The last few days I've noticed this noise in the rear suspension, it's tough for me to put pressure on the rear end and be under the bike to see what's going on. It's only when weight is put on the bike or as I'm driving and hitting bumps.

Check out the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BO0UnvASEw

Sounds like your rear shock to me, see if it makes any noise off the bike, if you want to wait a few months until I destroy mine ill let you know if thats what it sounds like lol New HH pads

Yeah I'll start there. Bike bandit wants $305 for the shock 
Its not riding any differently, maybe good ol' wd-40 will do the trick.

WD-40 is good for cleaning, but makes lousy lube (to thin & evaporates). Use chain lube or engine oil if you do it the lazy way... Or do it right and clean/re-grease all the rear suspension connections.

On another note. I replaced my stock rear with a R6 one a couple months ago. You can find them on ebay for <$100. The swap it relatively easy.

If not, PM me and I'll give you my used old stock rear shock (from my 2008).

R6 shock will fix that and give you more adjustability.

Good job on keeping your chain clean!

I just got up in there with wd-40 and sprayed the spring / shock and where it mounts to simply see if the noise would go away or even lessen (I know wd-40 wouldn't be the permanent fix.)

It didn't change at all. I very well could have just not got wd-40 on the exact spot but I'm curious - if it's NOT the shock, what else might it be?

Thanks for noticing dinky 

Also, how would I go about testing the shock once I have it detached from the bike? Any handy ways to compress that bad boy?

Sound be able to compress it with your body weight

Ok I'll give it a shot!

Quote from: Reckoning on July 16, 2014, 09:53:24 PM
Also, how would I go about testing the shock once I have it detached from the bike? Any handy ways to compress that bad boy?

Once the shock is removed you can bounce the bike to see if the noise is gone or if you have an extra hand around before put one on the shock while still on the bike and see if you can feel the noise thru the shock spring.

Quote from: Reckoning on July 16, 2014, 01:47:31 PM
Yeah I'll start there. Bike bandit wants $305 for the shock 
Its not riding any differently, maybe good ol' wd-40 will do the trick.

I got a like new rear shock from ebay last year to replace worn out one on my 100k mile 02 GS for $40 dollars.  Also like new front rotor and front and rear calipers all excellent condition, I look for best item from top sellers and not for cheapest.  My old almost used up GS isn't worth buying any of these items new from Suzuki dealers.

Quote from: gsJack on July 17, 2014, 08:59:31 AM

Quote from: Reckoning on July 16, 2014, 09:53:24 PM
Also, how would I go about testing the shock once I have it detached from the bike? Any handy ways to compress that bad boy?

Once the shock is removed you can bounce the bike to see if the noise is gone or if you have an extra hand around before put one on the shock while still on the bike and see if you can feel the noise thru the shock spring.

Good idea.

Quote from: gsJack on July 17, 2014, 09:07:44 AM

Quote from: Reckoning on July 16, 2014, 01:47:31 PM
Yeah I'll start there. Bike bandit wants $305 for the shock 
Its not riding any differently, maybe good ol' wd-40 will do the trick.

I got a like new rear shock from ebay last year to replace worn out one on my 100k mile 02 GS for $40 dollars.  Also like new front rotor and front and rear calipers all excellent condition, I look for best item from top sellers and not for cheapest.  My old almost used up GS isn't worth buying any of these items new from Suzuki dealers.

Yea I won't pay those prices. I'll start looking more on Ebay

So I was able to pick up an R6 shock with the bolts / nuts on Ebay and just picked up the collar / sleeve from an OEM website and got myself a nice little upgrade   

However... the suspension noise is still there! It happens much much less often (since the suspension is stiffer now, there is less movement down there) so what else do you guys think it could be!?

My first thought was that something was rubbing the swing arm. Did you check the center stand and exhaust for slop?

I haven't, it's a tough thing since the noise is only there while significant weight is pushed down on the bike or a significant bump is hit in the road sending the swing arm up.

I need to have someone else bouncing up and down on the bike while I get a close look just haven't really had the time. Are there any bushings that could be worn?

Can you reproduce the sound with the center stand down? If so try throwing something heavy but stable on the seat, like a bag of cement, kitty litter etc. It may give you enough advantage to be off the bike and still be able to move things around and observe. Of course with the newer shock you may need 2 bags of whatever.

Good idea, thank you! 

I noticed the chain looks really tight... should be about an inch of play from the center, moving the chain up and down at rest - From the video it just looked tight, and tighter when you bounced on it.  It needs some play due to the motion of the swingarm - length changes when swingarm arm angle changes. 

It seems like something is hitting somewhere, like a clank, not a creak from a worn or dry bearing of that sort.

There should be a rubber mount that the chain slides along on the swingarm, check that is still there.

Also, check there is a stop on your exhaust for the centerstand.  I think there is a rubber piece there on the metal bracket too... If that rubber piece is missing or that stop bracket, your centerstand may go up too high, and hit the chain... We see this often when folks switch to an aftermarket exhaust that doesn't have the bracket, or when something goes missing from a lowside onto the exhaust - so that's worth a check if either the bike has either of those situations.

- Bboy

So I found the noise... can't believe how much noise it made for something that seems relatively minor. It was the screw holding the guard that hides your chain (behind where I have the red circle) it was just a bit loose 

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Wow!  Glad you finally found it... such an ugly noise omg it would have driven me crazy!!