It's true that making sure the rear sprocket is aligned and the chain is properly lubed will free up more BHP than most intake / exhaust mods will make
It is interesting that the Gladius uses different-length stacks as standard, and the V-Strom has equal-length long stacks from the factory. Of course the Strom also has different cam profiles too, and the inlet is probably tweaked to suit, but I'll report back on how mine goes with the Strom stacks installed.