O.K newbie here,read several post concerning strange noises from the bike.Mines a 2002 with 4000 miles now on it(3500 2 weeks ago),and I'm hearing a humming noise at around 45 mph like a wheel bearing or cupped tire(in the rear).Pull in the clutch in and it still makes that noise.common chain noise?Just got off a yzf600r and it didn't sound like that.no cupped tires and chain is not to tight or to loose.Maybe in the trans(normal?)what type weight of full synthetic oil are you guys running?Thanks a bunch.laters

1st off... Welcome to the Forum! :)
and with that noise.... don't give it too much thought. keep your ear on it and see if it changes with crosswinds, grooved concrete roads and other harmonic inducing elements. wait a bit and see if the noise increases or lessens...
and for oil... all different choices of course and mine is as simple as Walmart only carries 15W-50 fully synth mobil oil and that's what I use. and like it too.
it's like $20 for a 5 qt. jug...

:)

do you have HH pads? They hum when you get up to speed. Is it a constant sound, or is it intermittent?

hhpads? brand of rear pads?(brakes)?sorry.Noise is constant at 45 mph and lessons abit as I speed up.If it was a car I would say ,cupped tire or bearing noise but ?Its just a humming noise in the rear thats driving nuts.Put 500 miles on it and the noise hasn't changed or gotten louder though.Thanks for the input and welcome guys.

HH pads are made by EBC. i heard a noise when i put them on at first.

i had the same noise i think you're talking about. kind of a ssshhh sssshhhhing noise, but it was coming from the front. the only other noise i can think of came from the chain.

good luck

Synthetic Honda 10/40.It is very good oil.

I had that ssshhh sssshhhhing noise comming from the rear, and it was the chain. It threw me because when i checked it it wasn't to tight and it wasn't to loose. What it was doing was getting hella tight in one place and normal everywhere else. I finally found it when I had it up on the rear stand cleaning my chain and I noticed it getting tighter at one point.

I noticed it getting tighter at one point.

binding links. not too good but even brand new chains have them at times. you could clean the heck out of it with a toot load of kerosene and then lube it as well as you can.

I had some binding links on a chain that finally broke and since they were binding at points the chain didn't just snake off the sprockets onto the ground... it wrapped around the counter sprocket and caused mucho damage.

sounds like the binding links could be the musical instrument as you mention AzRael . good looking out. ;) :)