Engine clicking/ticking metallic noise! WTF?

[Guth_imp]

Mine made funny noises after it sat a month, a definite clicking during warm up. It went away after couple of rides.

But in other cases, like when I installed an air funnel or K&N filter or new exhaust or PCV I thought I heard funny noises, Those were probably caused by a bit of fear and uncertainty that creap into my subconsious, making me super sensitive to perceived wierd sounds.

I agree the air cooled engine is by nature an animal of many different noises. One suggested cure is to install a louder set of headers and exhaust.

I can still hear a variety of noises coming from my engine with a Staintune slip-on installed. The exhaust isn't really all that loud. I've always figured that it was just the nature of the beast, being an air cooled engine.

Another thing I've noticed is how my engine (this goes for my water-cooled Hawk GT as well) sounds while it is sitting there idling with my helmet off versus having my helmet on. When I have my helmet on, most noises are filtered out, but others are not so they tend to stand out more. I have no idea how things sound going down the road with the helmet off because I always have it on.