Yes you can fit them without the chip but for £30 or so for a JHP one you might as well do the job right!  I suppose there is a possibilty the bike might run dangerously lean without the right chip in but my bike ran for at least two years before i got it with the wrong chip in and hasn't suffered.  A JHP chip and Nellys superb set up smoothed the whole thing out though and get rid of a bit of a flat spot.
 
 The trim pot only sets the idle CO.
 
 As regards the ST2 specifically, Rushjob has more experience of modding one of those than i do.