I've never worried too much about odd noises.  NEW noises give me the chills.

You can always make it noisy again!...saves a lot of work trying to quiet everything else...

Yes use antisieze on the header bolts, and yes those bolt back out.

Any time I play with them, I check them at least once a weak till they seem to stay tight, then once a month.

Yep, soon you'll be tightening various bolts based upon the sounds you hear.

Noises. Had my bike all looking pretty, everything just like it should be. All my PM done. Took her out for a spin, full face on, visor up. Get above 30mph, hearing a strange noise. Slow down below 30, noise goes away. Hmm. Speed back up, give it some gas. Oh no! noise again, louder! Pull over. No noise at idle. Hmmm. Speedo cable? No. Head covers? No. Belt guard? No. Nothing loose, nothing broken. Sweet engine sound at idle. Sloooowly take off. 15mph, no noise. 25 mph, no noise. 30 mph, no noise. 35mph, little bit of noise. Pass a guy mowing his yard, and kicking up all kinds of dust. Slap visor down. Noise stops. Check speed. Still 35mph. Raise visor, noise returns. Close visor, noise stops. Guy mowing yard staring at me cause I'm laughing at my silly a$$ like lunatic! Noises.

This post made me laugh.  I just recently started hearing a ticking on the right side of the bike.  Anyone who's been on here very long knows what that could mean.  I wasn't really looking forward to doing any kind of maintenance as the bike is my only vehicle right now.  So I start listening around the bike.  Funny thing is, when I lean down toward the engine, the noise gets quieter.  I lean back and there it is.  Turns out it was my plastic license plate bracket rattling in time with the engine.  I tightened it down, and Voila! No more ticking.    

DJM wrote on 09/18/08 at 07:47:16:


Dave,
It was the visor. I'd never noticed it before, but I've heard it plenty since. When I first started that particular ride, I was no where near the lawnmower man. I was circling the neighborhood, afraid to get out on the highway til I discerned what my mysterious noise was. I felt like a rube. Here I was imagining all sorts of trouble in the engine, and it turns out that at about 35mph, I've got enough breeze under the open visor for it to start rattling a bit; and amplified within the helmet, it sounded like it was coming from all around me. I, being of strong faith in my mechanical abilities, naturally ass/u/me/d it had to be the engine.
In hospitals there's a saying, "When you hear hoofbeats, think "horses' not 'zebras'." Still, I shoulda K.I.S.S.ed it.