .. On other days my mind is less distracted by the peace, so that's what I give it.

Like you say - each to their own... If an individual feels distracted on any level then we might be better off to work in a direction to avoid that distraction, whatever that may be.. Needing to go to the bathroom, being thirsty, bees in the helmet ..it's all distraction..

Music is kinda cool as - unlike the other examples, you can usually turn off that distraction without pulling over

 

[Bobolto]

This morning i downloaded

the Theme song from "The Good, Bad and Ugly" and another song from the same Movie, song called "The Ecstasy of Gold" (Ennio Morricone) in both original and remix.
btw, Youtube has a really bad sounding one that comes up first on search.

Added them to my Zune just now, i'll listen to them later when i ride.

Its the background music i will play in my first few GoPro Videos of Rides though
the Dessert Valley.

Now all i have to do is get a GoPro:neutral:

 

[Bobolto]

This morning i downloaded

the Theme song from "The Good, Bad and Ugly" and another song from the same Movie, song called "The Ecstasy of Gold" (Ennio Morricone) in both original and remix.
btw, Youtube has a really bad sounding one that comes up first on search.

Added them to my Zune just now, i'll listen to them later when i ride.

Its the background music i will play in my first few GoPro Videos of Rides though
the Dessert Valley.

Now all i have to do is get a GoPro:neutral:

Found the YouTube of the exact Remix i got.

how's it sound?

Original version "Ecstasy of Gold"

in concert

 

[90970]

Funny thing about music. I only use it with a FF helmet (earbuds). So I figure any small loss of concentration may be offset by an increase in protection (over a half helmet).

However I try to follow the industry safety standard of no more than 60 minutes nonstop at 60% volume to protect my hearing.


Sent from Motorcycle.com Free App

 

[Em4n89]

I have personally found music to make the ride much more enjoyable except for yesterday... While riding a 375 mile round trip to donate to a toys for tots event for about half the trip I could only pick up one radio station and it was doing a marathon of George Strait's Christmas Special....

 

[magicmike1011]

" We ride to enjoy it, not to be paranoid. "

I guess I should have touched on that. When I'm riding I absolutely do enjoy it. I really think if a rider feels safe and he's sure he can ride with music that's perfectly fine. Paranoia? Nothing could be farther.. It's a "Zen Of Road". The engine, road sounds. Sensory input tells us what's going on around us. Sudden noises can be a warning.

It's kinda like this.. True story: Two years ago a family member had a close relationship with a young man. He was killed while he walked to church one Sunday morning. He was killed when he crossed a railroad track and was run over by a train. He didn't hear it coming because of his ear buds. That really did happen.

Is there a difference between that and riding a bike? You tell me, but that's not paranoia. It's more like weighing the importance of music over staying alive.

So many times I've approached an exit watching a car ahead of me in the center lane. Something just tells me the guy is going to exit at the last minute. I've been right more often than not. I watch as he zips across a lane to barely make the exit. I've been correct a surprising number of times. I could have been following to his right blissfully absorbed in a Steely Dan tune, but I was watching from a safe distance and thinking "What an idiot."
I've been riding motorcycles since 1968

I don't want to appear insensitive to the loss of the young man killed by the train but on foot or in a car or on a bike common sense tells you you look both ways, maybe he could have felt the ground shake under his feet? You have to be pretty distracted to just walk in front of a train.

 

[Lonnie_Mac]

This all reminds me of a great John Prine tune. Bruised Orange. About a kid getting hit by a train.

 

[TenDollarBill]

To me, riding is the reward. I don't need or want the distraction of listening to music. That would take away from the experience and take some of my attention away from riding safely. I wear a helmet, and think it's ill advised to not wear one, but again that's my choice. Others have a different view of that choice as well, so to each his/her own. You do what you want and accept the risk associated with doing it. Just don't whine when you don't like the result of your choice.

 

[Menhir]

I ride with music on more times than not on long highway stretches. But, in town, or in any form of traffic - even if it's just people queuing up behind me on the road - music is off.

On longer hauls, I actually seem to concentrate better for longer periods of time with some form of ambient distraction.. With music off, on longer stretches, my mind tends to wander away from the ride..

This is where I'm at right now, and why I'm thinking of adding the ability to play music or listen to the radio when I'm riding.

I've never really had the desire to listen to music for most of my riding...the ride is enough...and I'm very conscious of adding unnecessary distractions. But when touring, after hours of long stretches on boring highways, I find myself wishing for something to listen to other than my own thoughts and yes, to keep my mind from wandering.

 

[Beezer]

I don't want to appear insensitive to the loss of the young man killed by the train but on foot or in a car or on a bike common sense tells you you look both ways, maybe he could have felt the ground shake under his feet? You have to be pretty distracted to just walk in front of a train.

Oh yeah, that's exactly what I thought when it happened, but it was my niece's sweetheart so I didn't need to say anything, however.. In the here and now we were all hopefully born with our senses. Sometimes even all of them aren't enough to keep us safe. The way I see it though we do stand a better chance of surviving today's distracted idiots if we can be using as many of them as we can for survival. I really don't think it's a very wise thing to do, eliminate a major part of our sensory input in a dangerous environment for the sake of a song.

 

[Gnarly]

Music, for when I get home.

Besides, the effects of stagerigging for over 25 years means I have about 25% of my normal hearing left....a sound system that I could hear over the cackle of the FlyinJenni would not only be way above my pay grade, but would get me arrested!

Ear buds, smear buds.
Nah.
Not for me.

Just my opinion.

 

[Beezer]

Motorcycle wrecks diminished a big part of my hearing with the type of damage I got. Later, loud music took away even more. I like music now but I don't even have a music station programmed on my car radio. Political stuff now, and that's AM.

 

[Eldorado]

Home of shark motorcycle audio, music, speakers,Intercom headsets - SharkMotorcyleAudio.com
Some good deals here on full systems, you can either listen via mounted speakers or ear plugs, I just use my mp3 for music (no radio on my set up).

 

[SuperboyX]

This bike Rocks!

 

[NorTex]

My issue is I hate my helmet, but I use it to keep my head warm. One of the safety issues for me is that with my helmet I can't hear. Without a helmet, I always hear a cage approaching from behind if I haven't already seen them in a mirror. With a helmet, would I hear the screeching of tires close by? My hearing isn't 100 percent, and with a helmet on, I might as well be listening to Led Zeplin.

 

[Bobolto]

Found the YouTube of the exact Remix i got.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qAtzL_Oej4

how's it sound?

Original version "Ecstasy of Gold"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9_h8XwP4Wg

in concert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNGe7iK1O-4

Theme Song: The Good Bad and Ugly

 

[PA Dave]

This all reminds me of a great John Prine tune. Bruised Orange. About a kid getting hit by a train.

Great, great song by one of my favorite singer/songwriters!

To the OP, I'm another who doesn't listen to music while riding. I tried it once and didn't like it. Years ago I tried it while running and hated it. I love music, but I listen to it actively and pay attention to it as it's own activity. It doesn't work for me as background noise. Quiet is something that I also enjoy a lot. I'll drive three or four hours in the truck without turning on the radio. I don't know that it's a safety thing for me as much as it is just the way I enjoy music and the way I enjoy riding.

I think it was Enzo Ferrari who said that the engine makes the music.