No update at this stage, silkworms time on it over the weekend

 

Update:

I jacked the bike up tonight and turned the wheel - no noise apart from a light rubbing of the pads on the rotor at 1 sector of the rotation, but I know that is not the noise.

I then tried turning the wheel by putting it in gear and spinning the wheel to see if the noise was originating further up the drive train, still no noise.

I did get my hands on some belt dressing as that had been recommended as an option. After googling and further research I became reluctant to use the belt dressing in this case as apparently it leaves a sticky film on the belt that then collects dust. During this research process I came across a number of posts suggesting washing the belt down with warm soapy water, so I figured I would give that a go first as it certainly wouldn't do any harm.

Went for a brief test ride tonight, quiet as anything so hopefully....

I need to ride a bit more to come to a final conclusion

Thanks for all the input so far

 

When you jack the bike up, the swing-arm and drive belt are not in the same position as when it's not jacket up. If the fuel tank vent that I had suggested may be the problem was rubbing the drive belt, it may have not been touching the drive belt with it jacked up. Have you found the fuel tank vent tube and looked to see if it is routed behind the swing-arm pivot?

Try pushing the bike backwards without the engine running. If you hear a clicking or anything that sound strange other than the brake pads draging, it may be the fuel tank vent tube. I discovered mine when only puhing the bike backwards and could not hear it going forward because the engine noise covered the sound.

 

I will give that a go. One thing I am concious of is the fact that bike loading will also have an effect on this hence the reason I am reluctant at this stage to declare it is sorted

 

i know dunlop has had some issues on the 09-10 touring tires. a friend of mine said he had a rubbing sound coming from the front end of his bike so he took it back to the dealer and they showed a recall on the tire and replaced it for free

 

I have a 09 softail Heritage Classic and it makes a similar noise. I only started to hear it when I took the bags off. When riding slow it goes away when I apply the brake and accelerate, slowly. So to me sounds like the brake disc. I was suprised with how loud this was when riding.

 

If you hear the noise after the bike gets warmed up chances are the drive belt is too tight. Next time you go for a ride check the deflection of the drive belt and then when you start hearing the noise get off an recheck the drive belt deflection, if it is tight as a banjo string it is too tight. If it is too tight have the dealer loosen the belt, he's going to want to put you off and have you wait till the 5000 mile service, don't wait have him do it now. I don't know if it will cause any damage by being too tight when hot, but the noise is irritating as hell.

 

Same issue on my '10 SG w/ABS;3000 miles. I have only heard it after a ride of 45 min or more (just a guess) while rolling into the garage and everything warmed is up. Definitely coming from the rear of the bike. I lifted it, pulled the bags and did a pretty thorough inspection. Nothing loose or showing signs of rubbing or chaffing. No noise when rotating the rear or front tires. A knowledgable associate of mine said that there was a brake pad/caliper change made recently by Harley and they don't "float" like they use to. Could be the source of the noise since quite few folks are reporting it. Hopefully more annoying than anything else.

 

Hey!
Just joined solely to know what happened with the noise. I have a 2010 RG and it does the same thing. To me, the drain-tube noise sounds about right.

Let me know, when you have a minute.

Thanks!
Pat

 

Any one figure this out? I have a 2011 Street Glide with 2,200 miles that just started to make the same noise. I am going to call the dealer tomorrow.