Whine while stopped

[Rocketman]

Over the last two days, my '00 I/S has started to emit a loud, high pitched whine in certain circumstances.  My ride home from work is 7 miles, and it doesn't start until I pull into my driveway.  The first time it happened, I thought it was the radio or my helmet speakers giving some electronic noise, but it started as soon as I shut off the engine (kill switch, left the radio on).  It didn't happen this morning on the ride in, but it happened again on the way home.  Started as I pulled into the driveway, continued even as I was at a complete stop in the garage.  I put it in neutral to get off and do a walkaround to try to locate it.  On a hunch, I revved the engine a little.  It went away and didn't return.
I ride to work almost every day, this has never happened before this week.  Any ideas?  I'm worried that it's my timing belt telling me that it's reaching its end of life, but don't want to park it until I can dig in there if I don't have to.

Mark

[Skinhead]

Do you have LED headlights with fans on the bulbs?

[Pete]

Vacuum leak?
Pair Valve?

[baldo]

Vocal neighbor?

[JimC]

Vacuum leak would be my guess also.
Actually after re-reading your post, it seems that it does it after the motor is shut off?
If that is the case it could not be timing belts.
Possible radiator leak?

Jim

[Firefighter]

One time I rode from Harlingen to San Antonio (4.5 hour), and when I slowed down in town I could hear a whine, seemed to go away at times. I convinced myself that my timing belts were going to break or the bearings were gone in the pulleys, worried the entire time I was there, then rode home with no noise, ordered the belts and changed them. The old belts looked brand new, one of the pulleys had a small amount of rubber on it that I cleaned off, never heard the noise again or knew what it was. 2000 IS

[The emperor has no clothes]

Vocal neighbor?

[Rocketman]

Do you have LED headlights with fans on the bulbs?

No, I don't.

Vacuum leak?
Pair Valve?

Could be.  I'll try to locate it better next time it happens.  A vacuum leak seems unlikely to make that horrendous high pitched whine, but it's possible I suppose.

Vacuum leak would be my guess also.
Actually after re-reading your post, it seems that it does it after the motor is shut off?
If that is the case it could not be timing belts.
Possible radiator leak?

Jim

It does not keep going after the engine is shut off, although this is a very small data set.  Once it stopped when I shut off the engine, and the other time it stopped when I revved the engine.

Vocal neighbor?

Yes, she's noisy, but she wasn't home at the time.

[Rocketman]

Update:  It didn't happen today.  I don't know if the cooler weather affected it (if it's radiator/fan related) or the light drizzle, or it just plain went away like Firefighter's did.  I also don't know if it will reoccur tomorrow.  I'll holler if it does.

[da prez]

  Stop for a beer (or ice cream) before going home. If it stops whining , well , you figure it our.

    ( THIS IS INTENDED TO BE A JOKE)

                                            da prerz

[Steel cowboy]

Alternator bearing ??

[..]

You've started giving my ex passenger rides?

[DeathWishBikerDude]

Change the oil recently?
Certain oil protect better and keep the engine whine down,but doesn't eliminate it.I like my whine..lol

[Rocketman]

To be clear, this is not normal engine wine.  It started abruptly.  It's significantly louder than anything I've heard from Valkyries before.

[Rocketman]

I did a walkaround once, listening closely.  I didn't have a screwdriver or anything to truly locate the sound, so I could only get general location.  It's not an alternator bearing, it's coming from the center or front of the engine.  Could be in the timing belt area, but more likely pair valve.  I'll locate it more closely if it ever happens again when I can listen.  Seems like it happens only when I roll in to work at O-dark-thirty and I'm in a rush, or while I'm at a stoplight and getting off and putting my ear up to the engine would get some funny looks, to say the least.

Mark

[WintrSol]

Keep a length of fuel tubing handy, to use as a stethoscope. If you put a screw or bolt in one end, you can use it to locate the source more accurately. A roll a few feet long should fit in a jacket pocket, so you don't even need saddle bags.

[Firefight100]

Check the radiator cap.  It sounds like pressure going out the cap.  Happens after a ride, when you are going slow and continues after you shut off.  Next time you hear it, loosen the cap to the first notch.  Be careful for hot fluids.