Hey fellas, I was riding home from work yesterday running about 70-75 with a 25 mph head wind. There were sounds coming from that bike that I have never heard. I realize that the R* is a noisy bike but how do you get used to it. Some of it was wind noise i'm sure and at 70 the rpm's really aren't that high and that engine was working, lol. I just find myself always wondering when something is going to let loose. Don't get me wrong, my roadie runs like a top and is smooth, I've never rode a bike thus noisy. It's an 01, 24000 turns on it. Would it be worth having the valves adjusted/ engine looked at or just ignore it.

My motto is if it ain't broke....

Running like a top and smooth? Why would you want to mess with it?

-M7

If the Roadie engine is not making noises, that's when it's time to worry!

Just ccurious,what brand & grade oil are you runing?

Are you sure it's valvetrain noise and maybe not detonation when bike is under considerably more load with windsreeen and heavy head winds at 70mph?

The valvetrain doesnt care if the motor is under load with heavy head winds or under lighter load with no headwind,if vlqve are out of adj they will make ame approx noise lvl at same speed reguardless of load motor us under.

But if you running motor oil that tends to thin out when motor is under a heavier load at higher speeds of 70mph having to use more throttle with heavy headwinds making the motor run hotter that can cause the hyd lifters can get a little noisier if the oil thins out dropping out of its original viscocity index for ex from 20-50 to thinner 10-40 which can happen.

The thinner oil causes a drop in oil pressure,but drop in oil pressure with hot motor can also be a result of a somewhat worn motor that hasnt had regular oil & filter change maint where lower end beraings/oil pump clearacnes etc have opened up a tad due to more wear then usual from poor oil maint causing hot oil pressure to drop too.

But a valve adj done properly would never hurt anything either.

BTW,i see a lot of guys writing in here in RSC that their R*'s motor make plenty of noise esp in the top end-valve train area,my 06 1700 with 6,200 miles on it runs very quiet even when hot ,i run Mobil 1 full syn V-twin 20w-50 oil.

Also,if runing 87 oct fuel if the carb is setup slightly lean with having to run the motor harder heating it up more under heavier throttle & load when riding in heavy headwinds esp with a windscreen it could also be detonating which to some people also sounds lke detonation too.

Just for ha ha's try some 89 or 91 oct fuel to see if that will stop the nose if your not very sure it's in fact valvetrain noise your hearing,won't hurt anything to try it.

Scott

You bring up some interesting points. I'm currently running mobil 1 20w 50 for v-twins also. Im not really concerned about the valve train noise to be honest. After I put the mobil 1 in it got considerably quieter, especially when cold. It does get noisy at idle when it gets hot, but at speed it levels off. I guess I never considered detonation with the low compression. I was getting a marble in a can sound. I was told that detonation in a v8 sounded like marbles in a can, so with two cylinders=less marbles. I'll give some 89 a shot and see if it gets any better. Also,I live in north Texas, it was about 81 when I rode home yesterday. All things considered, detonation seems like a pretty good diagnosis. I think alot of the other noises could probably be chalked up to wind noise/turbulance mixed with the longshots. Thanks!

That is not engine noise. It is the call of the open road! Or, I have heard referred to as mating call.