While I believe and understand why it's better to keep the baffles, A friend of mine has short shots, and took his baffles out. It sounds much better, IMO. He didn't seem to lose any low end power, either. (and yes, I did ride it before and after)
NOW, MY BIKE, I took the baffles out, rode it, and put them right back in! sounded like crap, and lost TONS of low end.
If I were you, I'd get the baffles (don't they come from the factory with them?) and try it both ways, and see what you like best.

 

+1 on this, i have the standard baffles and they are pushing too loud as is. I've been thinking of going with the QBs just to increase the back pressure and to be kinder to my neighbors...

 

If ya go fast enuf, you'll outrun the earsplitting sound. ;>)

 

Now go get the baffles from the dealer before the mechanic use them on his bike.

 

Sorry, I grew up on Drag pipes no baffles. While it's true that straight pipes on a HD will cause a loss of torque, there are ways to work around this. One way is to drill a 1/4 hole near the exit in and inconspicious spot and insert a 1/4 inch bolt and a lockwasher and nut to secure it. In place, the length of the bolt should span the inside diameter of the pipe. Do this on both pipes. Believe it or not, this will provide enough back pressure to disrupt the reversion wave. You can install anti - reversion cones in the head end of the exhaust pipes. There was a noticible improvement when I did this. I had always heard of the bolt trick but opted for the cones as a more elegant solution. Later I got a set of BUB Chambermaids. They came with two sets of torque chambers and baffles. The baffles went in the trash and I tried the two sets of torque chambers. One set seemed to wind the bike out quicker, the other set seemed to put the power into the mid and lower range so I went with these. Very noticible difference between the fel of the two sets. The BUB pipes are by far in my opinion awsome sounding pipes.

So, I think you can have torque and sound w/out baffles. Louder the better.

 

Over the past few years, I have observed many many short-straight-piped Harleys. Quite often as the rider sits at a traffic light, or moves up in line at a stop sign, the moron riding such beast justs keeps revving the engine over and over again ..... look at me, look at me and the wild beast only I can tame...
Then when the opportunity arrises they go roaring away in an awesome display of thunderous noise, but moped-like unimpressive sort of acceleration.

 

Your dealer is an idiot. I had V&H shorts shots on my nightster. I was plenty loud with the baffles. I have the V&H slip ons on my bob. I ended up getting the qiuet baffles which gave it a deeper throatier sound.

 

amen......what an idiot

 

I removed my baffles out of my V&H Big Radius 2-2 just to see what it was like and I think the idle had a deeper sound but on accel there was really no difference. On decel, however, the obnoxious BAAAARRRRRGH sound was just waaaaay too much....so they went right back in.