Seeing as my Ducati Streetfighter is torn apart and on its way to stock again, I've been riding the boss-man's Triumph Daytona 675 SE...
...and loving it. Clip-on equipped bikes can cut through traffic like no other! All good things aside though, I tend to ride with earplugs 90% of the time; I just can't take the wind noise without them. However, every few weeks I’ll brave one direction of my commute without plugs.
Why you ask, well, I forgo the sound killers so I can hear the motorcycle. With plugs in your ears it's far too easy to miss increasing valve train noise and other small nuances.
So I left out the plugs on the commute home last night and noticed a funny squeaking sound. After a few miles I realized it was attached to throttle position and RPM...a few more miles and I figured it out. It was the exhaust valve squeaking as it opened and closed. Needless to say, a shot of WD40 and it was all quiet on the Western Front!
So there you go folks, if you wear ear plugs most of time it's a good idea to ditch them every few weeks just to make sure everything is in working order. You'd be amazed at how much you can diagnose by just using your ears.