I was losing my mind.

[lucky_1_chris]

Ticking noise I've never heard before on the way to work. Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick.... I could hear it while riding with a full face and shield closed. Ticking sped up with RPM's, and got louder the faster I went. What the hell is that?? Got to work, stuck my ear to the engine, but the noise was gone. Whatever. No time to fool with it.

Ride home... Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick all the way home. Faster with RPM's, louder with speed. Get home, get off the bike, and lean down while revving a little bit. Can't hear it any more. Lay down on the ground and listen under the head pipes for a leak. Hear nothing. Almost burn my nose on the intake tubes while trying to hear something from the vacuum hoses/plugs. Nothing. As soon as I stand up tick tick tick tick tick... It sounds like it's coming from the front of the engine. Back down on a knee with my head at the front of the engine while revving a little bit. I hear nothing.

My neighbor sees this and comes outside asking what's wrong. I explain what I'm hearing and he can hear it too. He starts flicking the throttle while I crawl around on the ground listening for it. He can hear it, I can't. Very frustrated at this point. I stand back up to rev it a little some more, and he steps toward the back of the bike. He said he hears it coming from the back, too. I'm going crazy at this point. I give it a few revs and my neighbor says he hears it coming from my trunk... He put his ear to the rear speaker, and there it was. It was the freaking speakers. 

I really wish I could describe just how frustrating it was for the noise to disappear as soon as I tried to get down and listen for it. Like someone was toying with me. I was almost ready to kick the bike over... ************* speakers....

Just needed to vent. Guess I need a new filter on the alternator. 

[HayHauler]

Don't worry Chris....   it happened to me last year.

I have one of those cool stainless flame cup holders that mounts to the left head/valve cover.  I was hearing a LOT of engine noise while going down the street OR revving it in the drive way.  I got so paranoid that I got my stethoscope (Long Screwdriver) and held it to my ear and kept touching it to the engine area around the alternator.  I was afraid that the alternator bearings were gone.   

While listening around on the engine with the screwdriver, I steadied myself with my left hand and covered the cup holder (there was no cup in it) and the noise WENT AWAY!!!  It was that dam cup holder acting like a megaphone, amplifying the engine noise in an upward direction!

Huge sigh of relief.

So, don't worry about it.

Hay 
Jimmyt