Synthetic oil WILL make it louder.

 

In a good or bad way?

 

if the specs are set on the close side you tend to have little noise
lots of rice burners and I owned several ahd faily tight gaps like .002 so
little noise including the Suzuki savage ... a 650 single ... so you can
tighten them up some but not unusual ... to tight and you will have other issues in that they will not get enought lube and you will prematurely increase wear in a rather hot running air cold motor ... also must be your pipes at not loud enough if you can actually hear the engine ... I certainly do not subscribe to loud mufflers as I want to hear what is going on in the heart of my favorite toy ... driving a 2005 883 with no ticking ... but only 2300 miles on it ... good luck ... pay attention and enjoy

 

I run the synthetic oil because it is superior but if you have a loud top end, it will be louder with the synthetic oil.

 

As far as engine noises, yes the Sportster is a pretty noisy engine. And most of the time it sounds like bad noises. But if you are truely worried about the noises you are hearing, take it to a dealer or independant mechanic and let them check it out. DO NOT listen to the people here who will tell you that your noise is "normal".......they CANNOT hear it!!!! So they are just guessing.
So, if you are concerned, go and let someone actually listen to it to determine if it is normal or not.

 

That's very good advice kahaone,that is what i did.

 

Air cooled engines make more noice than water cooled cycle engines. The water jacket masks the noice of the valve train. With HD air cooled engines you can hear the pushrods and valves and other mechanical noises. You should not be hearing knocking or ticking noises.

 

When I first got my Sportster I thought it was a bit louder than it should be. I quickly realized it was normal. If you are really concerned, have it looked at. If you are assured it's normal then tune your ears to the sound of the motor, and you will know whats normal and what is not.

I thought switching to synthetic would help but was told here it would make it louder, and it did. I have since switched back to dino 20W50 and have had good results. The type of oil you run is not as important as how often it's changed.

 

Just took my 2008 XL1200L in for some gaskets that were leaking. Bike has 8,000 miles on it. They were replaced and all fine.
The mechanic's noticed a noise from engine possible lifter, rod bearing or cam. ??? They will look into it Monday. Not a normal noise for engine. $$$$$
Just found out noise was from; get ready.... Lifters, cams, Crankshaft, Flywheel, connecting rods! My bill if Harley won't kick in is $ near $1,500.00+. Was told labor is over $2,000.00+ Dealer will pick up that cost. Either this bike was not put together properly in factory or original owner did something REAL wrong. I put only 1400 miles on it before all this needed repairs.

 

have the same problem. Looking at rocker lockers on you tube check it out