I have a 2011 RKC with power duals and monster ovals. I found it a little loud for me so I put the stock mufflers back on with the power duals and am quite satisfied, not too loud but still sounds good when you get on it. Maybe I am getting old, my previous bikes had straight shotgun drag pipes and I though it was great then.

 

By way of closure on this I went with the HD hi pro air cleaner, SE Street Cannons and the SERT set up on a dyno. It came out with 80 hp and about 95 ft. lbs of torque and lost the throttle glitches that it had stock. Its definitely a bit louder but very nice IMO and I'm quite pleased overall.
I left the cat in place, it does seem cooler than it was stock and very tolerable. It does get warm if you are sitting still on a warm day but I don't think its worth the effort to go to the trouble to pull the cats.

 

You can remove the cat from your stock headpipes. It is a pretty straight forward operation. If you do a search, there is at least one thread on here that will show you how to do it.


There are some that claim cat removal will cause cross-talk between the O2 sensors. Don't know if that is a problem or not.


It will increase exhaust sound level and reduce heat. I don't think it would affect engine performance enough that it would require a tuner, but you could always add one if you desire.

 

I changed my stock headpipe for a FullSac to eliminate the cat. That change alone made my V&H Ovals too loud for my taste. The increase in sound was substantial. So I changed the mufflers back to the stockers. No noticeable change in performance, but a very tolerable sound. My wife and I tour a lot, and hours on an Interstate at 70+ MPH requires a quieter bike. Should also note that my RK has the SE Heavy Breather intake and SE Race Tuner. Runs very strong.