I need the extra space where the airbox resides to mount the horn, coils and other things. the only issue is i HATE the noise level of pod filters. way too freaking loud.
my other idea is to just leave the top of the airbox off and make a plate taht mounts ontop of the airbox that i can bolt the goodies to.
I think that this is the best course of action for performance, noise and cost. I tried pods and found them too loud and too harsh in tone. I might have been ok with the sound of pods with a stock exhaust.
I am of the opinion (and not alone) that gains made with pods occur when the pods have an effective velocity stack used with them (like the Ducshop, Wasp and TPO systems). I wonder if any of those velocity stack could be fitted to the S2R airbox.? You could run a fancy high performance air filter on an open airbox and fab up a nice bracket.
With the correct intake mods and fueling, you might crack the 100 hp mark and have reasonable noise levels. Big fan of this build and look forward to seeing what the evo motor can make with the S2R open airbox.