MT-09 Gen 3 throttle feel vs Gen 2 – anyone else notice this?

Had a Gen 2 MT-09 for about 6 months and it was insanely fun to ride
Not sure what the correct term is, but the throttle felt like it would "pull longer" before the bike forced me to shift up (because of engine vibration)
I could happily cruise from 0–100 km/h just using 1st or 2nd gear

Recently upgraded to a Gen 3. Not saying it’s a bad bike at all, it feels more planted and less wobbly thanks to the new chassis
But I’m guessing because of the gearing (and that it shares characteristics with the R9), the gear ratios feel more like a sport bike. I’ve ridden CBR650R, R3, R7 before, and all of those also upshift much earlier compared to something like the GSX-S750 or the MT-09 Gen 2

So I’m wondering:
- Is it possible to change this feeling with an ECU flash?
- Would exhaust mods change the character or throttle feel in any noticeable way?

Also, I kind of miss the whistle / blowback sound from the Gen 2 MT-09. Has anyone managed to get a similar whistle or blowback sound on the Gen 3 with exhaust or intake mods?