I am learning that this was a common mod on 851, cutting the airbox and removing the filter, routing the fresh air hoses directly to the back of the tank and into the airbox. Well people, my bike is privileged enough to have experienced those times and era, as the previous owner has done that mod but now i am left thinking: Is this healthy? what are the gains? and the cons? (on this last bit, i believe some crap to be sucked directly into the injectors). Even wanting to revert it, i am struggling to find an airbox. There is none on ebay, and even external companies besides those carbon ones selling at silly money. The bike has a low set of termignoni, i wonder if i would be better off to buy two individual filter cones and somehow fit them at the end of each fresh air hose inside the botched airbox?
My 888 has an opened airbox and filter, running with the open Termignonis. Running without a filter, regardless of where it is would be a concern for me with long term ingestion of particles. If you cannot secure an air filter to your airbox, then filter cones could well be an option. As @Steve Robins has mentioned, the air ducts at this stage become cosmetic.
Thanks Chris. I would love to opt out for the same configuration as yours, if only the previous owner wouldn't chop the bed where the filter lays. I could honestly do with the cone filters. I would buy an airbox but i had little to zero luck in finding one. I am also pressured on time as i wouldn't want to run the bike like this for long. I will measure the diameter of the fresh air ducts and buy something that will just fit on top.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265842449194?mkevt=1&mkpid=0&emsid=e11021.m43.l1120&mkcid=7&ch=osgood&euid=87a40b3521d64445afaf3ef929162d43&bu=43135975181&ut=RU&exe=0&ext=0&osub=-1~1&crd=20220821062930&segname=11021 With a little work that hole in the airbox can be plastic welded.
