Noises are noises on the evos , learn what they are and pay even more attention if they change. As mentioned check everything that is hanging off the bike, and be sure to use blue loc tite where ever possible. Nothing like hearing an evo run just before sunrise alone and cruising down the hiway.
97 wideglide is a great looking bike, bought my son one for graduating HVAC.

 

Bushings in the cam cover.
Inner cam bearing.
Cam gear.
Lifters.
Pushrods.
Rocker arm bushings.
Rocker pins.
Valve guides.
Piston slap.

What kind of noise you hearing man? Lol
I'm chasing noises too. I'm all new except cam cover bushings which I can't do, and head work. Putting in new rockers, pins, and lockers right now. Lol
I'm going to find my noise.... or I wont, but I bet it'll be better.

Mental note: get the valve train in good shape and 0.100" preload works. Lol

At this point I believe my noise got started when the rubber seal in the oil pump got hard. It's a 19 year old bike. To be expected I guess. I've about got it. Trying to clean assembly lube from my chrome. What a pain. Lol

 

"Now obviously my engine is a old design and Harley's are very agriculturl by nature coupled with this I've always had jap sports bikes and German cars riding the Harley is a somewhat different experience in terms of noises made by the engine to me*"

Thank goodness!! Lol
Imo of course.

 

You need louder exhaust

 

This.

 

Noises? Yeah, they make all kinds of noises. I think my bike's favorite game is called, "guess what this noise is, Uncle G." It plays this game frequently. In addition to the various sounds the engine makes, there's a bunch of noises not even related to, but caused by the engine. At various times, these have included rattles in the windshield, gas caps, a cracked license plate, wiring vibrating against the inside of the headlight shell, and many, many more.


There's more: A loose primary chain can sound like a lower end knock. A slight leak in the exhaust at the cylinder head can sound like a valve problem. Then there's the "normal" noises the motor makes. The rattle of the pushrods and rocker arms, the rattling whine of the timing gears, the heavier rattle/whine of the primary chain, the howl of the intake when you crack the throttle, and more. Every Evo engine (I've had three of them in the bike in my avatar over the years) has its own set of sounds. In time you'll figure out which ones are the "happy" sounds and which are the "sad" sounds.

 

I told my son, You'd be surprised what $1,000 in parts will do for a valve train. Lol
I got most of bad noises out of the old girl, least for now. Lol

 

Exceptionally well said!

 

Well if the poor bugger isn't cured of it by now that pic should finish the job!

 

If you want to fuller experience Harley noise, you should take a spin on an ironhead with drag pipes. Acceleration is best described as sounding like a washing machine full of marbles on spin cycle.


carl