Front Brake Noise

[chief]

Make sure the heat shields on the pipes are secure... I had a "buzz" that echoed out of the fenders that ended up being the heat shield springs.

[49Reo]

Check out the headlight pot; this seems to be a problem on these bikes from what others have posted. I too developed a rattle (very annoying) that I never had last year. It turned out to be my headlight pot. Last year I had the Cobra 2 to 1 pipes; quite a lot of vibration at certain RPM's; but no vibration/rattle in the headlight pot. This year, I have V&H Longshots, mounted like bagger duals, one down each side; almost no vibration felt throughout the bike, but that annoying headlight pot rattle. I found that if I pushed on the back of the headlight pot with my fingers, it quit rattling. Something to look at, to eliminate if nothing else.

Good luck, let us know what you find.

Regards and such,
49Reo

[TripWire]

Well I was thinking maybe it was the brake pads so I took a swing by the dealer to pick up a new pair.  Ended up talking to a mechanic and he was puzzled too by my description of the issue.  He offer to take her for a spin and when he came back all he could say was something is rattling but it's not the wheel or fork bearings and if it was his bike he wouldn't be too worried about it.  To identify the noise he recommended removing all my "accessories" (windscreen, USB power bracket & phone holder) and see if the sound goes away and if it does reinstall each one at a time.

[chief]

No chirp I am aware of, but depending upon the type of pad, they do "grind" and you will hear that, even if you don't feel it.

[TripWire]

Developed a possible issue this week with the front end of my bike.  When I apply my front brake after a few seconds I am hearing a sight vibration noise.  I am not feeling any feedback through the bars I just hear it.  To me it sounds like the front fender vibrating but I checked all the fender fasteners and every other nut and bolt on the front end I can  find and everything seems tight.  Put the bike up on the jack and the front tire and front end do not seem loose.  My front pads are getting a bit worn but there is still some life in them.  The pads are wearing even and there are not grooves or uneven wear on the front rotor.  So what else should I be checking or is it time for stop at the local dealer?  Should I just replace the pads and grease the caliper first?

Do some pads have some type of chirp built into them telling you it's almost time to change them ... I have had cars back in the day that but never heard of that feature on a bike.