1. This sound is just more angry and fierce. It snarls more with a deeper and louder note. It makes the bike feel undeniably alive and pushes you to twist your wrist more than you probably should I'm probably more addicted to the sound of the engine braking more than anything. Blipping down to a stop from 4th sounds incredible like a dragon exhaling and relaxing after breathing fire. I love the new exhaust.. though I repeat.. it's loud! Apparently, there's a db killer for it, but I won't pick that up until the neighbors start complaining! With it being so fierce now, I tend to feel silly riding it back and forth to work. It's what I'd imagine commuting in an Indy car would feel like!... but.. that self-consciousness fades away, and I lean into the next turn. The exhaust makes your dream bike a better bike. Period.
2. Bottom end response: Someone around here sells throttle spacers for $30 on Ebay I believe. That took all the play out of the throttle and immediately improved my take offs. Highly recommended and a 10 minute install. I've got RapidBike hooked up, and I'm slowly playing with it to make the bike more rideable at low speeds. I got the jumpy/jerkyness out of it.. now I'm dealing with a little sputtering around 35mph. It HATES going slow.. as just about everyone has mentioned a few times! For me, the throttle spacers + exhaust = whatever power I want is there exactly when I want it. It still bogs down in 4th gear at 35mph, but will wheelie in a heartbeat at 35mph in 1st. Power control is all how I choose to ride the bike that day. No matter what I'm in the mood for, the bike has me covered.. I've noticed I feel a lot more confident in traffic now. I have the instant response to breakaway from traffic or gas it around a slow car. No delays anywhere that made me feel vulnerable in the past.
I have noticed the bike backfires a LOT more at the exact moment I shift. The guys at AMS Ducati didn't do a tune with the new ceramic coating + slip-on. I'll go back and ask what may be the cause of it. It doesn't bother me, but I'm not sure if that's normal.