Vance,
IMO, the hunt for the 'old sound' is like hunting for the Holy Grail. Ya just ain't gonna do it.
The closest you'll get in aftermarket pipes is the Thunderbikes and EPCOs. I believe the biggest issue is the firing order and OHCs and not the pipes. I believe that "tighter" sound of the old triumphs is because of the 360 firing order. I've got several sets of doctored / altered Triumph pipes and the answer isn't there either. I'll agree with your friend and not drill out his intact set. I keep a set for 'just-in-case' purposes. Oh, and if you friend can stand the noise level and can get them dialed in - A straight set of drag pipes will get closer to "that" sound - However, for some reason, totally gutted silencers do not. Again, IMO - totally gutted silencers only sound like fart megaphones...
