True....I just took mine off and tucked the hose into a hole on the subframe above the air intake boot. I decided to take the whole thing off because it made my gas tank easier to remove. Not that I remove it alot, but I did when I was testing out my jetting (doing plug chops) before I learned the "seat of the pants" method for jetting.

 

i think for my type of riding taking the snorkel off would be a bad idea. i ride in dusty and muddy conditions mostly. instead of taking even just the end cap off coudl i just drill a cuple of 1/2in holes in the top of the endcap and then a 2in hole in the cover. would that work or am i just as likley to get crud in my filter if i take the endcap off.

also would a different filter affect the jetting that i am going to put in or will it help it?

 

You will definitely want a clamp on filter. The stock filter doesn't seal tight enough to keep out dirt. I too ride in dusty and extremely muddy conditions, and haven't had probs with sucking in mud. There is a lot of parts the mud has to get around before it can go down the snorkle even with the cap off. I don't recommend K&N however, I talked to many people that have had bad experiences with them. Nossmachine.com has good deals ($65) on flange/uni filter kits, and if your a member of the "other" forums, they'll give you a discount. An outerwear is also a good idea for muddy/dusty riding. If your still concerned about your snorkle, remove the end can and put a double layer of old pantyhose over the end and secure it with rubberbands.

 

would that twin air filter be any good on page 2 of ebay searching under z400 for 10.49????

 

Don't know, doesn't look like any design I've seen for the Z. Plus, it'd still have the issue of dirt coming in around the edges of the filter, and it still has a day and a half for the price to go up. The kit from Noss is probably your best bet, plus it's easy to install, there isn't any cutting involved, just drilling.