I have the same questions. I have a deposit on the race exhaust and I waiver on whether to go through with it basically every day. It'll be a couple months (earliest) until it ships, so my torture will continue for the foreseeable. Here's my list of pros/cons:
Pros:
Pros:
- + 7.7 HP = 117.7 HP (!)
- + 6.4 Nm = 97.9 Nm
- - 5.5lbs
- Cooler at slow speeds (!)
- Dealer install and remap = warranty
- No cat to ignite dry grass when off-road
- Sound. It is one of the most stunning/startling/impressive exhausts on an ADV.
- Potential inspection issues and citations because of the cat delete
- HP/Nm/weight improvements are solid, but not incredible for $3k+
- 106-109dB is loud: you'll get negative attention from private property owners on certain trails
- Potential citations for dB's: even with the baffle in, this thing exceeds any noise thresholds in states that have them
- If riding daily, the dB's can become a bother. Sometimes you don't need/want the entire neighborhood (let alone the whole town) to be aware of you. The sound also makes you and the bike easier to identify (interpret that as you will).
- It's expensive, and I think can be considered outrageously expensive. A $3k "race upgrade" should include more than just the exhaust system, particularly when compared to other high performance options.
