My 08 used to do that on the brakes. If it still does, I don't even notice it anymore. Roll back out of the garage and hit the front brake and the pads would shift back. First stop going forward and the pads would shift forward and make the clunk one time. Or at least until I backed up and hit the brake again. If that's what it's doing, don't worry about it. My 08 has 140,000 miles now and other than pads and fluid changes, I've never done anything to the brakes. Original semi floating rotors.

As far as the M8 lifter noise I can't help you with that but I suspect a good set of a slip on's will quite down the lifters considerably.

 

Another vote for steering head bearing.

 

My 10 makes the same clunk with applying the brakes rolling backs and the first time rolling forwards. It's the brake pads shifting inside the caliper.

After 1st stop, no clunk.

Over 37k miles on my 10 and I've adjusted the steering head bearings twice so I know it's not the steering head bearings. Not the same noise.

 

ride it!!!

 

if you have a lift, check fall away by turning bars side to side, and see what happens, GOOGLE it, there's a procedure to assess it.

if you don't have a lift, take your hands off the bars about 35mph and see if it goes into a tank slapper, where the bars want to flop back & forth. I will let you figure out for yourself how far to take your hands off the bars
almost all of my bikes have been loose enough for the bars to oscillate some.


my bike used to die when the IETMS kicked on, the idiot HD mechanic said "you just need to learn what EITMS sounds like" i said "it's REAL QUIET on my bike"

good luck, either way.....

 

They ALL do that.

 

Do this with engine off no noise around. Sit on bike and push backwards fast then hit the front brakes to set them. Now push forward and hit front brakes hard and listen to the sound. It it either brakes components that all my bikes have made. Or it may be worn fork sliders and if you suspect that you can look down at your front forks and watch for any slight rearward movement. I had that happen on a bike before.

 

Yeah, it's definitely brakes. It can't be worn anything being it only has a couple thousand miles on it.

 

Well I would say it’s normal and you just started noticing it.

And when you bring it to it to a mechanic and say you hear a sound he is usually listening for a sound that is not supposed to be there and they over look the normal sounds but you’re just becoming aware of.