Yes the V&H pipes are much lower sounding, and when they get up in the cruising RPM's they quiet down abit. Very happy with them. The bike doesn't come with SE pipes they come with touring pipes. No good at all, restrictive, and the sound is horrible with the stroker engine.
The racing Module is HD about $350. Lots of benefits over the Power Module (I'm told), can tune anything you need. I've heard lots of stories, but I honestly don't know, how well they perform. The HD racing made a big difference in my CSE..
The gearing, ?? didn't get a repsonse from this board. But I've been told that gear (either way) is you have to give up something to change something. So, it's probably not the answer. The 6 speed is sippose to help, but the Baker is about $2600, and that my friend is too much considering the bike was $28,000...... [smiley=drink.gif] [smiley=drink.gif]
Anyway, good luck, you'll love the bike.