With regards to pipes. I was not pleased with the sound of the factory pipes on my 05 VTX 1300C I took some time researched and decided to spend some considerable money to upgrade. I waited till I had my 600 mile factory checkup. They do a fluid change and valve adjustment you need to have that done to keep your warranty current. After that you are pretty much free to do what you want although I would recommend having work done at the dealer especially if you have an extended warranty. I waited till I had about 1000 miles on the bike before I upgraded the pipes. I went with the Bub Jughuggers and am very pleased with the sound and performance. If a loud, deep, throaty sound is for you that´s the way to go. Obviously you will need to jet your carb, I also installed a hypercharger which really increased my performance level. That will put a smile on your face. If you want you can go much cheaper but remember you get what you pay for. Hope this helps and best of luck.