The "Altitude Tax" vs. The Full Build: Is modding the Hunter 350 worth the daily trade-offs?

Hey everyone,

You’ve seen my Hunter 350 on here before. I’ve reached a point where I’m totally in love with the urban commuter/cruiser setup I’ve built, but living in Albuquerque brings some unique challenges.

Between being at an altitude higher than Denver (hello, power loss) and the fact that our local drivers make the city feel like a Mad Max set, I tend to stay off the freeways entirely. For me, this bike is all about carving through the city.

Performance parts for the J-series engine are surprisingly cheap, so I’m tempted to go all-in. I’m looking at a full exhaust, high-flow intake, FuelX Pro, and a performance cam. Including gaskets, I can get the whole kit for under $700. I’m comfortable doing the wrenching myself and I’ve got local "back-up" if I get into a jam, but I have some hesitations about the aftermath.

For those of you who have "built" a small-displacement bike like this:

What is it actually like to live with day-to-day? Does the cam make the idle too temperamental for stop-and-go traffic?
Does the "fun factor" wear off? I know what "built" cars are like, but I’ve learned you can’t really compare the two. Does the increased vibration or exhaust drone become a chore on a 30-minute commute?
Any regrets? Did you find yourself constantly tinkering with the fueling, or did the FuelX/ECU combo keep it "set it and forget it"?

I love this "stupid" bike and I’d honestly love to do all the cool stuff to it just for the joy of the project. I’d just rather hear your "living with it" horror stories (or success stories) before I tear into the engine.

Would love to get some context from anyone who’s gone down the performance rabbit hole.