I listen to music when riding, just not so loud as to drown out everything else, have no problems so far hearing emergency vehicles, undertakers, overtakers etc.
Try using Steinhauser CX300 Ear canal headphones, very tiny so comfy to wear under helmet and also act as earplugs.
As to music choice, house & techno make me ride like a loon, if I want to ride in a chilled manner I listen to Radio 4.
+1But i don’t ride like a lone!!!Mainly funcky house/ techno/ trance/ dance. Funny enought, it relaxes me more, and make me feel more confident.
I prefer to watch a DVD.
i’ve only listened to music once when i’m riding. i didn’t find it distracting at all (think some people do, some don’t) and it probably helped me focus better. but one thing i did notice is that quite a lot of people kept looking at me. pedestrians, car drivers, bus drivers you name it. kept getting loads of attention and couldn’t work out why. got home to find i’d done my usual 40 minute journey in about 25 minutes and realised i’d been riding like an axe murderer. i’m always tempted to do it again but fear i’d just end up going too quick for the built up areas i ride through.
on the other hand the next track day i do i may give it a go. might help me knock some seconds off my pathetic best time rounds brands indy 
there’s a question, any racers or track day pros listen to music on the way round?
The Grumbleweeds & the Barron Nights, lets rock! (Occasionaly the Wurzels but they’re a bit too heavy man).
same thing happened to me when i used to hear music when i rode. then it got annoying/distracting so i just stuck with good old ear plugs 
I listen to a varied mix of music to help me concentrate better. Certainly helps with my riding as my m8s notice a big difference and say I’m ‘more at one with the bike’.
The song I’m listening to dictates my riding style as well…bit of ‘Tick Tock’ by Gwen Stefani turns me into a hooligan! 
I listen to Guns’n’Roses and some cwappy driving CD (a rip off of the topgear driving anthems lol) on my phone n bluetooth helmet. Its awesome, no wires or painful earplugs 
I find it doesnt distract me but the looks I get at the lights are priceless n remind me that a helmet is not sound prrof from the outside, 'specially not when Im singing along uber loudly to sweet child o mine or paradise city lol
Unfortunately one of the speakers wires must have come loose so Iv had to send it off to be repaired n I feel so alone without my music lost in the empty cavern that is my skull
When i got home i listened to the Vandals which are an american punk band.
With you on the GnR matey…wakes me up :)which lid you using with bluetooth or is it seperate kit ? do tell or Im gonna let ya tyres down 
I recently moved to Spain and here it’s illegal to have any sort of audio device (including GPS) connected while riding…Did it for years and can’t see what the problem is ?
Lol I have a Viper rsv122 something or other flip lid. I got shouted at for buying it due to it only costing me £150.00 but hello, it works and all helmets be they £40. or £500. are tested at the same speed of 30 mile an hour. I think its 30, might be 40. It comes with an inbuilt bluetooth system with dual stereo speakers and connects to my phone so I can make a last dialed phone call. Im having a new bluetooth chip put in so that it will connect to my Garmin cause it wont connect on the old chip for some reason.now im ready to be shouted at by everyone for having a cheap lid…
After spending some money, I got a decent sound system in the crash helmet,…and then gave up.
Not in to thrash metal, head banger or club so for me the things only worked up to about 40 mph but can’t be doing with the arsing around for short local journies or the commute.
Over 40 mph, all I could hear was the wind roar from the crappy HJC helmet.
When is someone going to start testing helmets for noise as well as impact resistance?
hear hear
especially if you have a flip lid! Mine squeaks at anything over 80! squeaks!
Apparantly not, but I dunno… they stick out a little too much in my opnion, but that could be a female paranoia thing. I get the same problem if I sleep on my side, my ear burns like crazy halfway through the night. I just got stupidly sensitive ears I think.Not sure I could do the balaclava thing… I have my hair to think about. It gets messed up enough already!!
Just got a garmin zumo 550 and use it with earphones - does hurt the ears a bit (not as much as the headset I used on my DAS) and I’m sure loud music plus wind noise is really bad for my ears but its fun so I dont care at the moment. Dont find it distracting at all but then I dont ride like an idiot (yet…the intention is there!)
I tried it this morning with a little Danger Danger and Aerosmith - I could still hear everything around me, but I’m not sure if it aided my concentration or not. I think it did.
I’ll have to try again when I’ve got some lug-phones that don’t fall out halfway to work and which act more as earplugs.
Good question about the racers. I heard that Valentino Rossi used to have a radio to his pit crew, but binned it because it was so irritating…
