So, I'm seeking some advice. But first a little background....
Took a nice ride to the coast over the weekend on my '06 Deluxe with my lady friend on the back. 150 miles each way, rolling hills.

Motor is pretty much a stock 88 with they typical stage 1 stuff. I got the bike with 42,000 miles on the clock, and after checking things out right after I got it, it is obvious the thing has been every well maintained over the course of it's life.

Soon after taking ownership, I did a full service and checked the cam chain tensioners, and they were in near new condition. I've put about 3000 miles on it from January of this year when I bought till now. It's not my only bike, and typically gets ridden on weekends for 100-200 mile round trips, and typically solo.

Anyway, the bike ran really nice the whole trip, got reasonable fuel mileage considering riding two up, at about 42mpg. Didn't run hot, everything seems normal….except the noise. It just seems too noisy. It always has, but noisier at times during this trip. Having the windscreen on seems to act as a sounding board, and a lot of engine noise seems to get funneled up to me. I really only noticed it at low speeds though town. The point is that I noticed it was noisy this time. Maybe I'm imaging it.

Y'know I've been around cars and bikes my whole life, and for the past 16 years, I've been drag racing an air cooled VW. Now that SOB is noisy! But it's a loose race motor too.

The noise this HD motor makes is very hard to describe. Kinda like tappet noise with a "churning" quality. Much noisier than my Sportster was, and very different from my 2014 Triumph Bonneville, which has a sound like a sewing machine. Maybe that's a good description for this.... a very loud sewing machine.

Typically, when a race motor starts making more noise, there are either signs of something in the oil, or external signs, and then it usually isn't performing well by that time too.

I've read about stuff such as loose compensator nuts, and of course the cam chain tensioners.

Are there any visual clues to look for or tests that can be done?

 

Did your Sportster have a windshield? Those reflect every engine noise right at your head.
TC88B motors have balance shafts turned by a long chain. That's likely the churning you hear.
If you have a compensator problem, that is usually heard on start-up, or at low idle, and is a loud knock, much like a bad rod bearing.
Oil thins out more on long trips. This will make the top-end a bit noiser.
Bad cam chain tensioners will make a whining noise, a bit like a supercharger or a gear-drive timing set on a V8.

 

Thanks Rayvan.
Would there be any tell-tale signs if I were to pull the primary cover to have a look?

 

Just an idea... try pulling back on the top of your windshield while riding and see if things don't quiet down a bit. Had a similar issue a few weeks ago and was thinking top-end noise. Turned out being the fork tins on my Fat Boy. I loosened side bolts and adjusted and re-tightened and no more noise. Just something to check.

 

I had a similar noise coming out of my 2001 TC88, changed out the lifters when I did a cam change. The noise went away. My guess is a bad lifter.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have a nice road trip coming up, and nobody needs trouble on a road trip.

Lifter noise is something I can live with till the off season. I just don't want something chewing itself up if it can be diagnosed and dealt with before it becomes fatal.

 

I also have a 2014 T-100 that is quite as a church mouse compared to my 2013 Road King.The overhead cam Triumph is like a sewing machine compared to the push rod Harley.Most of all the Harleys noise is from the valve train area and I haven't had any engine failures on the past Harleys that I have owned.

 

Just throwing this out there, maybe bad exhaust gaskets or loose nuts?

 

Every now and again I'll hear something different, seems to go away. I think at times I just hear different things. I figure if it's running strong and the noise isn't something really obvious, then it's just being a Harley. The shield will really make a difference in what you hear.

 

Yeah, I hear ya. And yes, there is a substantial difference without the windscreen on.

I've checked the exhaust flange bolts as No Torque suggested and snugged 'em up some. I think for piece of mind, I'll do a fluids change, check the primary chain, and generally just go over the usual culprits before my road trip....and make sure I wear my ear plugs!

Thanks a bunch for suggestions guys!