I also love my Specialty Spares. They are not as raspy and seem lower pitched than the Bubs. I liked the original stock slash cut look. IMHO, I think the SS pipes look better than stock ones and the Bubs don't look quite as good. I think it's the straighter (not as fat) lines of the SS.
I have almost 15,000 miles on my SS pipes and the chrome looks great - no rust anywhere. I've left the baffles alone. As the pipes settle in, they do get louder. At one time I thought about adding some material, but since doing the BB, I love the even lower pitch of the BB. My pipes are the quietest of all my bike friends I ride with. They all ride Harleys with non stock pipes.
