I don't ride anywhere without ear plugs. I use the foam ones, but kept trying different ones until I found some I liked best. BTW, my ears ring all the time - loud music, hunting and riding motorcycles without ear plugs did it to me.
It NEVER ceases to amaze me that when they DO finally see you, the usual reaction is to stop dead instead of accelerating to get out of your way. Glad you survived.
I just checked an oem parts site. This may have already been discussed here, but why is the '13-'14 shock $469 (on the site I checked) and the '08 $700? Especially assuming the newer shock is better.
I had Eddie Copeland, "dirt road", redo my seat. More to it than a Spencer, but not reshaped like a Russell, Mayer, Laam, etc. I'm very happy for the price. I've done a 1,000 mile day on it, and many 6-800 mile days.
I've got the factory trunk on my 08 that I have loaded up several times. I've also ridden gravel roads with smaller loads. Can't believe I haven't had a problem yet. I need to get mine installed.