Thank you for the thoughtful response. I have looked on a few boards at different ideas concerning exhaust systems on bikes and there seems to be a wide range of opinion on removing the catalytic converter. In my own experience with scooters, I've noticed that making the intake and exhaust ports more open produced a noticeable increase in power. On my Suzuki qs150a, I modded the airbox and muffler in a similar manner and again, more power. However, when I tried the same trick on a Honda Rebel it was a disaster. My CB400 on the other hand had a modded exhaust and runs remarkably well. Xiao Cui and 998S were both impressed with it when they rode it, and its new owner so far has no complaints. :)

With a bike like the Benelli, however, the addition of EFI would seem to make things more difficult. I'd really like to see some dyno results from the mods people are doing with them. For now though it looks more like the "snakeskin seat" style of mod.