So here I sit with my 99% stock bike lusting after an Area-P exhaust system. I like the idea of a nicer exhaust note and a few extra hp would certainly be groovy.
On the flip side, the policy wonk and ecologist in me is opposed to removing the factory components as doing so would eliminate the catalytic converters that reduce criteria pollutant emissions. It gets even worse when I consider that properly tuning the bike with an aftermarket system will require rejetting, upping the fuel consumption and further increasing the level of pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions.
While the magnitude of my marginal contribution to overall emissions is small (whether looking at just MY total footprint or that of the community, state or nation) if everyone did the same thing the negative externalities start to pile up, undermining the public policy goals of mandating catalytic converters or emission standards in the first place.
This isn't a commentary on all of you who have done performance mods. Rather, as someone who will shortly aiming to make a living in energy and environmental policy, I am incredibly conflicted, not only regarding my own choices, but also how to properly design environmental policies when I know you yahoos are going to be tearing off all the emission control devices my policies mandate
But I still like the vroom vroom and zoom zoom...
