We’ll sidestep some of that discussion for now. The question of helmets is really a question of personal freedom versus public safety, and not an issue that’s going to be solved right here on this blog.

There is something worth considering, though. Some new research suggests that wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle can actually lead to noise-induced hearing loss.

Two researchers in the UK, Dr. Michael Carley, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath and Dr. Nigel Holt from the Department of Psychology at Bath Spa University are currently studying the effects of how noise is transmitted through a helmet.

The research thus far suggests a few things. Among the preliminary findings:

• The noise inside a motorcycle helmet going 70 mph is higher than the legal limits in most places for noise in the workplace.
• This noise doesn’t mainly come from the bike or the pipes. It comes simply from the flow of air over the helmet.
• Ear plugs don’t seem to help too much. The noise is actually transferred into the rider’s inner ear from their bones.
• Some of the damage may come from low level vibrations, complicated by the presence of the helmet.

It will be interesting to see, as time goes on, what results come of the research. No one is suggesting for one moment that it’s safer for a motorcycle rider to go without a helmet, of course. However, it’s hopeful that the research will identify a little bit about how this noise occurs and how it’s transmitted. Once that happens, the results can be put to use in the design of newer model helmets and hopefully reduce some of the risk of hearing loss.

Photo via Fimb

What’s not reasonable is the stand that some have taken on cell phone conversations. They suggest that anyone talking on a cell phone couldn’t possibly be paying attention to the road. These folks want to see cell phones banned while driving, even when using a handsfree device.

That’s all a big load of crap, of course. If you can talk to the person sitting next to you in the car, you can talk on a Bluetooth headset, for example, without any greater safety risk.

The problem for bikers has been that, up to this point, there hasn’t really been an effective way to do that. Oh, sure, you can invest several hundred bucks in a wireless walkie-talkie style helmet with the big boom microphone that has the three inch foam wind shield. Those are limited, however, in that they are only good for two-way radio communication.

Fortunately, there are a number of new products on the market. Take, for example, the Scala-Rider. This is a Bluetooth headset designed to fit your motorcycle helmet. It’s got wind resistance built in, and you can communicate clearly up to speeds of 75 miles an hour. It features voice commands that let you accept or reject calls without lifting a finger, too. It even auto-adjusts your volume level based on ambient noise.

This device works with any Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. It’s easy to use, and it attaches directly to your helmet. It doesn’t rely on glue or Velcro, and you can install the entire system in about five minutes. When you remove it, there are no traces left inside the helmet. It has a super-slim speaker that’s designed to fit just about any helmet. It’s also weather resistant, which means that if you get caught out in the rain you don’t have to worry about your headset shorting out.

Check out this product today. You’ll save money and have more versatility when compared to radio systems, and your motorcycle insurance agent will thank you for not trying to fumble with a cell phone while cruising.

Photo via 9GIX9

Motorcycles are thought to emit as much as 16 times the level of hydrocarbons, as much as three times the amount of carbon monoxide, and even higher amounts of certain other air pollutants when compared to standard passenger cars. These figures come from a study released in 2006 in the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science & Technology.

This particular research, which was done at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research by Ana-Marija Vasic and Martin Weilenmann, looked at all sorts of motorcycles. They found that no matter what type of motorcycle engine, the amount of pollutants was higher.

What was especially of concern about this study is the significantly large levels of hydrocarbons emitted by motorcycles manufacturered in Japan, Germany and Italy. These hydrocarbons are thought to contribute to global warming. Some hydrocarbons are also thought to contribute to the development of cancer, as well.

Because motorcycles aren’t necessarily the primary means of transportation in most of the developed countries of the world, the importance of their emissions has sometimes been neglected. Makers of motorcycles haven’t necessarily had regulatory reasons to make cleaner and more environmentally friendly bikes.

The rules for emissions for motorcycles have been recently updated and will take effect in 2010. Prior to these rules changes, they hadn’t been updated in 25 years. The new rule will require manufacturers to reduce combined emissions of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides in motorcycle exhausts by 60 percent.

The Environmental Protection Agency is projecting serious impact with these changes to motorcycle manufacturing. They project and estimate that, when the rule takes full effect in January of 2010, the rule will server to will reduce emissions of these pollutants in question by about 54,000 tons a year. This is in turn also expected to save 12 million gallons of fuel annually by preventing it from evaporating from fuel hoses and tanks.