I started my boilermaker/welder apprenticeship in January 1976 and based on the noise always wore ear protection , ear muffs or ear plugs (the original yellow cylindrical) along with double eye protection.
I used ear plugs riding from around 1985 (after leaving them in after clay shooting one Wednesday night with no real thought to it but used them from then on)
I did a medical this past Monday and they said 18% loss one ear, 25 % the other but have to admit I don't seem to have a hearing problem overall and miss clicked (to late so didn't bother clicking) quite quite a few of the tones.
Hearing loss was inevitable. (If it is around 18% each ear that is not to bad given the job choice)
Its never to late to wear ear protection (most of the time)
To bad if it offends anyone but riding without is pretty lame and you will pay the piper eventually for what was avoidable.
Don't like generic soft ear plugs, go get custom molded ones.