It’s no secret that a big part of why we’re into American motorcycles is the sound they make. We love to hear the bike as we ride down the open road-the roar of the motor, exhaust pipes crackling. However,we ride so often that even the toughest of eardrums can use a break every now and then. When we don’t want all the noise, what do we do? For a quick fix, you could stuff some cotton in your ears or pick up some cheap foam plugs. These options will help a little for the immediate ride, but when the day is done, all you’re going to be left with is some wax-coated trash. Another option is to get a set of headphones and listen to some music while out on that open road. With headphones you get the best of both worlds, cutting out the noise you don’t want to hear and allowing in the noise-er-music you do. There are problems with this solution, too. The larger headphones that cover the entire ear can be bulky, and therefore difficult to fit under a helmet. Small earphones are not shaped to contour the individual ear and might bother some people on long trips if they aren’t the right size.

Hearing Dynamics has come up an even better option than just a nice pair of earplugs or expensive headphones. How about a set of HD2000 Pro earplugs with built-in headphones? The perfect combination! We wanted to get a set of custom-fit plugs made when we came across Beth Orliss, owner of Hearing Dynamics. She explained to us that what she offers is not just a good set of custom-fit plugs but also a great pair of headphones as well. For our own custom set, we first needed to have our ears molded to ensure a perfect fit. Beth gave us a list of places that work with her company; all we needed to do was to get an impression made and then sent back to her. The molding process took less than an hour, and at the same time we got our ears checked. (We were told this was necessary in order to make sure there weren’t any hearing problems.)

In about two weeks we had a set of custom-fit earplugs/headphones delivered to our door.The custom-fit headphones come with a 48-inch cable with a standard 3.5mm jack that will fit anything from an MP3 and CD player to an iPod or computer inlet.