What I was saying is I love the sound of a loud Harley but not a loud import bike.
It's all a matter of taste (and perhaps background).
I'm the opposite... The only way a bike can remotely justify being loud is if it's seriously fast. Straight-piped Harleys make a ton of noise accelerating at the pace of a city bus.
Sportbikes are also a smooth sound by comparison, and tend to only be loud when the are at wide open throttle and higher revs.
None of my bikes have had aftermarket exhausts because I have always had neighbours and often rode at night.
Back to my original point though... Don't bring up noise as a safety measure until you have:
high visibility gear, full face helmet, running light/high beam on, pants that aren't tear-away and don't have spikes, and a jacket that offers some protection. HV gear made riding much, much safer for me. Oh, and get a bike with ABS if you can.