I can appreciate the 2:1 gains but I just can't deal with the unbalanced look on the back of a bagger. And a ghost pipe seems too obvious.

 

I have a 2-1 big radius whereas a friend of mine has the 2-2 big radius. IMO, the 2-1 has a lower rumble at idle but tends to get higher pitch at higher RPMs. The 2-2 is generally louder at all RPMs but has an even tone throughout. Either way, I think they both look good; I just see fewer 2-1 big radius pipes on the road compared to the 2-2 version.

 

...what Ratbike and BigJ said...spot on. Remember that overall HP/torque profiles are dependent on a lot of variables, with exhaust configuration/flow being only one variable. When it comes to exhaust, most people keep it simple and focus on either low-end torque (keep some back pressure) or high-end HP (jettison all baffles). But neither approach will do much without at least some intake/carb/fueling mod's to match.

I rarely ride my street bikes WFO for long periods of time (as opposed to my race bikes), so I keep some back pressure and enjoy the low-end torque at 'normal' street riding RPMs. Bub duals with crossover for me...