Your logic is similar to mine. I really don’t mind the stock system but I’d like a slightly deeper sound. I am not the biggest fan of the looks but I can live with it. I am leaning toward the 8” Delkevic Carbon Fiber ones. I’ve had great luck with their pipes on other bikes. They weren’t too loud.
I definitely don’t want very loud as I spend a lot of time on the highway and would like to keep my hearing. I wear ear plugs of course but loud sounds for extended periods causes a lot of fatigue as well. You don’t just have to hear it but you can feel it.
Lastly I don’t want to attract undue attention from LEO. Last thing I need as I am usually flying low.
So I go with a header would be the max gain and get rid of the cat BUT it is likely to be much louder as well. I thought about the brawlers but was put off by the potential noise levels. Most slip-ons will only gain 2-3 hp from what I’ve seen. Not a lot and I wouldn’t do it just for the hp gains but more the weight savings and the improvement in looks.
So when I do all the analysis, I am going with Ivan’s tune and with the Delkevic 8” CF slip-ons. They are great bang for the buck. My last Delkevic CF on a 1250 Bandit gave a significant gain in HP and huge weight savings. They weren’t much louder than stock with the DB killers in and with them out not really what I would call loud.
Since I don't have Ivan's tune yet, it seems like that would be a better use of my $$$ than to buy a header. With the Delkevics around the low $400 range it isn't a huge investment.
I definitely don’t want very loud as I spend a lot of time on the highway and would like to keep my hearing. I wear ear plugs of course but loud sounds for extended periods causes a lot of fatigue as well. You don’t just have to hear it but you can feel it.
Lastly I don’t want to attract undue attention from LEO. Last thing I need as I am usually flying low.
So I go with a header would be the max gain and get rid of the cat BUT it is likely to be much louder as well. I thought about the brawlers but was put off by the potential noise levels. Most slip-ons will only gain 2-3 hp from what I’ve seen. Not a lot and I wouldn’t do it just for the hp gains but more the weight savings and the improvement in looks.
So when I do all the analysis, I am going with Ivan’s tune and with the Delkevic 8” CF slip-ons. They are great bang for the buck. My last Delkevic CF on a 1250 Bandit gave a significant gain in HP and huge weight savings. They weren’t much louder than stock with the DB killers in and with them out not really what I would call loud.
Since I don't have Ivan's tune yet, it seems like that would be a better use of my $$$ than to buy a header. With the Delkevics around the low $400 range it isn't a huge investment.