Small noise found. Please advise

[GregoXB]

That steel gauge wire is supposed to run to the OEM exhaust and connect here:
OEM Exhaust.jpg

The gears inside are rotated and pull on that steel wire and open/close the butterfly valve that lives inside the OEM exhaust. If you have a Hawk exhaust, then if you trace that steel wire, you will see that it is not attached to anything. You can safely remove the actuator, the steel cable, and disconnect the electrical plug on the side. You can tuck the plug wiring under your seat and zip tie it to something. The only thing that will happen is that a check engine light will pop up, indicating that the actuator is not functioning. The code can be deleted using Buelltooth.

If the actuator is wired to the exhaust via the steel cable, then it is in use and you can replace/fix it.

[GregoXB]

On second thought. You can just leave everything as it is. The actuator is supposed to make a small noise at certain RPMs when it is doing its job. Even though, since you have a Hawk exhaust, yours will just be making the noise and not actually controlling a butterfly valve in the exhaust. On the + side, you won't get a CEL, like you would if you removed and disconnected everything.

[Silverrider]

At what RPM do you hear the noise ??

[Silverrider]

At what RPM do you hear the noise ?? As Greg has said it will not operate the valve, Randy cuts out the valve when he guts the exhaust.

[jl551c]

Jesse, it would help to know when you experience the noise. It's normal to hear the noise when you turn your key on, but haven't actually started your motorcycle. This noise is the motor you are holding in the picture cycling the exhaust valve, (on my bike anyway).
A while back, before I changed my exhaust to a Hawk muffler like yours, I was getting a CEL due to the cable or exhaust valve binding up when my bike tried to actuate the valve. It was actually intermittent and caused a severe loss of power when the valves tried to actuate and couldn't because it was binding up. When I installed the Hawk muffler and disconnected the exhaust cable my CEL and loss of power permanently went away. In my case I simply zip tied the disconnected cable to another part of the bike. I didn't pull the cable out completely in case I ever want to re-install an OEM exhaust. The motor and cable and motorcycle still think I have the cable hooked up to the OEM muffler, and the cable and motor actually moves as it would if I had the OEM muffler installed, but since it's disconnected it doesn't know the difference.
With that being said, you may in fact have a motor problem, (the one you hold in your hand). With the Hawk muffler you don't need the motor or the cable. Disconnecting or removing the motor will give you a CEL, you can avoid this as stated above by removing that CEL via Buelltooth, which is removing the bikes ability to pop that CEL. Or you can simply live with the CEL, which I find annoying as hell.
Hope I got that right, more so I hope your health improves and you continue to improve in spirit and body.
Ward

[jl551c]

Forgot to mention, if you don't have a CEL your noise may be normal. The motor may be working but is disconnected. Still, I'd like to hear a bit more detail on what and when the noise sounds like and when it occurs.

[HolyMoley]

The noise happens when I turn the key on but before I turn the kill switch to on. It has never made this sound before the yellow light turned on. When holding the motor, either with or without the cover attached, it feels like it is struggling to turn but can't. I don't know what CEL means.

Thank you for your well wishes. My physical is much better. I'm now trusting God on the matters of the heart.

[sinikl]

CEL=Check Engine Light (on the dash)

hope this helps

[jl551c]

Ok, so you are getting a CEL, (check engine light)? A yellow light on the dash? The sound is coming from the motor you are holding in your hand in the picture and it looks like the motor is struggling? This sounds to me like you have a bad exhaust valve actuator motor. In your case this is ok since the Hawk muffler does not require a functioning motor. So you have two choices: 1. Live with the noise and the CEL, (which to me would annoy the hell out of me on my bike). 2. Use a Buelltooth type device to delete that CEL and trouble code. Lots of very helpful folks on here can help you get started on that.
Either way you decide to go I would check for trouble codes on your bike for more information before calling your bike 100% safe for a long ride.

[jl551c]

Forgot to mention ,(again), a third option. You can replace or repair that exhaust valve actuator motor and fix the problem completely. It would be a useless working motor since you have the Hawk, but it may be the cheapest and quickest way to resolve your issue.